The Seattle Seahawks protection had appreciable illustration on this 12 months’s version of ESPN’s annual survey of prime 10 gamers by place, as voted by league coaches, scouts, and executives. That is an improve from the 2024 offseason, when the Seahawks’ lone consultant was Devon Witherspoon.
Who’s made this 12 months’s checklist? We begin off with the Massive Cat himself, Leonard Williams. One poll really had him as excessive as No. 2.
Leonard Williams – No. 6 defensive sort out
First-year Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald helped catapult Williams, who took full benefit of his matchups to have a banner season.
“His play lastly matched his talents final season,” a veteran NFL coach stated. “He was dominant. Others have been higher than him in earlier years, however he all the time had a excessive ceiling.”
Williams posted profession highs in quarterback hits (28) and tackles for loss (16), a formidable feat in Yr 10. He added 64 tackles, 3 passes defended and a 92-yard interception return for a landing.
“Has uncommon size, vary and energy,” an NFL coordinator stated. “Was good to see him put all of it collectively.”
Dexter Lawrence, Chris Jones, Jalen Carter, Jeffery Simmons, and Quinnen Williams have been all ranked forward of Williams within the mixture whole.
Subsequent up is a first-time entrant into this survey. Julian Love is coming into his third season with the Seahawks after a fantastic second season, and he cracked the protection checklist at No. 10.
Julian Love – No. 10 security
Love has used his two-year stint in Seattle to catapult his profession, racking up 7 interceptions, 22 go deflections and 232 whole tackles. His 21.8% ball-hawking charge topped all safeties with a minimum of 50 targets this previous season.
“Vary, dart, combo of physicality and ball manufacturing. Has developed right into a high-end participant,” an NFC government stated. “Outstanding for a man that was primarily a nook in school.”
The cash parallels the on-field ascension. After 4 years with the Giants, Seattle signed Like to a two-year, $12 million deal in March 2023, solely to increase him for 3 years and $33 million 16 months later.
After the Seahawks moved on from Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs, Love’s function elevated and he has flourished to date.
Lastly, ‘Spoon continues to be thought of a prime 10 nook, though he’s moved down one spot from final 12 months.
Devon Witherspoon – No. 10 cornerback
Witherspoon has back-to-back Professional Bowls to match two consecutive prime 10s to begin his profession — reaching the latter in shut trend. Witherspoon received a tiebreaker with former No. 1 Jalen Ramsey for the tenth spot.
Statistically, Witherspoon wasn’t as disruptive because the earlier 12 months. His go deflections dropped from 16 to 9, sacks from 3.0 to 1.0. However he’s the basic tone-setter, the kind of participant you have to see in particular person.
He’s stout on the line, with a 90.0 run protection grade final season that ranked third amongst corners by Professional Soccer Focus. He additionally recorded 66 solo tackles, a strong quantity for a nook.
“Extraordinarily pressing, aggressive, wonderful top-down velocity from the perimeter or out of the slot,” an NFL personnel evaluator stated. “Violent tackler, decrease physique twitch, good blitzer, disruptive.”
Added an NFL coordinator: “Higher nickel than exterior nook for my part however he makes splash performs. You should account for him.”
For those who haven’t seen by now, the Seahawks didn’t have anybody within the prime 10 on offense and it’s laborious to argue towards it. There have been a number of Seahawks on each side of the ball who did obtain votes, together with Kenneth Walker III at operating again, Charles Cross at offensive sort out, Ernest Jones IV at off-ball linebacker, Jaxon Smith-Njigba at vast receiver, and Riq Woolen at cornerback.
In case you’re questioning, neither Sam Darnold nor his Seahawks predecessor Geno Smith obtained any votes for prime 10 quarterback standing.
All of it appears truthful to me from a Seahawks perspective! If all goes proper, lots of these names who obtained votes however didn’t get ranked (or, in Darnold’s case, any votes) may discover themselves on subsequent 12 months’s prime 10 checklist.
