Seattle Seahawks: Best pick from every draft under John Schneider
By Samuel Teets
2011 – Richard Sherman (154th overall)
Some teams weren’t even sure what position the Stanford product would play in the NFL, and some envisioned him as a wide receiver instead of a cornerback. Seattle took a chance on Richard Sherman in the fifth round and it paid off big time. In the post-Darrelle Revis era, Sherman and Arizona’s Patrick Peterson have dominated the NFL and, for a few years, were hands down the best shutdown corners in the league.
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Sherman served as the voice of the Legion of Boom secondary and was the only cornerback to consistently start for the team during their golden years. From 2012 through 2016, Sherman made four Pro Bowls, was a three-time First Team All-Pro and made a Second All-Pro Team as well. He finished inside the top 22 of NFL Network‘s Top 100 Players four times and has appeared on the list every time since 2013, ranking no lower than his 2018 position (64th).
Sherman left Seattle following a disappointing and injury-filled 2017 campaign and he signed in the division with San Francisco. In 2018, Sherman did not record an interception for the first time in his career, but he was only targeted 40 times during the season. He may not have made the Pro Bowl, but Sherman had another great year that will continue to grow his legacy.
In 2011, the Seahawks also selected linebacker K.J. Wright in the fourth round with the 99th overall pick. Wright recorded roughly 100 combined tackles per season through the first seven years of his career, and he even made the Pro Bowl in 2016. Many people overlook Wright’s contributions to Seattle during the team’s two runs to the Super Bowl.
2011 was also the year a wide receiver from Stanford named Doug Baldwin went undrafted. The Seahawks signed Baldwin, and eight years later, he’s been to two Pro Bowls and is third in franchise history in reception and receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns. Because of injuries, Baldwin will never play another down in the NFL, but he’s been one of the best undrafted players in recent history.