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The Seahawks have put together their best secondary by far since the breakup of the Legion of Boom. The centerpiece is second-year cornerback Tariq Woolen, who had a supremely promising rookie season in the NFL.
Heading into Year 2, Woolen has been ranked among the best players at his position. Today Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire has ranked the league’s top 11 cornerbacks and Woolen came in at No. 8 on his list.
“In his rookie season, Woolen took his ungodly athleticism to the next level, becoming more and more of a complete cornerback. Overall, he allowed 42 completions on 76 targets for 637 yards, 233 yards after the catch, five touchdowns, six interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 72.1.”
It’s about time that somebody recognized Woolen is a top-10 talent at his position. For example, Pro Football Focus had him graded out at 69.1 overall, good for No. 34 among cornerbacks.
Even if his game is still a bit raw compared to Sauce Gardner (No. 2 on Farrar’s list), Woolen’s ceiling is as high as any DB in the sport. If he takes that second-year leap he should be in the top five on this list next year, perhaps even top-two-not-two. Then again, Richard Sherman didn’t surpass Darrelle Revis as the NFL’s best corner until his third year in the league and Woolen deserves more time to develop before we put those kind of expectations on him. In any case, the future is blindingly bright for No. 27.
Another guy we expect to see on this list in the coming years is Devon Witherspoon, Seattle’s No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 draft. The Seahawks are also comically loaded at safety – and Farrar has Quandre Diggs ranked No. 2 at his position. A healthy Jamal Adams might also make the cut next year – and Julian Love might even have a shot, too.
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