Seahawks' overlooked cornerback named player of the game against Raiders

After a very quiet rookie season, Nehemiah Pritchett made some noise in his preseason debut on Thursday night.

Aug 17, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6), linebacker Devin Richardson (43), cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28), and teammates stand for the National Anthem before the game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium. | Casey Gower-Imagn Images

The star of last night's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders was the Seattle Seahawks' new-and-improved run game. Both George Holani and Jacardia Wright were efficient and productive, thanks in large part to some stout run blocking from the rest of the offense. Rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe also showed off some of his ludicrous speed as a rusher.

On the other side of the ball there wasn't much to celebrate, but the backup secondary was the standout. Josh Jobe, D'Anthony Bell and a few others flashed. It was second-year cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett who looked the most impressive in the group, though.

Their player grades for the game aren't out yet, but according to Pro Football Focus, Pritchett won their player of the game award for the evening.

PFF praises Nehemiah Pritchett

"Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett, a 2024 fifth-round pick, picked off one Aidan O'Connell pass and forced an incompletion on another. He is on track to earn a near-elite PFF coverage grade for his efforts, pending reviews."

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Jha'Quan Jackson (19) is hit by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett (28) during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. | Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

The pick was a combination of a very nasty coverage disguise by head coach Mike Macdonald for a preseason game and a superb read on the ball by Pritchett. He also posted a nice pass breakup on a deep ball later on and finished the game with four tackles.

Pritchett was only on the field for a total of 151 defensive snaps (23%) as a rookie, but he may be in line for more playing time this year if he continues to thrive in the preseason. For now, he should still project as the primary backup behind Riq Woolen at the right boundary spot. The better he plays, the more leverage the Seahawks will have when it's time to negotiate a new deal for Woolen.

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