Seattle Seahawks Top 100 Countdown: Playmaking Cornerbacks Galore in No. 80-71

With no shortage of standout cornerbacks in their 48-year history, a quartet of the best of the best stand out in part three of our annual Top 100 Seahawks countdown.

Sep 24, 1989; Foxboro, MA, USA; FILE PHOTO; Seattle Seahawks defensive back Dwayne Harper (29) reacts during the game against the New England Patriots at Foxboro Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports / Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

Over the course of 48 seasons, the Seattle Seahawks have boasted plenty of star power on offense, defense, and special teams. But which players stand out as the best of the best closing in on half a century as an NFL franchise?

To take part in the festivities, each member of the All Seahawks writing staff assembled their own individual rankings for the top 100 players in Seahawks history.

After compiling averages from all four lists, who made the final cut? In part three of our countdown headlined by dynamic playmaking cornerbacks, here’s players No. 80 through 71 with highest ranking, lowest ranking, and analysis courtesy of our writing staff.

80. Willie Williams, CB

Seahawks Tenure: 1997–2003

Highest Ranking: 78

Lowest Ranking: 82

Writer’s Take: Williams has a complicated role in Seahawks history. He was an incredible talent at cornerback in Seattle for seven seasons but was also part of the Pittsburgh Steelers team that beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Williams’ prime was certainly with the Seahawks, even though he began and concluded his career with the Steelers. He is one of just 24 players in Seattle’s franchise history to log at least 300 solo tackles and is one of five players to score at least three defensive touchdowns with the team. Williams is also 12th in the all-time record books in interceptions (17). At just 5-9, 194 pounds, Williams’ best season with Seattle was in 1999 when he logged 76 total tackles, five interceptions and 16 pass deflections in just 15 games. -Connor Benintendi

79. Rocky Bernard, DT

Seahawks Tenure: 2002–2008

Highest Ranking: 76

Lowest Ranking: 81

Writer’s Take: A huge part of the Seahawks’ success in the early 2000s, Bernard only endured a losing season twice during his seven-year stint with Seattle. In the 2005 season, when Seattle reached Super Bowl XL, Bernard helped anchor the Seahawks’ fifth-ranked rushing defense that allowed just 3.6 yards per carry. He is 12th all-time in sacks (29) and fifth in tackles for loss (53) since the metric began being tracked in 1999. Bernard concluded his Seahawks career with 383 total tackles in 103 games played with the team. He concluded his career with the New York Giants and was part of the Super Bowl XLVI-winning team in the 2011 season. -Connor Benintendi

78. Brandon Browner, CB

Seahawks Tenure: 2011–2013

Highest Ranking: 73

Lowest Ranking: 87

Writer’s Take: Browner’s three seasons in Seattle were as short, complicated and successful as any player on this list. He was a founding, hard-hitting member of the Legion of Boom defense as a hybrid cornerback, safety and linebacker, and was as good as any player Seattle has had on defense when he was on the field. However, Browner’s only full season with the Seahawks was in his first campaign with the team in 2011. That year, he logged 54 total tackles, six interceptions, 23 pass deflections and two defensive touchdowns. Browner was suspended twice in three seasons for performance-enhancing drug violations, and the latter suspension forced him to miss Seattle’s 2013 postseason run and eventual Super Bowl XLVIII victory. Then, in 2014, Browner was part of the New England team that beat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX. Since playing his last NFL season in 2015, Browner has dealt with ample legal issues, including an attempted murder charge that saw him sentenced to eight years in prison in 2018. -Connor Benintendi

77. Patrick Hunter, CB

Seahawks Tenure: 1986–1994

Highest Ranking: 69

Lowest Ranking: 80

Writer's Take: Playing all 16 games in his rookie year of 1986, off-field issues nearly derailed Hunter's career after being selected as a third-round pick in the 1986 NFL Draft. But like fine wine, he seemed to get better as he got older. Keeping his nose clean, he managed to play nine seasons for the Seahawks, with his best years coming towards the tail end of that tenure. He ended up playing in 120 games over nine seasons in Seattle, which is third among corners in franchise history. In 1993, he intercepted four passes and racked up 58 tackles. One of the more underrated cornerbacks in team history, he accumulated 400 tackles, 12 interceptions, two forced fumbles, and a defensive touchdown. -Nick Lee

76. Dwayne Harper, CB

Seahawks Tenure: 1988–1993

Highest Ranking: 70

Lowest Ranking: 82

Writer's Take: After Seattle selected Harper in the 11th round out of South Carolina State in 1988, he went on to miss just two games over six years and started all 16 games three years in a row at cornerback. He was a consistent, reliable player who never made a Pro Bowl but delivered in the secondary. He notched 13 career interceptions and had at least three interceptions in three seasons. His 45 Approximate Value mark via Pro Football Reference is higher than esteemed Seahawks cornerbacks Willie Williams and Keith Simpson. In his rookie year, he played a key role for the 1988 squad that went 9-7 and got to the playoffs. There is not much more you could ask from an 11th round pick, as he was steady and reliable throughout his time in Seattle. -Nick Lee

75. Chris Carson, RB

Seahawks Tenure: 2017–2021

Highest Ranking: 72

Lowest Ranking: 84

Oct 3, 2021; Santa Clara, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson (32) rushes during the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Writer’s Take: At one time, Carson was on a trajectory to become Seattle’s next franchise running back in replacement of Marshawn Lynch. If not for mounting injuries, he may have maintained that trajectory. A seventh-round pick by Seattle in 2017, Carson never played a full season and still posted at least 1,000 yards rushing twice. In 2019, Carson ran for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns on 238 carries, while also catching 37 passes for 266 yards and an additional pair of scores. Carson suffered a neck injury during the 2021 season that ultimately required season-ending surgery, and he retired due to the injury just after the beginning of training camp in 2022 — less than three years after being the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL. Despite being one of the biggest “what if?” players in team history, Carson finished his career eighth on Seattle’s all-time rushing leaderboard with 3,502 yards. -Connor Benintendi

74. Pete Kendall, G

Seahawks Tenure: 1996–2000

Highest Ranking: 70

Lowest Ranking: 79

Writer's Take: As bad as the Seahawks fortunes were during most of the dreadful 90s, the chronic mediocrity can’t be pinned on the offensive line, which was actually pretty solid for most of the decade. Kendall arrived in Seattle as a first-round pick in 1996 and immediately took over as the starter at left guard, starting 75 out of 76 games over the next five seasons. After missing out on the playoffs in 1997 and 1998 with 8-8 records, he played a key role in helping Seattle get over the hump and return to the postseason for the first time in nearly a decade, as the team won nine games and an AFC West title in 1999. Though his excellent performance gets overshadowed by his eventual replacement Steve Hutchinson, he was one of the better guards to ever don a Seahawks uniform. -Corbin Smith

73. Bruce Scholtz, LB

Seahawks Tenure: 1982–1988

Highest Ranking: 68

Lowest Ranking: 77

Writer's Take: Nicknamed “The Stork” due to his long and lean 6-6, 240 pound frame, Scholtz started 95 games for the Seahawks from 1982 through 1988, including nine as a rookie. While outside linebackers in 3-4 schemes tend to rack up sacks in today’s pass-happy game, Scholtz thrived as a run defender playing for coach Chuck Knox, using his length and underrated power to corral ball carriers sideline to sideline. Scholtz was a key member of the Seattle’s back-to-back playoff runs in 1983 and 1984, helping the defense jump from 27th in run defense during his rookie season in 1982 all the way to sixth in the NFL in 1984. The Seahawks gave up only 11 touchdowns on the ground, tied for the third-fewest in the league that year. -Corbin Smith

72. Leroy Hill, LB

Seahawks Tenure: 2005–2012

Highest Ranking: 64

Lowest Ranking: 84

Nov 6, 2011; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks linebacker Leroy Hill (56) at Cowboys Stadium. The Cowboys beat the Seahawks 23-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Writer's Take: While Hill had as much talent as any linebacker the Seahawks have ever had, off-field problems prevented him from coming close to reaching his full potential. When he wasn't in trouble, the former third-round selection consistently posted strong numbers – producing at least 70 combined tackles five times in eight seasons. Along with racking up tackles in bunches, Hill also wreaked a ton of havoc in the backfield, amassing 41 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, and 18 quarterback hits in 97 regular season games. He played well in the postseason as well, generating 72 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, and two sacks suiting up in nine postseason matchups. It's worth wondering how much higher he could have been on this list if he could have kept out of the doghouse. –Corbin Smith

71. Jimmy Graham, TE

Seahawks Tenure: 2015–2017

Highest Ranking: 63

Lowest Ranking: 74

Writer's Take: Whether fair or not, Graham received immense scrutiny from fans during his three seasons in Seattle due to his lack of ability or general disinterest in blocking and the fact he arrived in exchange for popular center Max Unger. But the team should receive more criticism for trying to fit a square peg into a hole than the actual player and when it came to producing as a receiver, the former Miami basketball star delivered catching passes from Russell Wilson. He ranks first in franchise history for receptions (170), receiving yards (2,048), and receiving touchdowns (18) among tight ends. He also deserves a ton of credit for rebounding from a devastating torn patellar tendon injury suffered in 2015 to make the Pro Bowl in each of his final two seasons with the Seahawks, including coming up just short of a 1,000-yard season in 2016. -Corbin Smith