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The NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 is filled with Seattle Seahawks stars, with Richard Sherman ranking the highest at 21st. Barring a completely unexpected choice of Jimmy Graham making it into the top-20, I believe Sherman is the last Seahawk on this year’s edition, giving the team a league-high eight players.
Out of pure curiosity, I looked up every Top 100 Players ranking since its creation in 2011, and quickly mapped out the progression of Seahawks players and rankings over the years. For whatever value you see in these offseason lists, going from having none to the most over the duration of Pete Carroll’s tenure is pretty damn cool.
There is one disclaimer: I have not included any Seahawks players who had earned their ranking with their previous team. That means Percy Harvin (2013 offseason) and Jimmy Graham (2015 offseason) do not count.
2011 (0)
No players
2012 (2)
Earl Thomas (66th), Marshawn Lynch (94th)
2013 (5)
Marshawn Lynch (24th), Richard Sherman (50th), Russell Wilson (51st), Earl Thomas (66th), Max Unger (95th)
2014 (5)
Richard Sherman (7th), Marshawn Lynch (14th), Earl Thomas (17th), Russell Wilson (20th), Kam Chancellor (65th)
2015 (7)
Marshawn Lynch (9th), Richard Sherman (11th), Earl Thomas (21st), Russell Wilson (22nd), Kam Chancellor (41st), Bobby Wagner (69th), Michael Bennett (90th)
2016 (6)
Russell Wilson (17th), Richard Sherman (20th), Kam Chancellor (32nd), Michael Bennett (59th), Earl Thomas (66th), Doug Baldwin (72nd)
2017 (8)
Richard Sherman (21st), Russell Wilson (24th), Earl Thomas (30th), Kam Chancellor (34th), Bobby Wagner (39th), Michael Bennett (46th), Cliff Avril (56th), Doug Baldwin (88th)
Final breakdown
Seahawks NFL Top 100 history
| Player | Debut | Years Ranked | Highest Ranking | Lowest Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Debut | Years Ranked | Highest Ranking | Lowest Ranking |
| Earl Thomas | 2012 | 6 | 17th | 66th |
| Richard Sherman | 2013 | 5 | 07th | 50th |
| Russell Wilson | 2013 | 5 | 17th | 51st |
| Marshawn Lynch | 2012 | 4 | 09th | 94th |
| Kam Chancellor | 2014 | 4 | 32nd | 65th |
| Michael Bennett | 2015 | 3 | 46th | 90th |
| Bobby Wagner | 2014 | 2 | 39th | 69th |
| Doug Baldwin | 2016 | 2 | 72nd | 88th |
| Cliff Avril | 2017 | 1 | 56th | N/A |
| Max Unger | 2013 | 1 | 95th | N/A |
A fine group of ten, with everyone except Lynch and Avril originally signed by the Seahawks (either through the draft or as an undrafted free agent). Technically speaking, Seattle cut Bennett in the middle of the 2009 season, but thankfully Pete Carroll and John Schneider lured him back in 2013 free agency and righted that wrong.
Here’s to seeing Frank Clark, Tyler Lockett, C.J. Prosise, Malik McDowell, Shaquill Griffin, and the next generation of Seahawks populate future Top 100 lists for many seasons to come.