Super Bowl Championship teams are not just composed of blue-chip prospects and first-round picks. To make a true championship team, a team has mid-round draft picks playing above their draft slot, late-round draft picks who grinded their way onto the team, and cast-offs from other teams who reinvent themselves on a new team.
The Seattle Seahawks had all of the elements on their Super Bowl Championship-winning team, from a fifth-round draft pick at starting corner in Riq Woolen, a cast-off from the Philadelphia Eagles in Josh Jobe, and an undrafted free agent like Drake Thomas, who went from a special teams ace to playing key snaps on defense.
Players like Thomas exemplify the type of players Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald wants on his squad: guys who get every ounce of their talent out of them.
Maximizing Abilities
Drake Thomas has been an underdog since he first made it to the NFL. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Las Vegas Raiders before being released and signing with the Seahawks in 2023, Thomas has worked his way into gaining the trust of head coach Mike Macdonald, and he rewarded Macdonald with a breakout season with 96 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, eight passes defended, and an interception.
Former NFL QB Brock Huard on his “Brock and Salk” radio show, praised Thomas’s awareness of his strengths and how he hides his weaknesses. Zac Hereth of Seattle Sports wrote about Huard’s words on Thomas in his June 27 article.
“That guy knows exactly what he can do and what he can’t do,” Huard said. “He knows his limitations with his length,” Huard said. “He knows he’s got to get that extra step. He knows he has to pull the trigger, and his instincts have to be on fire to do what he does. He understands it. He’s in impeccable shape and (has) explosiveness. He’s fought off Tyrice Knight, a bigger, longer, maybe even faster on paper kind of guy. He knows exactly what his skills are and, once again, maximizes it.”
Those traits exemplify why Macdonald is so high on Thomas.
Attention to Detail
When Mike Macdonald arrived in Seattle in 2024, he, like many others, was not familiar with Drake Thomas. That soon quickly changed.
At 5 foot 11, 228 pounds, Thomas isn’t the ideal size for a linebacker, but what he lacks in size he makes up for in tenacity and attention to detail, and that is what has earned Macdonald’s trust in him. In October 2025, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times wrote about Macdonald and his praise of Thomas.
“And he’s the same guy every day. He’s 100%,” Macdonald said. “He’s all in. He’s attention-detailed,” “He understands adjustments, understands game plans. He’s tough as nails. I think he’s a good athlete, he does a lot of positive things. He’s made a lot of plays on special teams, but this is the guy that we saw all offseason, too. When players tell you who they are, believe them.”
Seattle rewarded Thomas with a two-year, $8 million contract, and an indication that Thomas will once again be an integral part of the Seahawks’ defense, and their chances to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
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