Pete Prisco has his annual list of the Top 100 players in the NFL at CBSSports.com, and guess who checks in at No. 9?

It’s Richard Sherman, the Seahawks’ All-Pro cornerback. Says Prisco, “He is cocky, brash and plays with a nasty edge. Oh, he can also cover. He had eight picks and led the league with 32 passes defended. …”

Other Seahawks on Prisco’s list include an All-Pro free safety who just turned 24; a pair of Russells; an All-Pro running back; and a recently acquired receiver/runner/returner. Here’s where those players are ranked, as well as Prisco’s comment:

FS Earl Thomas (51) – “He is the centerfielder on a good defense, showing off both range and the ability to tackle. He is just now getting to his prime.”

QB Russell Wilson (82) – “Despite his size, he showed in his rookie season that he has what it takes to be a top-level quarterback. It’s early, but he gets it.”

LT Russell Okung (86) – “He is the anchor of the Seattle line, the guy who protects Russell Wilson’s backside. He is coming off his best season.”

RB Marshawn Lynch (87) – “He had 1,590 yards and averaged 5 yards per rush. He is a big reason why Seattle made the playoffs.”

WR/RB/KOR Percy Harvin (97) – “He is an explosive playmaker when he’s on the field. But he’s had trouble staying there and his per-catch average of 10.9 needs to be better.”

Prisco also has a Top 10 of players under 23, and Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner is ranked No. 4. Says Prisco, “He finished seventh in the NFL in tackles playing in the middle on one of the best defenses in the league. He is a rangy linebacker who can also play the pass. He had three interceptions as a rookie.”

Marshawn Lynch prefers to let his actions speak for him.

And when you’ve rushed for 2,794 yards and scored 25 touchdowns the past two seasons, that’s a prolonged – not to mention productive – conversation.

Lynch generated discussions of a different kind on sports-talk radio last week by his absence when Phase 2 of the Seahawks’ voluntary offseason program began. But he’s back, and his teammates let him hear it when Lynch arrived midway through Monday’s on-field session.

“Guys are going to raze him a little bit,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said after today’s workout. He then smiled before adding, “When you make a grand entrance like that, they’re going to raze you.”

But today Lynch was back where he belongs, and the team needs him: In the backfield, carrying and catching the ball. In an early drill, Lynch came out of his stance, juked around a trashcan and took a short pass from backup QB Brady Quinn. Later, Lynch took a handoff from QB Russell Wilson and darted between All-Pro center Max Unger and guard John Moffitt.

The All-Pro back punctuated each maneuver with a smile.

“He just jumped right back in there, didn’t miss a beat,” Bevell said. “It’s great to have him out there. It kind of lifts morale. Guys love to see him. He’s a great player and competitor for us, so it’s always good to have him out there.”

It is May 4th and as appropriate on this day, dare we say … May the 4th be with you! To spell it out for the percentage of us born after the rest of us discovered (for the second time) that Anakin Skywalker was, in fact (SPOILER ALERT), Darth Vader, this phrase is a play on words to the Jedi credo (not to be confused with Greedo – RIP): “May the force be with you” as made popular by the Star Wars films.

That all being said, Happy Star Wars Day, 12s!

Don’t believe that this is a galaxy-wide holiday for most of us (except  for maybe the Empire as evidenced in this attack ad)? Find out more information at the official website of Star Wars Day: http://maythe4th.starwars.com

If it isn’t already obvious, we here at Seahawks.com are Red Bryant-sized fans of all five episodes (we’re still trying to erase the memory of that Binks character from Episode I). And we’re not alone in our nerdom…

And then there’s this photo essay from NFL.com likening NFL players to Star Wars characters …

Richard Sherman as Boba Fett: First things first … Boba Fett didn’t die in the mouth of the Sarlacc. Tortured? Yes. But he does escape. (And this better be addressed in Episode VII, so help me.) But when I think of Fett as an NFL player, I can’t help but think of Richard Sherman. Both are trash talkers and always seem to get their man. Fett was an unexpected hero of the Star Wars universe (which George Lucas realized and is why Jango Fett and his son have such a huge storyline in “Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones”). And likewise, Sherman is becoming one of the most famous (infamous?) players in the NFL.

So, in the spirit of this galactic holiday, we created the graphic at the top of this page to help 12s celebrate with us on Instagram. But like the elder Skywalker, (and apparently the NFL) once we started down this dark path we simply couldn’t help ourselves …

How many of these 12 references can you guess? Perfect 12 equals Jedi Master:

To end as all episodes end…

The network will begin unveiling its Top 100 players of 2013, beginning Saturday at 5 p.m. PT with those ranked 91-100. At least one Seahawk will be included in the opening look at the Top 100, but the network isn’t saying who.

But the Seahawks have several players worthy of consideration at some point during the 11-week countdown: the All-Pro quartet of running back Marshawn Lynch, center Max Unger, cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas; left guard Russell Okung and quarterback Russell Wilson, who joined Lynch, Unger and Thomas at the Pro Bowl; and perhaps even strong safety Kam Chancellor, nose tackle Brandon Mebane and recently acquired receiver/runner/returner Percy Harvin.

Additional information is available here.

What do you get a running back who seemingly already has everything for his birthday?

We ask, because today is Marshawn Lynch’s 27^th birthday. And of all the impressive numbers the Seahawks’ Beast Mode back has put up in two-plus seasons with the team that just might be hardest to fathom: Lynch is only 27.

He’s been in the league for six seasons – the first three-plus with the Bills, the last two-plus with the Seahawks, who acquired him in a 2010 trade. Lynch has run for 2,794 yards and 23 touchdowns and had 16 100-yard games the past two seasons. And he’s only 27.

But we digress. Back to an appropriate gift for a player who does so much, so well.

Skittles? Too easy, and at this point almost a cliché. A lucrative contract? He’s already got one. A trip to the Pro Bowl? Been there, done that – three times. An All-Pro berth? Too late, he got that last season.

Leave it to Michael Robinson, Lynch’s lead-blocking fullback, to come up with just the right, well, if not gift, incentive for the driven and hard-driving Lynch.

In his latest “Real Rob Report,” Robinson explains to second-year back Robert Turbin that the offense’s goal this season is to get Lynch to 2,000 yards.

Now that’s a “gift” that would keep on giving, and could be shared by all of us.

Want your own Beast Mode gift? Our Pro Shop has got you covered from head to waist … http://shwks.com/Lynch

Happy Schedule Thursday.

Yes, the league will announce the 2013 NFL schedule today – at 5 p.m. PT. Until then, we thought you might want to weigh in on how many primetime games the Seahawks might get.

It was a topic for discussion at Virginia Mason Athletic Center yesterday, because the Seahawks are an ascending team and have some inviting matchups on tap this season: The NFC Champion and NFC West rival 49ers, home and away; the Falcons in Atlanta, where the home team rallied in the closing seconds for a two-point victory in January’s divisional playoff game; the Colts in Indianapolis, matching a pair of teams that won 11 games last season and are led by quarterbacks Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson; the Saints at CenturyLink Field, in a rematch of that memorable 2010 wild-card playoff game where Marshawn Lynch’s electrifying and earth-shaking 67-yard touchdown run iced the Seahawks’ 41-39 upset of the defending Super Bowl champions; and the Vikings in Seattle, with the Seahawks’ foursome of Percy Harvin, Sidney Rice, Antoine Winfield and Heath Farwell playing against their former team.

The Seahawks had a franchise-high five primetime games in 2006, following their run to the Super Bowl in 2005. They’ve had three primetime games in each of the past two seasons, and also had three in 1999, 1990, 1987, 1986 and 1985.

Russell Wilson a Saint? Marshawn Lynch a Viking? Richard Sherman a Jet? Percy Harvin a Colt?

Say it ain’t so. OK, it’s not – thankfully. But that’s where four of the Seahawks’ best players ended up in Mike Silver’s annual Ultimate Mock Draft at YahooSports.com. And how does his exercise work?

“As always, we take the original draft order and allow each of the league’s 32 teams to select any human in his current physical condition,” Silver wrote. “Obviously, this is an imaginary exercise, though the sentiment behind the selections is absolutely authentic. Many of the league’s top talent evaluators and coaches helped me determine which players would be deemed most valuable in such a scenario. And this year, in some cases, the general manager (or another powerbroker) of the team in question was actually put on the clock before providing me with the hypothetical pick.”

Here’s the rational for how the Seahawks players ended up with other teams:

9. Jets — Richard Sherman, CB: Desperate to win in 2013, embattled coach Rex Ryan makes one, final plea for cornerback Darrelle Revis. Before he can finish the sentence, owner Woody Johnson shuts him down. New general manager John Idzik, formerly the Seahawks’ vice president of football administration, lobbies for Russell Wilson, who went from third-round draft pick to franchise quarterback in a matter of months last season. Johnson, however, pledges loyalty to Mark Sanchez, to whom the team must pay a guaranteed $100 billion dollars in 2013. (Yes, that’s a slight exaggeration. But it does allow me to link to Dr. Evil, so there’s that…) Ever the pragmatist, Johnson comes up with a solution: “How ’bout we take a cornerback and a Seahawk? Everybody wins…” Well, except Revis …

15. Saints — Russell Wilson, QB: The thought of Wilson, who showed exceptional poise and touch in his revelatory rookie season, teaming up with Sean Payton, who spent his year-long suspension conjuring cutting-edge plays the way Tupac summoned a surplus of brilliant rhymes in prison, is downright scary. Together, the preternaturally mature quarterback and the hyper-motivated coach could make beautiful music together in the Crescent City for the next decade. And given his experiences with (Drew) Brees, we know Payton has positive associations with short quarterbacks.

(And why would the Saints need Wilson? Because Silver has Brees going to the Browns at No. 6)

23. Vikings — Marshawn Lynch, RB: With the game’s preeminent running back gone, general manager Rick Spielman gives coach Leslie Frazier the next-best thing. Lynch, while not blessed with

Peterson’s breakaway speed, is a punishing runner who averaged five yards a carry while gaining 1,590 yards for a playoff team. If he can provoke seismic activity in Minneapolis, the man will truly become legendary.

(And why would the Vikings need Lynch? Because Silver has Adrian Peterson going to the Dolphins at No. 12)

24. Colts — Percy Harvin, WR: When the Seahawks traded picks in the first, third and seventh rounds  for Harvin last month, it illustrated just how valuable this shifty, explosive receiver is in league circles. Second-year general manager Ryan Grigson can’t resist selecting this game-wrecker with rare skills, though the move is not without risk. Harvin has a history of getting grumpy toward his employers and making his frustrations known, and the fact that the Vikings deemed such a talented weapon to be expendable tells you all you need to know. Then again, Grigson’s willing to take a chance. When you’re the reigning NFL executive of the year, you can afford to swing big.

Also in this mock, the Seahawks get to keep the 25^th pick they traded for Harvin. Silver has them selecting …

25. Seahawks — Darnell Dockett, DT: General manager John Schneider and coach Pete Carroll, who like to groove out to reggae music in the war room, do some Burnin’ and Lootin‘ of their NFC West rivals’ defensive line. While Dockett had his issues in Arizona last December, incurring a $200,000 fine for conduct detrimental to the team, the confrontation with teammate Kerry Rhodes that got him in trouble spoke to the player’s competitiveness: Dockett vehemently disagreed with the coaches’ directive to let the Jets score on purpose. Carroll can live with that, especially given Dockett’s consistently disruptive and aggressive interior line play.

When it comes to getting inside the mind of running back Marshawn Lynch, he’s usually content with letting his play do the talking for him.

And why not? After all, the relentless “Beast Mode” back has been the focal point of the Seahawks’ offense the last three seasons. He’s piled up 3,367 yards rushing and 29 touchdowns since joining the club in a trade with the Buffalo Bills on October 5, 2010, and over the course of 2012 when much of the media’s attention was on the impressive play of rookie quarterback Russell Wilson, Lynch “quietly” put together a career-year – 1,590 rushing yards (third in the NFL, third-best total in club history) and 10 100-yard games.

“He’s a silent assassin,” Wilson said of Lynch’s play style in September of last season. “He doesn’t say too much, you can tell that he’s lasered in and focused.”

That’s just the way Lynch likes it. He’s not one to seek out the media spotlight, especially not after a notable individual effort, performance, or milestone. In fact, it’s usually after the tough days on the ground or as a team when Lynch will weigh in.

Even fullback Michael Robinson, who spends a great deal of time both on and off the field with Lynch, and whose locker sits adjacent to his at Virginia Mason Athletic Center and at CenturyLink Field, has trouble getting the Pro Bowl back to open up on his own show, “The Real Rob Report” – where Robinson himself is the one asking the questions and operating the camera. Lynch has been so reluctant to open up on “The Real Rob Report”, that Robinson has created an entire segment of the show based on the antics of their on-camera relationship, aptly titled, “Messin with Marshawn.”

In his spare time this offseason, Robinson has compiled “The Best of Messin with Marshawn” from throughout the 2012 campaign. Hopefully the video will hold you over until Seahawks players report for Phase 1 of the Offseason Program next week (April 15), when we expect Robinson will be back at VMAC with his video camera, right back in the face of the “silent assassin” Lynch – regardless of however much Lynch may or may not like it.