DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett among ESPN’s biggest draft steals of the past decade

ESPN’s Matt Miller and Jordan Reid ranked the 50 biggest draft steals over the past decade (2013-2022), and there are a couple of players drafted by the Seattle Seahawks on the list, as well as a current Seahawk who was chosen by another team. First-round picks do not count and “a player must have been drafted at least 15 spots — roughly half a round — later than he should have been, and that’s just the floor for the exercise.”

I think it’s fair to say that prior to last season, the Seattle Seahawks draft classes from 2013-2021 have not been nearly as positively impactful as the legendary 2010-2012 run that delivered a Super Bowl title and two NFC Championships. However, Seattle has still gotten great value from two offensive stars taken on Day 2 of the draft, and honestly it shouldn’t take you a whole lot of thinking to find the answers.

DK Metcalf comes in at No. 34, followed by Tyler Lockett at No. 39.

From beyond the paywall:

34. DK Metcalf, WR

Drafted: No. 64 in 2019 (Seattle Seahawks)

Career stats: 306 receptions for 4,218 yards and 35 TDs in four seasons

Metcalf sent the NFL world into a frenzy after he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 228 pounds at the 2019 combine. But a poor 7.38 three-cone drill time and some long-term health questions after a season-ending neck injury during his final year at Ole Miss pushed him to the final pick of the second round. Metcalf has already set Seattle’s single-season record for receiving yards (1,303 in 2020) and hasn’t missed a single game during his career. - Reid

[...]

39. Tyler Lockett, WR

Drafted: No. 69 in 2015 (Seattle Seahawks)

Career stats: 533 receptions for 7,100 yards and 54 TDs in eight seasons

A lack of size (5-10) had scouts thinking Lockett would be nothing more than a slot receiver and return man, but he has become so much more as a foundational player for the Seahawks. The speedy Lockett has been a top-tier deep threat while also contributing on special teams and opening eyes around the league to the benefit of an inside receiver. He now has four straight 1,000-yard seasons and five straight years with at least eight TD catches. — Miller

I should also mention that Quandre Diggs also appears on this list at No. 42, having been taken in the sixth round by the Detroit Lions in 2015. Considering how little it took for the Seahawks to acquire Diggs via trade in the middle of the 2019 season, Diggs might go down as one of the biggest double steals of all-time.

Lockett’s consistent high-level productivity over the past five years, in addition to what he provided as a rookie both on offense and as a special teams returner, has me wondering if Tyler should be the one ranked above Metcalf in this exercise. Either way they’re both justifiably in the top-50.

As you might expect, Travis Kelce is far and away the biggest draft steal, ahead of former Kansas City Chiefs teammate Tyreek Hill, current AFC West rival Davante Adams, and current Seahawks rival Cooper Kupp.

Kelce was drafted with the No. 63 pick (aka the first pick of Round 3) in the 2013 NFL Draft and is undeniably a first-ballot Hall of Fame player. I highly recommend not taking a look at what happened with pick 62. Oh well, it’s not like history is on course to repeat itself (with the same two teams) given how Round 2 of the 2021 draft unfolded, right?

I imagine that in a few years, a redo of this article could very well include a few Seahawks who were selected last year... and maybe even this year!