Seahawks 30 under 30: Tharold Simon will be better than Richard Sherman, according to Richard Sherman

The Seattle Seahawks have a very good roster, but what's especially nice and hopeful about their team is that the vast majority of current Seahawks are young and signed through 2017, at least. This series leading up to the regular season opener on September 11 will take a closer look at 30 such players, all of whom won't be turning 30 this year.

Player: Tharold Simon, CB

Age: 25

How acquired: Fifth round pick (138th overall) out of LSU in 2013

Free agent: 2017

There is a significant amount of fan admiration for Simon, the 6'2, 200 lb corner out of DBU who has flashed greatness when healthy, but has not yet been healthy enough to really make his mark on the field. Instead, Simon has become more of a legend of sorts, a cautionary tale you tell to young receivers at night that if they don't practice run-blocking and route-running, "Simon's gonna get a healthy toe and come running after you!"

Bad news then for those receivers: Simon hasn't missed a snap all offseason and has been getting reps as the starting right corner in the Seahawks base defense.

Sherman: Stands by his comments that he thinks @t_simon24 will end up being better than him. #SeahawksCamp

— Aaron Levine (@AaronQ13Fox) August 2, 2016

That could be a good thing, but hopes must be tempered for a player who has missed 37 of a possible 48 games over his three NFL seasons. The last time that Simon played a significant role on defense was in Seattle's Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots when he came into the game for an injured Jeremy Lane.

And now consider the fact that Lane tore his ACL and broke his arm on that one play, yet somehow managed to play in eight games last season (including playoffs) while Simon only played in one.

The unfortunate flip side here is that if Simon plays poorly this season or gets another major injury, his career with the team could be over. And if he plays well, his career with the team would also likely be over. They've already made Richard Sherman one of the top-paid defensive players in the NFL, while recently giving Jeremy Lane starter-level money as well. With the safeties, that means that four of their top 11 paid players in 2017 will be in the secondary. If Simon has a great season at cornerback this year, you'd think that means he definitely plays his way out of Seattle.

But in the meantime, Pete Carroll would just like to see him play some games to begin with.

Simon's 2013 draft profile: