Seahawks sought ‘toughness and grit and confidence’ in 2021 NFL draft

The Seattle Seahawks only had three selections in the 2021 NFL draft and ended up with a wide receiver, a cornerback and a tackle. With the coronavirus pandemic still in full swing and many events canceled over the past year – like the scouting combine – the team had to change things up a bit heading into the big event.

General manager John Schneider joined the “Danny and Gallant” show on 710 ESPN Seattle on Friday and shared some of the Seahawks’ draft strategy.

“We really focused on the person this year,” Schneider said. “People were talking about previous drafts — we have focused on the person obviously, the character, the grit, the things that you’ve heard and hear about all the time. But there was a point in there where it was really hard to make this football team.”

Schneider joined the Seahawks’ front office in 2010 and he and coach Pete Carroll have selected their fair share of draft classes since then. Adjusting to the changing times is just part of the job description.

“We took some players that, quite frankly, they were playing Madden with Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman and guys like that when they were in eighth grade and now they’re on the same football field with them,” Schneider continued. “We had to get back to finding that level of toughness and grit and confidence.”

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