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Seahawks Continue to Prioritize Drafting Players with 'Something to Prove'

John Schneider and Pete Carroll built the foundation of their program with the Seahawks around hard-nosed, gritty players who didn't have things handed to them. This year, they doubled-down on that approach with eight players who have overcome immense adversity to make it to the league.

Under the leadership of general manager John Schneider, the Seahawks have earned a reputation for finding late round and undrafted gems over the years.

Back in 2010, they selected four-time Pro Bowler Kam Chancellor in the fifth round with  133rd overall pick. The following season, they took five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman in the fifth round with the 154th overall selection in the 2011 NFL Draft. That same year, the Seahawks signed future two-time Pro Bowler Doug Baldwin as an undrafted free agent.

According to Schneider, who was a guest on 950 KJR AM with Dave Mahler and Dick Fain on Thursday, Seattle would not have drafted or signed those players if they didn't have a chip on their shoulders. At the center of the franchise's success, they look beyond pure football talent to identify players who have overcome immense hardship to reach the NFL.

"Richard Sherman would not be this team, or we wouldn't have drafted Richard Sherman or Kam [Chancellor] if they didn't have that chip on their shoulder and something to prove. I texted Doug Baldwin the other night after the draft because I couldn't sleep. I was so wired," said Schneider. 

"I just told him that I was proud of him because a lot of these guys really embody his attitude or his perseverance and his grit level. We really tried to work off of that. Coach Carroll and his staff recognize that, and we have worked with them on a competitive scale and what that looks like, and we will continue to do that as we move forward."

During the interview, Schneider was asked if there's conscious effort to lean towards individuals with hardships in comparison to players who have been told they were great their whole lives.

"Absolutely. That's what we really truly learned and built this thing on as we go. It's one of the things coach Carroll and I talked about early on. He's really studied it, especially being in Los Angeles [at USC] and the players that he brought in there. The guys that have that grit and what the makeup of the person is and who is the guy, and is he going to be able to come in [or] is he going to be a guy that just shies away right away?"

"So, there are guys that had their butts kissed to a certain extent since they were seven or eight grade. They were recruited at a very high level, and what happens is people get away from coaching them to a certain extent because they are really trying to make them happy. They don't want them to leave the program, and so they try to talk them into staying at the school. We like the guys have something to prove and have a chip on their shoulder."

All eight of the draft picks that the Seahawks selected in the 2020 Draft had to overcome significant obstacles to reach the NFL. As just a few examples, first-round pick Jordyn Brooks spent time in his youth homeless, Darrell Taylor's mother passed away in 2013, and Damien Lewis didn't receive a single Division I offer out of high school.

Highlighting one back story specifically, seventh-round pick Stephen Sullivan took a unique route to the league, overcoming homelessness and both of his parents being incarcerated to wind up at LSU. And it's a story that resonated with the Seahawks brass. 

"He was very open with us at the Senior Bowl. He was very open with Coach [Pat] McPherson, our tight ends coach, at the combine. I think Pete told him at the combine he was going to make him a Seahawk. When you hear these stories, it definitely affects you. He’s one of those guys you just wouldn’t bet against. Pete, obviously, has a great relationship with coach [Ed] Orgeron," said Schneider during his post-draft media session. "Matt Berry and Scott Fitterer and Aaron Hineline, who’s responsible for that school, all had [a] very strong conviction for the person, and how do you project that, and what does that look like. We’ll figure that out as we go.”

Pete Carroll added that Sullivan's story and his energy made him a special talent the team simply couldn't miss out on, which led to Seattle trading back into the seventh round to select him.

“I got connected, really through Coach O, as we talked about his guys, and this story, he lit up about this kid. I had a special eye on him throughout the time and was hoping we would figure out a way. We couldn’t have waited a whole lot longer to pull it off. Fortunately, John made a great move late and gave us a chance to get him in the program. He was so excited and so pumped up about it, just like Ed had said he would be. Ed told me he was going to be one of my favorite guys. All of that added in."

"He’s a marvelous talent. We’ll see if we can find a good way to make it come to life and come to the front. It surely is going to be on us, because he’s going to do his part. He has so much energy for it, such a great motor. A really good guy to bring into the program.”

Without even touching the practice field yet, it's unclear what this new Seahawks draft class will accomplish. But with the organization continuing to emphasize character, grit, and toughness, Schneider and Carroll hope to unearth several more key contributors who have had to scratch and claw their way to the NFL.