With the Seattle Seahawks boasting a relatively deep secondary, anyone hoping to earn significant playing time has to make themselves stand out in some way.
DJ James, the newest member of the Seattle secondary, is well aware of that fact. While discussing his pre-draft interactions with the Seahawks, James expressed a desire to help the team win no matter what's asked of him.
“I talked to Seattle a lot. They had dinner with me prior to my pro day. I talked with them a couple days before the draft as well so I knew I was on their radar," James said. "Going into the NFL, I'm ready to play whatever position they need me to play. If that's nickel, if that's outside corner, I can play them both. If they want me to play on special teams, I can do that too."
James, the No. 192 overall pick in the draft, played a healthy mix of outside and slot corner in college, and he can play well in both man and zone coverage as well.
The Seahawks likely made James' transition to the NFL easier, as they also drafted fellow Auburn corner Nehemiah Pritchett, who started opposite of James over the past two years.
“It means a lot just knowing I'm going in there with someone I just played college football with," James said. "It means a lot, especially because he also plays the same position as me."
James began his college career at Oregon, but transferred to Auburn in 2022. He performed quite well at his second stop, even earning a second-team All-SEC selection in his first season after breaking up eight passes and intercepting another. He was also projected to go much higher than he ended up going, with NFL.com even projecting him as a third-round pick.
Now, James returns to the Pacific Northwest with a chip on his shoulder and a burning desire to prove himself.
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