The 2017 draft is John Schneider’s new 2013 draft

It’s no secret that 2013 was the greatest year for the Seattle Seahawks, with a season that culminated in the raising of a Lombardi trophy following the only Super Bowl victory in franchise history. However, while the on-filed performance was unquestionably a success, the 2013 draft class for Pete Carroll and John Schneider was the first class that was a dud.

Following on the heels of three extremely impactful drafts, in 2010, 2011 and 2012, of the 11 members of the 2013 draft class, only Luke Willson played in more than 50 games in the NFL. Meanwhile, the member of the draft class with the second highest number of games played in their NFL career, Spencer Ware, made in 41 of his 43 career appearances in NFL games for the Kansas City Chiefs after being waived by the Seahawks. One of the obvious reasons for the weakness of the 2013 draft class is that Seattle had, of course, traded its first round pick to the Minnesota Vikings for Percy Harvin, meaning the first pick the Hawks made came late in the second round.

That said, it is in no way a secret that after not having had a first round selection in the 2013 draft, Seahawks would go on to add multiple players taken early in the first round that year later in their careers. The list of 2013 first round selections who later signed with Seattle or were acquired via trade includes:

• 1.2 Luke Joeckel (Jacksonville Jaguars)
• 1.3 Dion Jordan (Miami Dolphins)
• 1.5 Ezekiel Ziggy Ansah (Detroit Lions)
• 1.6 Barkevious Mingo (Cleveland Browns)
• 1.10 Chance Warmack (Tennessee Titans)
• 1.11 D.J. Fluker (San Diego Chargers)
• 1.13 Sheldon Richardson (New York Jets)

This is certainly nothing new or noteworthy, as fans and the media have long joked about Schneider’s propensity to add 2013 first rounders when they would become available. However, in light of the past couple of years, it may be time to update the material. Specifically, while the Seahawks performance on Day 2 of the 2017 draft is best known for the big swing and big whiff on defensive tackle Malik McDowell, it was not a great day of picking players for Pete and John.

On Day 2 of the 2017 NFL Draft Seattle selected five more players after taking McDowell. The full haul for that day was:

• 2.35: Malik McDowell
• 2.58: Ethan Pocic
• 3.90: Shaquill Griffin
• 3.95: Lano Hill
• 3.102: Nazair Jones
• 3.106: Amara Darboh

Griffin, of course, developed into a quality starter before departing in free agency for his home state Jacksonville Jaguars, and Pocic made contributions, even if his performance fell short of fan hopes. The others, though, did little to nothing on the field for the Seahawks and are long gone from the roster.

However, not so long gone are several others who heard their name called on Day 2 of the draft in 2017 who have been added to the Seattle roster in recent seasons. Starting with the pick at which the Hawks added McDowell, 2.35, and going back exactly one round worth of selections, in recent years the Seahawks have added:

• 2.43: Sidney Jones
• 2.44: Gerald Everett
• 2.61: Josh Jones
• 2.66: Akhello Witherspoon

Combining these additions with the half dozen players Seattle drafted on April 28, 2017, 10 of the 77 (12.99%) players who were taken on Day 2 of the 2017 draft have been with the Seahawks during the first five years of their career. Given that the 2017 draft class has only been eligible for free agency during each of the last two offseasons, this could easily grow in the coming years, which is fine since it’s a group that includes some quality players. Although, the line should probably be drawn somewhere short of attempting to address the quarterback position with the likes of DeShone Kizer or C.J. Beathard.