The Seattle Seahawks did make a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft. The Seahawks were fresh off capturing their first championship in the franchise’s 38 years history after defeating the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII. GM John Schneider traded the No. 32 overall selection in the follow-up draft to the Minnesota Vikings in exchange for Minnesota’s second-and-fourth round picks (40th &108th).
Seattle then traded down again, from No. 40 to 45, and made wide receiver Paul Richardson their first selection of the 2014 NFL draft. That proved to be a mistake. Richardson endured a disappointing four-year career with the Seahawks. After a teasing breakout campaign in 2017, the final year of his rookie contract, he signed a lucrative deal with Washington in free agency (and went on to disappoint again).
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The 2014 draft was a disappointing one for the Seahawks in general. Joining Richardson as the franchise’s other top-100 pick was offensive tackle Justin Britt. Cassius Marsh and Kevin Norwood were among the other selections in the class. Remember them?
As we all anxiously await training camp to start, Pro Football Focus recently conducted a 2014 NFL redraft. Always a fun exercise, PFF has the Seahawks keeping the 32nd pick this time around. They land offensive guard Trai Turner, who was actually taken in the third round.
“Five-time Pro Bowler Trai Turner rounds out this redraft due to his solid stretch of play in Carolina, where he spent his first six seasons,” PFF wrote. “Turner earned a 76.3 PFF overall grade in that span while contributing to some of the best Panthers teams in recent memory. Turner’s best season came amid the Panthers’ Super Bowl run in 2015, when he ranked as a top-eight guard in the NFL in PFF overall grade and PFF pass-blocking grade.”
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Considering the offensive line struggles the Seahawks would encounter, Turner would have been a far better selection.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: PFF: Seahawks select offensive lineman in 2014 NFL redraft