Seattle Seahawks Roster Underrated Across Multiple Lists

Across multiple lists of the top players in the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks aren't getting the respect they deserve.

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider speaks at a press conference at the NFL Scouting Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

When looking at the Seattle Seahawks roster, there are a lot of things to be excited about. They got multiple first-round picks from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade and turned those into cornerstone players in left tackle Charles Cross and cornerback Devon Witherspoon. A second-round pick acquired in the trade was also used to select rising edge rusher Boye Mafe.

Outside of those three, they have some excellent players, especially on the offensive side of the football. Quarterback Geno Smith, running back Kenneth Walker III and wide receiver DK Metcalf are an excellent trio to build the unit around. Second-year wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba only scratched the surface of his potential as a rookie.

We have spent a lot of time this offseason discussing the roster as a whole, breaking it down from every angle. Throughout all of football media, there have been multiple lists put out ranking players across both positions and overall. Three lists came out over the last week from ESPN, Pro Football Network and Pro Football Focus. Across all of them, only one Seahawks player was included in totality.

ESPN made a more comprehensive list by breaking down the top 10 players at each position, where ESPN's Jeremy Fowler polled NFL executives, scouts and coaches. They were the only set of rankings to include a Seahawk: cornerback Devon Witherspoon (ranked ninth).

For Witherspoon, that's a fair ranking going into his second season in the NFL. He was tremendous as a rookie across the board and deserves that ranking. The puzzling part is not including any other Seahawks.

Let's start with ESPN's poll. At the least, Smith, Metcalf, Walker and defensive lineman Leonard Williams not being on any list is perplexing. Walker, Metcalf and Cross did receive votes in their respective positions but not enough to rank in the top 10. It's especially surprising for Metcalf considering he ranked eighth in 2023 and had a solid season to follow it up.

Pro Football Network ranked the top 100 players and Pro Football Focus did the top 50 — neither included a single Seahawks player. It's less egregious not to have a player in the top 50, but none in the top 100 is lunacy.

Are we looking at a case of East Coast bias? It sure seems that way, especially with the talent the Seahawks have at the top of the roster.