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I remember where I was when Russell Wilson was drafted, as many of us probably do. I was at a 24 Hour Fitness in Carson, California, working out on an elliptical. I think that was the most recent time that I’ve worked out. I know for a fact that it was in that moment, the 75th overall pick of the 2012 draft, roughly five and a half years ago, that the Seattle Seahawks drafted a player who has since been named to a Pro Bowl for his offensive or defensive prowess.
None of the 56 players drafted by the Seahawks since Wilson in 2012 have been named to the Pro Bowl, save for Tyler Lockett, who made it in 2015 as a returner. That’s all well and good, but certainly not as much of the goal as Lockett making it as a receiver, or any Seattle player making it for playing during the other 97% of the game that’s not a kickoff or punt.
These are the closest things to “Pro Bowl” that Pete Carroll, John Schneider, and the Seahawks have drafted in each class since:
2012 -
Seattle nabbed historical talents in Wilson and Bobby Wagner, plus Bruce Irvin in the first; it’s a 1-2-3 of such great magnitude that it’ll be remembered and admired for years. They still made seven more picks that year, including Robert Turbin, Jaye Howard, Korey Toomer, Jeremy Lane, and J.R. Sweezy. It is one of the best classes in NFL history.
The closest thing to a Pro Bowl player in that group may be Howard for his 2015 season with the Kansas City Chiefs. Howard, Turbin, and Toomer all did their best work after leaving Seattle, while Sweezy started all 14 games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this year until being placed on IR this week.
2013 -
The Seahawks drafted 11 players in 2013, the same year the personnel man Scot McCloughan left the organization, which many point to as the turning point for the organization. (McCloughan is available now.) The first rounder was dealt for Percy Harvin, who did not make a Pro Bowl after that deal. Second rounder Christine Michael never attacked his opportunities with the Seahawks, or any other team that gave him a shot.
They also drafted Jordan Hill, Chris Harper, Jesse Williams, Tharold Simon, and Luke Willson in rounds 3-5. Willson is the most valuable commodity there for Seattle, but never close to a Pro Bowler. The most obvious answer is sixth round running back Spencer Ware, who rushed for 921 yards with the Chiefs in 2016.
He tore his PCL and LCL and has missed the entire 2017 season.
2014 -
This class united the team with Paul Richardson, Justin Britt, and Cassius Marsh. Britt was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2016, so he’s the answer. Richardson has Pro Bowl numbers if you count his career numbers as if they were a single season: 93 catches, 1,281 yards, eight touchdowns.
They drafted six other players that year, the last four of which basically never did a thing with the Seahawks: Jimmy Staten (never played), Garrett Scott (never played), Eric Pinkins (active for six games, never played), and Kiero Small (played in three games for the Browns).
2015 -
Frank Clark’s 10-sack season in 2016 clearly makes him a Pro Bowl “watch list” type of guy and he has eight more this year. I think Clark is talented enough to make 5-6 Pro Bowls over the course of his career, but he also had the opportunity to be a full-time starter in the wake of Cliff Avril’s injury, and he somehow seemed less impactful than he was a year ago. There are games (Eagles) when he looks like an elite defensive end, but like Richardson or Lockett on offense, games where you forget about his existence.
Speaking of Lockett, he did make a Pro Bowl and All-Pro roster as a rookie for his return abilities, and he’s an alternate in 2017. As a receiver, he’s proven to be exciting but ultimately has yet to do anything to make you think he can be a regular, consistent starter. Over the last seven games, Lockett has caught 15 of 26 targets for 178 yards, and 90 of those yards came in one game against the Jaguars.
That’s 25 yards per game, including the Jags, and 14.6 yards per game in the other six.
After waiving Mark Glowinski, that means that none of the next six players drafted by the Seahawks in 2015 are still on the team.
2016 -
Sadly, once again, the closest thing to a Pro Bowl player in this class is a guy who is now on another team. Alex Collins has 844 yards and five touchdowns with the Baltimore Ravens this season. He didn’t make the Pro Bowl, even as an alternate, but he’s certainly had a very good season, regardless of how he would have done behind Seattle’s offensive line.
The closest thing to a Pro Bowl player still with the Seahawks is probably Jarran Reed, who looks like a great piece for the middle of the defensive line, not that he can’t improve to help Seattle get better at creating pressure up the middle.
Germain Ifedi has not played like a Pro Bowler or even an Amateur Bowler at right tackle. C.J. Prosise remains injured, Nick Vannett has finally started making appearances, Rees Odhiambo went from inactive guard to awful left tackle to injured reserve. Quinton Jefferson is starting to play a little bit. Joey Hunt just recently made the 53-man roster.
The Seahawks did draft 11 more players in 2017, and while it would be too soon to think about Pro Bowls for these rookies, Shaquill Griffin, Nazair Jones, Ethan Pocic, and Chris Carson have all had notable seasons. We haven’t seen much from Malik McDowell, Amara Darboh, Delano Hill, or Tedric Thompson, as far as the other top-4 rounds picks.
Seattle came away with the best drafts from 2010-2012, nabbing eight Pro Bowl position players. In the seven drafts since, they have added one Pro Bowl player, a returner who wasn’t very good at returning in most of the games since that nod. It’s not too late for some of these guys, though unfortunately, it is too late for a number of those guys to make a Pro Bowl with the Seahawks.