The NFL's Top 50 Draft Classes of the Decade: No. 32 Seattle Seahawks, 2001

Team Achievements: 76-68, NFC Champions in 2005, 5 playoff berths.

The Seahawks' 2001 Selections: Koren Robinson, WR, North Carolina St. (No. 9) *
Steve Hutchinson, G, Michigan (No. 17) **
Ken Lucas, CB, Mississippi (No. 40)
Heath Evans, FB, Auburn (No. 82) *
Orlando Huff, LB, Fresno St. (No. 104)
Curtis Fuller, S, TCU (No. 127)
Floyd Womack, T, Mississippi St. (No. 128)
Alex Bannister, WR, Eastern Kentucky (No. 140)
Josh Booty, QB, LSU (No. 172)
Harold Blackmon, S, Northwestern (No. 210)
Dennis Norman, OL, Princeton (No. 222) *
Kris Kocurek, DT, Texas Tech (No. 237)

* Seattle traded Nos. 7, 191 to San Francisco for Nos. 9, 82, and 222.
** Seattle traded Nos. 10, 72 to Green Bay for Matt Hasselbeck and the No. 17 selection.

Class Accolades: Steve Hutchinson - 2-time All-Pro, 3 Pro Bowls as a Seahawk, 48 consecutive regular season starts from 2003 to 2005.
Koren Robinson - 213 receptions, 3,167 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns during first 4 seasons in Seattle, 78 receptions and 1,240 receiving yards in 2002.
Heath Evans - 4 seasons with Seahawks, 61 games played.
Ken Lucas - 11 interceptions, 256 tackles in first 4 seasons with Seattle. 2 separate stints.
Orlando Huff - 23 starts with Seattle, 122 tackles.
Floyd Womack - 47 career starts during 8 seasons with Seattle.
Alex Bannister - Pro Bowl in 2003 as special teams' player, 5 seasons with Seattle.

Overall Draft Analysis: In 2001, the Seahawks engineered a pair of key trades to establish the subsequent foundations for a period of sustained success, culminating with an appearance in Super Bowl XL. Trading down to acquire Matt Hasselbeck and draft Steve Hutchinson remains one of the most valuable transactions in franchise history. Ultimately, Hutchinson emerged as the decade's top guard, although Seattle allowed the former Wolverine to sign with Minnesota in 2006, after three consecutive Pro Bowl seasons in Seattle. Along with All-Pro road grader Walter Jones, Hutchinson paved the way for Shaun Alexander's brilliant 1,880 rushing yard, 27 touchdowns '05 season. Surprisingly, Hutchinson remains the only member of the 2001 class to start in Super Bowl XL. Nonetheless, a majority of the draft class contributed significantly to Seattle's resurgence midway through the decade.

Although Koren Robinson did not provide the impact expected of a top ten pick, the troubled receiver recorded superior career totals, compared to fellow first round draftmates, David Terrell, Rod Gardner, and Freddy Mitchell (obviously outperformed by Reggie Wayne and Santana Moss). Evans and Pro Bowler Alex Bannister emerged as valuable Special Teams performers, while Womack proved a valuable and versatile asset to the Seahawks' line, during an 8-year stint in Seattle. Lucas became a four-year fixture at cornerback, becoming the class' second most valuable selection. Lucas recorded a career high six interceptions in 2004, before subsequently signing with Carolina. Huff proved serviceable at linebacker for a fourth round selection, while the remainder of the class assumed limited roles with the team. Ultimately, the Seahawks drafted the decade's best guard and four other regular starters to propel the team to three playoff berths and an impressive 48-32 regular season record from 2001 to 2005.

The Seahawks' "Perfect Draft" in Retrospect
(Keeping Actual Trades, Only Same Position Players are Eligible)
No. 9 - WR Reggie Wayne, No. 17 - G Steve Hutchinson, No. 40 - CB Ken Lucas (Nick Harper, Undrafted), No. 82 - FB Terrelle Smith, No. 104 - LB Antonio Pierce (Undrafted), No. 128 - OT Floyd Womack, No. 140 - WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh, No. 172 - QB Cleo Lemon (Undrafted), No. 210 - S Marlon McCree, No. 222 - OL Stephen Neal (Undrafted), No. 237 - DT Terdell Sands.

References: All statistics and draft results as reflected on NFL.com and Pro-Football-Reference.com.