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Seattle Seahawks: 5 Players facing the most pressure in 2018

By Samuel Teets

SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks passes the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field on December 31, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - DECEMBER 31: Quarterback Russell Wilson #3 of the Seattle Seahawks passes the ball during the first half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field on December 31, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /
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NFL 2018
GLENDALE, AZ – NOVEMBER 09: Cornerback Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks celebrates a defensive stop make in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium on November 9, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

5. Ethan Pocic

While he’s only entering his second season in the league, Pocic was a second round draft pick in 2017 and needs to take huge steps forward in 2018. The Seahawks offensive line has been atrocious in recent years and Pocic is supposed to be part of the solution to that problem. Pocic has shown potential, but potential doesn’t really accomplish anything at the end of the day. With the Seahawks trying to rebuild their running game and take pressure off of Russell Wilson, Pocic will begin to face more and more scrutiny.

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To be fair, the offensive line as a whole, besides Duane Brown, will be put under a magnifying glass if they don’t start performing better, but Pocic can become a strong pillar on the line. Since he’s just entering his second year, 2019 will likely be his make-or-break year, but it’s always nice to see a player developing ahead of schedule.

4. Shaquill Griffin

With Richard Sherman officially no longer on the Seahawks roster, Griffin is now the team’s top cornerback. You can imagine how that might be a bit intimidating. Griffin was a third round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft and performed pretty well during his first year. While he isn’t showing any signs of turning into Sherman any time soon, he started 11 games and played in 15 as a rookie. During that time he recorded just one interception but 15 passes defensed. That made him sixteenth in passes defensed among all defenders in 2017.

For a third round pick those numbers are admirable but next to Sherman they are nothing. As the team’s leading cornerback, if Griffin doesn’t have a big year in 2018 the defense will be in serious trouble. Just look at who might be lining up next to him, an old member of the Legion of Boom, Byron Maxwell. Maxwell was good at the start of his career but has fallen on hard times since joining the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. Griffin will have to play the role of the lockdown corner for the Seahawks.

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