EPS 63: Hawks Playbook Podcast First Roster Look: Tight Ends & Wide Receivers

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Hawks Playbook Podcast Episode 63 First Roster Look Tight Ends & Wide Receivers

Open: Hey Seahawks fans, welcome back to the 63^rd edition of the Hawks Playbook Podcast! Both Keith and I thank you so much for your continued patronage and listenership. This week’s show will focus on the Tight End and Wide Receiver position groups.  Just like last weeks show, we will break down each player on the roster, by position group. This now includes our rookie draft class, and undrafted free agent and tryout players now under contract as part of the larger 90-man roster.

Tight End Group:

Ed Dickson: 6’4” 250lbs U of Oregon (9^th Season)

• 2017: 30 Receptions, 437 yards, 1 TD
• Known as one of the best run blocking tight ends in the NFL, Dickson is also a competent receiver that will help the Seahawks move the chains in 2018.

Nick Vannett: 6’6” 261lbs Ohio St (3^rd Season)

• In the 2016 draft, Vannett had the best 20-yard shuttle time in the class (4.20). Ran a 4.85 Forty.
• What they said back at the draft: Vannett’s combination of size and athleticism will be very attractive to teams in search of a combination tight end who can stay on the field and operate from a variety of personnel groupings and formations. Vannett will need to embrace his size and become more aggressive as a blocker, but his athleticism and pass catching ability could turn him into a safety blanket for a quarterback in need of a big, safe target.

Tyrone Swoopes: 6’4” 254lbs Texas (1^st Year)

• So far, Swoopes is just a Quarter back conversion project into a tight end. A Quarterback for the U of Texas, he came to the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent and was converted immediately to a TE prospect for the team. He spent all but the last game of the season on the practice squad.
• It will be interesting to see how far along that Swoopes has developed as a route runner. He already posses soft hands and a large catch radius but needed to learn the position to see if he could have any impact on the roster. The Seahawks could use another natural pass catching tight end, but at this point, he would have to beat out either Vannett or Dissly for the 3^rd TE spot on the roster. Chances are he starts the year on the practice squad again.

Will Dissly: 6’4” 265lbs U of Washington (Rookie)

• The Seahawks really like Dissly. In fact, they took him with their native 4^th round pick over Shaquem Griffin, chosen with the first pick the Seahawks had in the 5^th round (7^th overall)
• Will Dissly was known to be among the top blocking tight end prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft.
• The Seahawks believe that Dissly has the natural pass catching ability to give them a little something as a 3^rd down safety valve option as well.

 

Wide Receiver Group:

Doug Baldwin: 5’10” 192lbs Stanford (8^th Season)

• Baldwin was added to the Seahawks roster clear back in 2011 as an undrafted free agent from Stanford. Since that time, Baldwin has established himself as one of the best WR’s in the game.
• Baldwin has career numbers of 443 receptions, 5,945 yards and 44 TD’s

Jaron Brown: 6’3” 204 Clemson (6^th Season)

• Last season was sort of a break out season for Jaron Brown. Brown had 31 receptions for 447 yards and 4 TD’s.
• Russell Wilson is not Drew Stanton, so the Seahawks believe they might have an undervalued signing in Brown and might be able to build on those career year stats.
• Something to watch. When targeted, Brown caught only 44% of balls thrown his way. That percentage should just to close to 65% with Wilson. If not, it’s probably not going to work out long term in Seattle.

Tyler Lockett: 5’10” 182lbs Kansas St. (4^th Season)

• Came in as a rookie phenom and exploded on the scene, making the pro bowl as a special teams’ kick and punt returner. But fortunes turned for the worse as Lockett experienced a compound fracture to his tibia during his 2^nd season, and was not quite the same last season
• Can Lockett return to his rookie season form with his explosiveness as well has build on his learned receiving skills and develop into a legit #2 WR option for the Seahawks?
• This is a contract year for Lockett. Will this turn into another Paul Richardson situation where Seattle will not want to pay Lockett what he is likely to get paid when he becomes a free agent in 2019? Or, does Lockett prove himself to be invaluable to the team, and resigned in 2019? It will be something to watch during the season.

Tanner McEvoy: 6’6” 230lbs Wisconsin (3^rd Season)

• Seahawks have always wanted a big red zone target in their passing game, and McEvoy made the roster in his rookie season and delivered a small handful of jump ball catches and clutch catches that gave the Seahawks hope that he would continue to develop during the 2017 season.
• Unfortunately, McEvoy did not develop on the promise of his rookie season and dropped the ball so often, that he worked himself out of any playing time in the second half of the season
• McEvoy’s job is clearly on the line this year as the Seahawks have several big bodied and tall wide receiver prospects in camp this year to compete for the 4^th and 5^th spots on the roster.

Amarah Darboh: 6’2” 219lbs Michigan (2^nd Season)

• Speaking of big bodied tall wide receiver prospects, this would be the #1 candidate to take over the #3 or #4 WR spot on the team. The Seahawks really like Darboh and felt he just needed a year of seasoning before he was fully ready to take on a larger role in Russell Wilson’s offense.

David Moore: 6’1” 219 E. Central Oklahoma (2^nd Season)

• Moore is the prime candidate to bump McEvoy off of the roster in 2018. Last year, Moore was drafted by the Seahawks in the 7^th round
• Moore ran a 4.42 Forty time at 2017 NFL Combine
• Moore will have to develop and show fast in this year’s camp to have a chance to stick on the 53-man roster in September.

Marcus Johnson: 6’1” 204 Texas (2^nd Season)

• Marcus Johnson who?? Johnson was the WR prospect the Seattle Seahawks received as part of compensation (plus 5^th round pick) for trading Michael Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles.
• Ran a 4.39 Forty at his Pro-day in 2016. (2^nd only to Grayson on the roster)
• Johnson did play 59 snaps in 10 games last season with the Eagles on special teams as a gunner.

Cyril Grayson Jr: 5’9” 183lbs LSU (1^st Season) 4.43 Forty time.

• Grayson hasn’t played organized football since 2011, when he caught 28 passes for 731 yards as a senior at Archbishop Rummel High in Kenner, La.
• Grayson finished his track career as a seven-time All-America and a four-time NCAA champion on the outdoor and indoor 4×400 relay teams.
• It’s another extended tryout for Grayson, with the likely result being that he will end up on the practice squad at best, and at worst, Cut from the roster and not picked up by another NFL Team.

Damore’ea Stringfellow: 6’2” 218lbs Ole’ Miss (1^st Season)

• Started his career with the University of Washington after being ranked as a top-10 receiver recruit nationally.
• His final year at Ole Miss resulted in his best career numbers, as he caught 46 passes for 716 yards and six touchdowns.
• Nice body control and has high point skills as a possession type receiver, but lacks quickness and above avg. straight-line speed to be anything more.
• If he’s a good route runner and can catch everything thrown his way in camp, he could be a dark horse to take the #5 receiver spot on the roster.

Caleb Scott: 6’2” 203lbs Vanderbilt (Rookie) 4.40 Forty time.

• Kick returning experience
• 50 10-yard split
• 37” Vertical jump
• Vanderbilt’s Caleb Scott is 85th percentile Sparq athlete at WR.

Close: Thanks again for listening to the show. Make sure to follow us on social media. Keith is @MyersNFL and Bill is @NWSeahawk. You can listen to all of our shows right here at www.seahawksplaybook.com as well as subscribe to the show on Itunes or your favorite Android podcast app.  Next Up: The Offensive Line.

Go Hawks!!