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The Ten Best Seattle Seahawks First Round Draft Picks of All Time

By Ben Renner

Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Seahawks players including Earl Thomas (29) and Richard Sherman (25) and Kelcie McCray (33) celebrate after Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (not pictured) missed a field goal in the fourth quarter in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Seattle Seahawks players including Earl Thomas (29) and Richard Sherman (25) and Kelcie McCray (33) celebrate after Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (not pictured) missed a field goal in the fourth quarter in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Seattle Seahawks
Jan 31, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks former player and broadcaster Steve Raible (left) interviews Seahawks former defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy at the Seattle Seahawks 12Fest fan rally in the Desert at Chase Field prior to Super Bowl XLIX. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Cortez Kennedy

The Hall of Fame defensive tackle was selected third overall in the 1990 NFL Draft. The Seattle Seahawks retired Cortez Kennedy’s number 96 in 2012 and inducted him into their Ring of Honor in 2006. Kennedy had a strange start to his Seattle Seahawks career. He remained unsigned by the team until two days before the start of the 1991 season because he and the Seahawks couldn’t come to an agreement. But once Kennedy got on the field, offensive linemen and quarterbacks quickly learned to cower in terror.

Kennedy recorded 14 sacks in 1992 and won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, even though the Seahawks were awful that year. He was a run stuffer like no one else at the time who could also collapse the pocket on quarterbacks by himself at times. Kennedy went to the Pro Bowl eight times, earning three All-Pro selections. He made 668 tackles during his career before he retired in 2000.

Every respectable team has to have a legendary run-stuffer on their all-time best rosters. Kennedy is the Seahawks’.

Kennedy is the only player not named Steve Largent, Kenny Easley, or Walter Jones in the Hall of Fame who earned his HOF credentials primarily with the Seahawks. He spent his entire career with Seattle and is still considered one of the best defensive tackles ever in the NFL. Imagine if as a part of their constant churn of defensive tackles, the Seahawks could go back in time and bring in Kennedy for next year’s roster. Yikes.

Next: Number 2

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