As with my bottom ten trades in Seahawks history I will omit the Jamal Adams and Russell Wilson trades because time will tell if they should be in the bottom or the top.
Here are the ten:
10) Seattle drafted WR D.K. Metcalf in the second round of 2019 with a pick acquired from the New England Patriots in exchange for third- and fourth-round picks. The Seahawks had dealt their own second-round pick to the Houston Texans in the 2017 midseason trade that brought OL Duane Brown to Seattle. Metcalf was the seventh of seven wide receivers to go in the second round, a group that also included Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown. Metcalf earned his first Pro Bowl nod at the end of 2020 when he eclipsed 1,300 receiving yards.
9) When coach Pete Carroll came to the Seahawks in 2020 his era was jump-started with two top-20 draft picks. The second of these, the No. 14 selection, was acquired by the previous administration, in 2009, when they sent a second-round pick to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a first-rounder the following year. With the first-rounder Seattle took S Earl Thomas. With the two first-round selections the Seahawks addressed two important positions. With T Russell Okung, selected No. 6 overall, the team acquired a left tackle, taking care of the quarterback’s blind side. And in Thomas they took care of the back end of the defense. Thomas earned All-Pro in three straight seasons beginning with 2012. With the pick acquired from the Seahawks, Denver took DB Alphonso Smith, who spent only his rookie season with the team and was out of the league after 2012.
8) After Chuck Knox became the Seahawks coach in 1983, one of his key moves was to find an anchor for the O-line, which he did when he acquired C Blair Bush from the Cincinnati Bengals. Bush had played for the University of Washington and in returning home he helped lead the Seahawks to the playoffs for the first time in his first season. He played six years with Seattle. In exchange for Bush the Bengals received a first-round draft choice in 1985, which came after a 12-win season for the Seahawks and was the 25th selection of the draft.
7) Seattle traded WR Joey Galloway to the Dallas Cowboys in 2000 for first-round picks in 2000 and ’01. With the 2000 pick the Seahawks came away with RB Shaun Alexander, chosen 19th in the draft. In ’01 the had the No. 7 selection, which they traded down to the No. 9 pick where they took WR Koren Robinson. Still, Alexander was prize, winning NFL MVP in 2005 when he led the NFL in rushing and touchdowns.
6) The Seahawks acquired QB Matt Hasselbeck in a 2001 trade with Green Bay. In doing so they sent a third-round draft choice to the Packers, but also allowed the Packers to move up from the No. 17 selection in the first round to the No. 10 pick. Seattle, however, maximized the No. 17 choice with its selection of G Steve Hutchinson, who went on to a Hall-of-Fame career. In short, the Seahawks came away with their franchise QB of the 2000s and one of the best linemen of the era. With the No. 10 selection, Green Bay took edge rusher Jamal Reynolds, who played only three NFL seasons.
5) Seattle drafted DL Cortez Kennedy with the No. 3 overall selection of 1990 after trading up in the draft in a deal with the New England Patriots. The Seahawks coupled the No. 8 and 10 selections in the draft and sent them to the Patriots. There was also an exchange of non-first-round selections with New England obtaining third- and fourth-rounders, and Seattle receiving a second-rounder. Kennedy played his entire Hall-of-Fame career with Seattle and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992.
4) The Seahawks acquired RB Marshawn Lynch in a midseason trade with the Buffalo Bills in 2010. To acquire the ball carrier Seattle surrendered fourth- and fifth-round draft choices. It was a bargain for Lynch, who was drafted No. 12 overall in 2007. He was an All-Pro with the Seahawks in 2012 when he eclipsed 1,500 rushing yards.
3) Seattle drafted T Walter Jones with the No. 6 selection of the 1997 draft after moving up from the 12th pick in a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coincidentally, with the 12th selection, the Buccaneers took Jones’ Florida State teammate RB Warrick Dunn. Moving up in the draft cost Seattle a third-round selection, but gave them a Hall-of-Fame tackle in Jones, who spent his entire career with the team.
2) It wasn’t until year eight in franchise history that Seattle drafted a offensive-skills-position player in the first round. They did so with the selection of RB Curt Warner, taken No. 3 in 1983. They acquired the pick when they moved up from the ninth selection in a deal with the Houston Oilers. Seattle sent second-and third-round selections to Houston, who did all right with the selection of Hall-of-Fame lineman Bruce Matthews with the ninth pick. The Oilers were very active prior to the draft. They originally had the No. 2 pick, but moved back to No. 3 in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The 1983 Draft is known as the quarterback draft as represented by John Elway, Jim Kelly and Dan Marino. But it was also a great running back draft with Eric Dickerson preceding Warner as the No. 2 selection. As rookies Dickerson and Warner led their respective conferences in rushing. Seattle, at the time, was in the AFC West and would not call the Rams a divisional foe until 2002 realignment. Warner was the Seahawks first 1,000-yard rusher, and reached the plateau four times.
1) Late in the preseason of the Seahawks inaugural year of 1976, Seattle made what did not appear to be a major deal at the time, acquiring a rookie wide receiver from the Houston Oilers in exchange for 1977 eight-round draft choice. The receiver, taken in the fourth round of 1976, was Steve Largent, who went on to lead the NFL in receiving yards in 1979 and ’85. At the time of his retirement at the end of the 1989 season he was the NFL’s all-time career receiving leader in catches, yards and touchdowns. The player drafted by Houston with the 1977 eighth-rounder was also a receiver, but never played in an NFL regular-season game.
