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Seattle Seahawks stuck to their big board and selected two late round steals in the 2024 NFL Draft
The NFL Draft is behind us, but the dust is still settling. In the weeks that follow every NFL Draft there are always leaks and little pieces of information that emerge as teams and media process what just happened. One of the most interesting pieces of information that’s come out had to do with the Seattle Seahawks’ selections of the former Auburn cornerback tandem they drafted in the fifth and sixth rounds: DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN shared that the Seahawks had fourth round grades on both players. They weren’t the only team who saw them that way either. However, many believed coming into the draft that the Seahawks already had a rather stacked cornerback room headed up by Devon Witherspoon and Tariq Woolen. But general manager John Schneider decided to stick to their big board and stack their defensive back group even more.
The Seahawks saw eight defensive backs log over 230 snaps last season, so it’s really no surprise that the team wanted to bolster their depth there. And why not do so with two former teammates in DJ James and Nehemiah Pritchett? The two cornerbacks spent the last two seasons starting for the Auburn Tigers defense, logging more than 1000 snaps together.
DJ James dominates larger WRs
DJ James may have weighed in rather small at the NFL Combine, but don’t let that fool you. When facing the largest wide receivers in the nation James’ technique consistently allowed him to make plays on the ball in tight coverage. Just watch him shut down 6’7″ Johnny Wilson in the clip below from the Senior Bowl.
James may be just 175 pounds at 6’0″, but he uses every bit of that wiry frame and his 4.42-second forty-yard dash speed to stick like glue to defenders of all sizes. Getting him in round six was a wild steal, considering for much of NFL Draft season he was considered a potential day two prospect (according to 500+ mock drafts of data).
Nehemiah Pritchett’s elite instincts
It’s hard to sum up a player’s style and ability in just one play, but the short clip below does a pretty good job. As Anthony from Cover 1 mentions, Nehemiah Pritchett triggers and drives towards the ball, breaking up what would have been a first down completion to Isaiah Bond for Alabama.
Nehemiah Pritchett plays with such great vision and instincts to make breaking plays on the ball every single week. He allowed less than a 50% completion rate when targeted and broke up more than 20 passes over the last four seasons for Auburn.
Pritchett and James both played mostly outside corner with the Auburn Tigers, but showed some ability to flex inside the slot as well. Getting two defensive backs who play above their weight class, consistently break up passes, and have over 1000 snaps played together already makes for an unbelievable steal by general manager John Schneider on day three of the 2024 NFL Draft.
And if you want to watch some DJ James highlights to see how despite his smaller size he constantly wins against the nation’s top competition you can check out the video below!
