Nehemiah Pritchett’s rise has already drawn a map for the Seahawks, and Julian Neal may be next to follow it.
That’s the real takeaway from Seattle’s latest shuffle at corner: this staff will let a young defender marinate, earn trust on special teams and then, only when the details are right, hand over a bigger role. Pritchett has done exactly that. He’s gone from limited rookie reps to a player who now looks comfortable enough to survive - and even thrive - in the fire.
Pritchett’s breakout has been obvious. He intercepted Brock Purdy, an early MVP candidate, in a big game and added a forced fumble on punt coverage.
He’s been so steady that the praise has moved beyond simple encouragement. After Sunday’s divisional loss, Mike Macdonald said Pritchett “stuck to the process and just kept making plays.”
That process started months earlier, when Macdonald talked in July about what young corners have to absorb before they can be trusted.
“It’s not something where you can just walk in and just know what to do immediately,” Macdonald said of the rookies. “It takes a lot of work, guys are putting in extra work, great attitudes.
They’re still rookies. They’re still probably not playing at the speed that we’re going to expect come training camp time, but that’s not for a lack of trying.
They’ve got to trust that got to go through, not around on this thing. Just keep going through the process, it’ll clear up… It’ll clear up for them, and I expect them to have great training camps and compete for a large role.”
Pritchett went through it. He competed for the job, then won it.
Macdonald put it plainly: “He competed and won it. It’s a daily input.
Also, execution. Your part fits in a hole in the defense, and Nehemiah has improved in that.
He has covered well and is aggressive when he needs to, and he’s done a great job in press. He definitely has earned it.”
That didn’t happen overnight. Pritchett spent his rookie season behind veterans like Tre Brown and Artie Burns, and he didn’t look especially sure of himself in limited action.
In 2024, he made mistakes - including a one-start outing that produced a 147.2 passer rating - but he also flashed enough to keep the door open. Last year, he was mostly a special-teams player.
Now he’s become a trusted contributor on defense too.
That’s how this Seahawks regime works. It values experience, sometimes over draft status, and it has leaned hard into players who can help right away because they already understand the system.
The list is long: DeMarcus Lawrence, Julian Love, Leonard Williams, Jarran Reed, Uchenna Nwosu, Eric Saubert, Cooper Kupp, Emanuel Wilson and Sam Darnold are just some of the veterans who have delivered. Macdonald’s Baltimore years followed a similar script with players like Roquon Smith, Jadeveon Clowney and Kyle Van Noy.
But Seattle also believes in the slow burn. Guys such as Jalen Sundell, Drake Thomas, Ty Okada, Nehemiah Pritchett, Christian Haynes, George Holani, A.J. Barner and Josh Jobe have all worked their way through the system and seized opportunity when it finally arrived.
That matters for Neal.
Pritchett and D.J. James were fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively, and only one of them emerged from that competition.
Neal, drafted in the third round, could have a shorter runway because of his pedigree. He’s already started the same kind of apprenticeship, working on special teams early and even getting called for holding on a punt against the Cardinals.
He also played a couple of snaps at the end of that blowout.
Before his injury, Neal laid out his mindset to Seattle Sports.
“I don’t want anything to be given to me, and I’m not entitled to anything. So, I understand what’s going on. I’m just trying to make my stance on special teams right now and earn my way on the field--and whatever happens, just be ready.”
That sounds exactly like the kind of answer this team wants.
Even Macdonald’s comments about Pritchett point to the route Neal will likely need to take. Defensive coordinator Aden Durde said after Week 1 that Pritchett “really thought Nehemiah played confident.
He challenged. He was getting some really good players.
He didn’t just stand up; he went for it. He had a great third down stop and an interception.
For the whole defense, it was a proud moment to see Nehemiah, kind of graduate from being the young player he was… go to be a gunner, and he’s excelling when he comes on the field. He’s done a great job.”
That’s the pathway: special teams first, trust second, defense later.
And for Neal, there’s at least a plausible opening if Seattle needs size in a future matchup with Mike Evans. But the bigger picture is the same one Pritchett just walked through.
The Seahawks are patient when they choose to be, and they expect young players to earn every inch. Pritchett did.
Neal now has a road map.
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