Seahawks focus on secondary

Seattle selects 4 defensive backs on final 2 days with Legion of Boom getting older and more expensive

RENTON, Wash. — General manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll seem to be preparing for a time when the Seattle Seahawks secondary does not include Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman, even if it’s likely a few years away.

That was a clear statement from Seattle’s 11 selections made over the final two days of the NFL draft. The Seahawks used four of their first eight picks on the secondary, the most under Carroll and Schneider.

And all four of the selections addressed different spots. Seattle took cornerback Shaquill Griffin and strong safety Delano Hill on Friday, and free safety Tedric Thompson and safety Mike Tyson on Saturday. Seattle said Tyson will transition to being a cornerback. The four selections expressed the importance of replenishing and discovering the next generation of the Seahawks’ secondary.

“It will be really fun to see how these guys fit in. They’re all really competitive guys and great players in their programs. We’ll see how they fit in with our guys,” Carroll said on Saturday. “But it’s a very competitive room and we would not take guys that were not going to be able to handle that. They’re going to add to it.”

The secondary was a need because the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom is getting older and more expensive.

Chancellor is 29 and entering the last year of his contract. Sherman just turned 29 and has been the subject of trade rumours during the off-season. Thomas is about to turn 28 and coming off a major leg injury that cost him the final month of last season. DeShawn Shead sustained a major knee injury during the playoffs and won’t be ready for the start of the season.

Schneider said the focus on the secondary was just how the draft board broke down.

“It was really a defensive back heavy draft and it was just how the board came off. We didn’t want to start jumping players. That’s when you get in trouble,” Schneider said.