The Seattle Seahawks face the New England Patriots in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season, kicking off the Hawks’ 50th season as an NFL franchise. Long before the Seahawks had Super Bowl wins, legendary players like Sam Darnold, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, or the famously loud 12s filling the stands, the brand-new NFL team had to figure out where to start. In 1976, the team made history by selecting Notre Dame defensive tackle Steve Niehaus with the No. 2 overall pick, making him the first player ever drafted by the Seattle Seahawks.
Fifty years later, the Seahawks are entering the season as reigning Super Bowl champions. But before the Lombardi Trophies, the Legion of Boom, Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch, there was Steve Niehaus. And for a player selected No. 2 overall to become the first face of a brand-new NFL franchise, his story took a surprising turn.
Steve Niehaus Was the Seahawks’ First-Ever Draft Pick
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When the Seahawks entered the NFL in 1976, they needed a player who could help establish the identity of the expansion franchise. They found that player in Niehaus, a defensive tackle from Notre Dame who was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 1976 NFL Draft.
Niehaus immediately showed why the Seahawks had such high expectations for him. During his rookie season, he recorded 8.5 sacks and earned NFC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
For a brand-new franchise, it was an impressive beginning.
Related: 1979 NFL Star Captured Houston’s Super Bowl Dreams With an Unexpected Disco Song
Whatever Happened to Steve Niehaus?
The story of the Seahawks’ first-ever draft pick, however, didn’t unfold quite as fans might have expected.
Niehaus played just three seasons with Seattle, appearing in 36 games and making 20 starts. Shoulder injuries became a major problem and ultimately changed the course of his NFL career.
After his time with the Seahawks, Niehaus went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings in 1979. He appeared in just three games that season before his NFL career came to an end.
It’s a remarkable turn for a player who had entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick and had such a promising rookie season.
From the First Seahawks Draft Pick to Super Bowl Champions
The Seahawks’ history looks very different 50 years later.
As the Khosla family takes over ownership from Paul Allen’s estate, Seattle enters the 2026 NFL season with the pressure and excitement that comes with being the reigning Super Bowl champions. The team is also one of the stars of the current season of Hard Knocks, putting the Seahawks and their championship expectations in the spotlight once again.
But the franchise’s story began long before all of that.
In 1976, there was no Seahawks dynasty, no Super Bowl championship and no famously loud 12s filling the stands. There was an expansion team trying to establish itself in the NFL, and Steve Niehaus was the first player it chose to help build that future.
The Seahawks’ First Pick Wasn’t the End of the Story
@badchoicemilkOn this day in NFL history (September 12, 1976), Jim Zorn’s heroics are not enough to over come the two headed RB duo of Jim Otis & Terry Metcalf. The @Seattle Seahawks would fall to the now @Arizona Cardinals (formerly St Louis) in their first regular season game as an expansion team at the Seattle Kingdome #seahawks #retrofootball #vintagefootball #1970s #NFL
♬ original sound – Mr SmithNiehaus may not be one of the most recognizable names in Seahawks history today, but his place in the franchise’s story is permanent.
He was the first.
Before Seattle became a Super Bowl champion, before the team built a reputation for legendary defenses and before generations of fans filled Lumen Field, Steve Niehaus became the first player drafted by the Seahawks.
His NFL career didn’t unfold the way anyone might have imagined when he was selected No. 2 overall. Injuries shortened his time on the field, and his story eventually faded from the national spotlight. But 50 years later, his name is still part of the beginning of the Seattle Seahawks.
And sometimes, in sports, being first is a legacy all its own.
Related: 1986 Super Bowl Champions Filmed a Rap Video Inspired by ‘Super Bowl Shuffle’ an Hour Before Leaving For the Game
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