There isn't much debate about which side of the ball is superior on the Seattle Seahawks. After the midway point of last season, Seattle's defense emerged as one of the league's best. Additionally, with all the personnel turnover on the offensive side of the ball, the offense is much further behind its 2025 counterpart.
That's why defensive lineman Leonard Williams and cornerback Devon Witherspoon were named to Pete Prisco's CBS Sports top 100 NFL players heading into 2025 as the only Seahawks mentioned. That's a short list, however, for one of the league's rising teams under head coach Mike Macdonald.
Williams wasn't ranked last season, but landed at No. 64. He was Seattle's best player a season ago, justifying his placement as the top Seahawk, but also is too low for how good Williams was in 2024. Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter was somehow ranked No. 17 despite having 6.5 fewer sacks, four fewer tackles for loss, 12 fewer quarterback hits and no 92-yard pick-six.
"In his first full season with Seattle, Williams had 11 sacks, the most he's had since 2020," Prisco wrote. "He was a force for the Seattle defense as he turns 31 this year."
Witherspoon fell 10 spots from No. 74 to No. 84, which is another head-scratcher considering he was even better last season than he was as a rookie in 2023. The takeaways may not have been there, but Witherspoon was third among cornerbacks in tackles (95) in 2024. There were 10 cornerbacks listed ahead of Witherspoon.
"Witherspoon is a feisty corner who loves to throw his body around in the run game," Prisco wrote. "He doesn't back down. He's also a good cover player who is the tone-setter for the Seattle secondary."
Linebacker Ernest Jones IV, who helped turn around Seattle's defense last season, is the primary snub from the list. Wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba also has a case for being snubbed after his breakout campaign in 2024. Smith-Njigba was 10th in the league in receiving yards, but wasn't one of the 15 pass-catchers listed.
