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NFL Draft Seahawks Needs and Priorities

By Ben Renner

Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Sidney Jones speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Washington Huskies defensive back Sidney Jones speaks to the media during the 2017 combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /
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NFL Draft
October 22, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Isaiah Oliver (26) celebrates with defensive back Ahkello Witherspoon (23, left) after Oliver intercepted the football against the Stanford Cardinal during the fourth quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive Back

This could be a good year for rookie defensive backs coming out of the NFL Draft, with several prized cornerbacks and safeties possibly available to the Seahawks throughout the weekend. We know about Washington Huskies corner Kevin King and Connecticut Huskies safety Obi Melifonwu, but who else is out there in this defense-heavy NFL Draft?

Ahkello Witherspoon, CB, Colorado

Witherspoon fits the mold of a prototypical Seahawks corner. He has the size and speed to be successful in the NFL, with a 6’3″ frame and a 4.45 40-yard dash time. Witherspoon projects as a second or third round pick, largely because of his lack of interceptions and his perceived unwillingness to come up and tackle from the secondary. In his last season with the Buffaloes, he batted down 22 passes.

Jabrill Peppers, S/LB, Michigan

For being a tweener who seems to lack the playmaking ability to be a safety and the size to be a linebacker, Peppers is projected to go fairly high in the NFL Draft. He’s a physical freak of a man, but he only picked off one pass in his collegiate career. His dilute sample on his drug test could push him past the first round and even beyond that, but if the Seahawks like his character anyway, they could take him and plug him into their new 4-2-5 defense this season.

Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

The “other” Washington cornerback is Jones, who tore his Achilles tendon on his Pro Day but appears to be on top of his recovery. Jones says he’ll be ready to play by September, and that’s backed up by his surgeon:

He was projected as a first round pick before his injury, but the Seahawks could benefit from him falling to the second or third round.

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