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The Seattle Seahawks were busy during the draft. Coming into Thursday with four picks, the Seahawks wheeled and dealt, ending up with eight total draft picks. Three offensive and five defensive players were selected.

The players selected will play a pivotal role in the Seahawks’ efforts to avoid a Super Bowl hangover. To find the right players, the Seahawks have implemented a formula.

General manager John Schneider and the rest of the front office believe they have the equation to find the right fits to continue the Seahawks’ championship culture. 

Competitor Scale 

Seahawks general manager John Schneider has been through this before. He’s been the GM on Super Bowl championship teams before and has developed an idea of what works and what doesn’t. 

Gregg Bell of The Tacoma News Tribune, in his April 28 article, wrote about the challenge Schneider faces coming into this season. 

“General manager John Schneider’s goal for his 17th draft leading the Seahawks was to avoid what the said the team endured for years starting a decade ago in the wake of Seattle’s only other Super Bowl championship: Rookies and younger players in awe of Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and the stars they’d watched on TV while as college and high-school kids,” Bell wrote.

“Those years of younger player deferring and awed to veterans resulted in far less competitive practices,” Bell continued. “That resulted in weaker teams — and an 11-year wait to play in another Super Bowl that ended in February.”

Now, Schneider and his staff have developed what they call a “Competitor Scale” to evaluate what potential draft picks can come in right away, and the moment won’t be too big for them.

Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald says that the Seahawks’ top three draft picks, Jadarian Price, Bud Clark, and Julian Neal, exemplify the type of competitors they are looking for in Seattle.

“They have swag. They have confidence. But they have humility,” Macdonald said.

“I mean, they play an exciting brand of football,” Macdonald continued. “Which we feel like we’re excited to work with. I think that’s the common denominator.”

No player better showcased the Seahawks’ competitor scale than safety Nick Emmanwori did as a rookie last season. 

Immediate Impact 

Not many rookies can step in to be the backbone of a Super Championship-winning defense, but last season Nick Emmanwori did just that.

Emmanwori came in and was immediately the Swiss Army knife Mike Macdonald needed to unlock the full potential of the Seahawks’ defense.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com wrote about Emmanwori and his impact on the Seahawks’ defense in February before the Super Bowl. In the article, Macdonald praised not only Emmanwori’s physical abilities, but his mentality and willingness to do the little things that make a significant impact.

“I think what’s great about Nick is in addition — I mean, we all know, you can see the physical talent, physical ability — but his eagerness to learn and the sense of urgency for detail and his hunger to be great really stands out,” Macdonald said. “Not a lot of guys that are that talented, really, are interested in doing the amount of work that it actually takes for those traits to come to life.”

Emmanwori and the Seahawks were a perfect fit, mentality-wise.

“Just getting drafted to the right team, I kind of expected to come in and make an impact,” Emanwori said. “I knew I could play multiple positions and do different things. I just needed a coaching staff that had a great plan for me and wasn’t scared to work outside the box, and just all in year one, you know, there’s no time to wait. The time is now.”

Emmanwori showcases the type of competitor the Seahawks hope they have selected in this draft, someone who can jump in right away and contribute to a Championship-winning team.