Talented but inconsistent Seahawks corner Riq Woolen named among NFL's biggest enigmas

There's no denying that Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen has oodles of talent. Despite being fifth-round draft pick, Woolen came into the NFL with incredible length, height and athleticism in general - setting him up to succeed as much as any cornerback in the league.

However, talent is not the only thing that counts for an athlete - especially when you're competing at the highest level of the game. So, even though his physical gifts are unmatched at his position, heading into the final year of Woolen's contract, it's not even certain that he'll be returning to Seattle next season.

That's a stark contrast with another Seahawks cornerback who came into the league at 6-foot-4 as a fifth-round pick. Impressive as Woolen's numbers are, Richard Sherman's for his first three seasons blow Woolen's away, including 20 interceptions and 57 pass breakups.

So, even though he had half of Woolen's speed and none of his explosiveness, Sherman's future in the NFL was secure by this point in his career. It's a frustrating puzzle - one the Seahawks are still trying to figure out. Heading into the 2025 season, NFL.com has named Woolen one of the league's seven biggest enigmas.

"The supersized cover corner earned Pro Bowl honors as a rookie in 2022, but he has been unable to sustain that stellar level of play over the past two seasons, sending him into a contract year as something of a question mark. With injuries and inconsistent technique preventing him from dominating on the island, the Seahawks are playing the "wait and see" game before determining whether to sign the former fifth-round pick to a long-term deal. If the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder can regain the focus and form that helped shine as a lockdown defender early in his career, Seattle could build around an ultra-athletic corner with the length and explosiveness to shut down elite WR1s on the perimeter."

Focus and form sound like the right things that Woolen needs to focus on in order to live up to his full superstar potential - which is very much still there.

Perhaps it would have been better for Woolen to be just a tiny bit less athletic, if it had lit a fire under him. In his prime years Sherman performed at an All-Pro level every single snap because he wanted to prove that he was the best at what he did and would waste no opportunity to rub it in your face. By comparison, Woolen just doesn't seem to have that same killer instinct - and that's not something that athletes tend to grow over time.

There are exceptions, though - such as the newfound lethally-motivated attitude that the equally-ultra-talented LeBron James adopted when he joined the Miami Heat in his eighth season. Woolen's new teammate Sam Darnold is another example of an athlete having a late-blooming killer instinct take their game to the next level.

Unfortunately, Woolen might need to be humbled in order to feel pissed off enough to wrestle away the title of the NFL's best cornerback away from his competition. Perhaps that won't happen unless the team that drafted him decides to sell high and trade him somewhere else.

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