Seahawks' top draft pick from 2017 gets cut after playing zero snaps with team Seahawks' top draft pick from 2017 gets cut after pla...
Seahawks' top draft pick from 2017 gets cut after playing zero snaps with team
The Seahawks top pick from 2017 NFL Draft is no longer on their roster
- @johnbreech
- • 1 min read
The Seahawks had high hopes for Malik McDowell when they made him their top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, bu t those hopes never panned out, and now his career in Seattle is over.
The team officially cut ties with McDowell on Thursday in a move that comes almost exactly one year after the defensive lineman was involved in an ATV accident that left him with a concussion and multiple facial injuries. The accident occurred just three months after the Seahawks made him a second-round pick in the draft.
Going into the 2017 draft, the Seahawks did have a first-round pick, but they ended up trading it away, which means they didn't get to make their first pick of the night until the second round. With the 35th overall pick, the Seahawks were hoping to beef up their pass rush, so they selected McDowell, a defensive tackle out of Michigan State.
Unfortunately for McDowell, he never got to play with the Seahawks during his rookie year, because he had to sit out the entire 2017 season due to the injuries sustained in his accident. The Seahawks weren't sure he would e ven be able to make it back on the field in 2018, which is why they released him with a non-football-injury designation.
"It always was disappointing," coach Pete Carroll said of McDowell's situation, via ESPN.com. "This whole process has been disappointing because he had a real upside. We took a big pick to take him and all that, and unfortunately it didn't happen. We made a move last year because he wasn't here, so that just shows you how important he was."
It's still unclear if McDowell will ever be healthy enough to play football again.
McDowell's release was just one of several moves made by the Seahawks on Thursday. The team also placed Kam Chancellor on the reserve/physically unable to perform list in a move that was fully expected. Chancellor announced in early July that he was likely done with football, and the Seahawks' move means that retirement could be next for the four-time Pro Bowl safety .
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John Breech CBS Sports Writer followJohn Breech has been at CBS Sports since July 2011 and currently spends most of his time writing about the NFL. He's believed to be one of only three people in the world who thinks that Andy Dalton will... Full Bio
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