Nov 13, 2016; Foxborough, MA, USA; Seattle Seahawks strong safety Kam Chancellor (31) exits the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. Seattle Seahawks defeated the Patriots 31-24. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

Seahawks icon among NFL's best draft values at safety

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Jon Alfano | Last updated Jul 3, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Today, Kam Chancellor is an icon for the Seattle Seahawks franchise as a whole, being a founding member of the Legion of Boom and helping the team win its first Super Bowl.

Chancellor became so iconic in Seattle, in fact, that it's easy to forget that he came from humble beginnings.

The Seahawks selected Chancellor in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft, specifically with the No. 133 overall pick. He then didn't start a single game as a rookie, only truly rising to prominence in his second season.

So, the Seahawks turned a fifth-round pick into one of the greatest players in franchise history, even if his career was shorter than they'd hoped. For that reason, NFL.com's Eric Edholm ranked the Chancellor pick as the fifth best value for a safety this century.

"Chancellor's career lasted just eight years, and he dealt with various injuries in Seattle, but his impact on the 'Legion of Boom' secondary was unquestioned," Edholm wrote. "The former fifth-round pick is clearly one of the best values at safety in the past quarter century.

"Built like a linebacker, Chancellor was an intimidator on the back end of Seattle's great defenses in the 2010s -- allowing Earl Thomas to roam more freely as a free safety -- and he made his mark as a leader for a Super Bowl-winning team. Chancellor was named to four Pro Bowls and earned two second-team All-Pro honors. He made the NFL's 'Top 100 Players' list five straight years from 2014 to 2018 and never ranked lower than 75th. His peak didn't last as long as those of some of the other names on this list, but Chancellor's draft pedigree and undeniable impact helped push him into the final slot."

The Seahawks' entire 2010 draft class was outstanding, as they also drafted Russell Okung, Earl Thomas and Golden Tate in the first two rounds. However, Chancellor was the true steal of the class, and for that, John Schneider and his scouts deserve all the credit in the world.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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