Seattle Seahawks CB D.J. James: 'Ready To Play Whatever Position They Need'

The newest member of the Seattle Seahawks' secondary could be a Swiss Army Knife kind of player.
Auburn cornerback DJ James 4 makes an interception as the LSU Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers at
Auburn cornerback DJ James 4 makes an interception as the LSU Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers at / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA
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With the Seattle Seahawks boasting a relatively deep secondary, anyone hoping to earn significant playing time has to make themselves stand out in some way.

D.J. James, the newest member of the Seattle secondary, is well aware of that fact. While discussing his pre-draft interactions with the Seahawks, James, who the team drafted out of Auburn with the 192nd pick in the sixth round, expressed a desire to help the team win no matter what's asked of him.

Auburn cornerback DJ James 4 makes an interception as the LSU Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers at
Auburn cornerback DJ James 4 makes an interception as the LSU Tigers take on the Auburn Tigers at / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network / USA

“I talked to Seattle a lot. They had dinner with me prior to my pro day. I talked with them a couple days before the draft as well so I knew I was on their radar," James said. "Going into the NFL, I'm ready to play whatever position they need me to play. If that's nickel, if that's outside corner, I can play them both. If they want me to play on special teams, I can do that too."

James, the No. 192 overall pick in the draft, played a healthy mix of outside and slot corner in college, and he can play well in both man and zone coverage as well.

The Seahawks likely made James' transition to the NFL easier, as they also drafted fellow Auburn corner Nehemiah Pritchett, who started opposite of James over the past two years.

“It means a lot just knowing I'm going in there with someone I just played college football with," James said. "It means a lot, especially because he also plays the same position as me."

James began his college career at Oregon, but transferred to Auburn in 2022. He performed quite well at his second stop, even earning a second-team All-SEC selection in his first season after breaking up eight passes and intercepting another. He was also projected to go much higher than he ended up going, with NFL.com even projecting him as a third-round pick.

Now, James returns to the Pacific Northwest with a chip on his shoulder and a burning desire to prove himself in a crowded Seahawks secondary.


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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.