Tyler Lockett could be this years steal in the 2015 NFL draft.

I have a new draft crush and how I would love for the Seattle Seahawks to draft him. If you follow me on twitter than you have heard me talk a lot about me wanting the Seahawks to draft Maxx Williams, he was a favorite prospect of mine. Well as you know the Seahawks traded for Jimmy Graham and it took their 1st round selection and Max Unger in order to acquire him, so that obliterated any chance on making that notion possible.

So I have moved on from the tight end position and Williams to focus on more of Seattle’s necessities, but there’s one particular prospect that I want to focus on right now, Tyler Lockett. Lockett is the prototypical slot wide receiver and return man NFL teams are looking for. In his senior season for the Wildcats, Lockett appeared in 13 games, and had 106 receptions for 1,515 yards and 11 touchdowns. He also averaged 20.1 yards per kickoff return and 19.1 yards on punt returns, with two returned for a touchdown. The Seahawks, as a team, averaged 7.0 yards per punt return in the 2014 season. OUCH, that’s 25th best.

Lockett is just 5’10” and 182 pounds. Since the Pete Carroll and John Schneider era(2010) the Seahawks have only drafted one receiver with those similar measures(Golden Tate) whom they let walk to pay Percy Harvin to a new six-year, $67 million contract with $25.5 million guaranteed in which he only appeared in six games. However, Pete and John need to realize that there’s proof that size isn’t always better.

Here’s a great stat for you, according to Dan Hope, one of my favorite draft experts at Bleacher Report, six of the NFL’s top 11 in receiving yards for the 2014 season measure in at less than six feet and less than 200 pounds. Those players include Antonio Brown, Golden Tate, Odell Beckham Jr., T.Y. Hilton, Randall Cobb and Emmanuel Sanders.

I can hardly find anything wrong with Tyler Lockett besides his size, but he has proven to overcome that in his career. Watching the Wildcats’ play it is almost impossible to ignore the plays by Lockett. He is an elite route runner and has quick feet which allows him to get into breaks quickly. He’s more of a physical player than you’d anticipate and he shows ability to win at catch point on contested throws. He has experience playing all over the field, though mostly spent time on the outside.

His versatility is a plus for me, loads of special teams value on the return and coverage units which the Seahawks preach in. With Harvin and Tate departed, Lockett would fill that void perfectly. Lockett won the “Jet Award” as the nation’s top return specialist. Hello!? Wake up and smell the breeze that goes by you to the end zone, Coach.

Jon Ledyard from profootballspot.com had this to say about Tyler Lockett:

"“He is simply the best route runner in the 2015 class, he constantly makes defensive backs look silly in coverage. Some teams will be concerned about his inability to win at all levels of the field, but Lockett’s separation techniques and agility in the open field typically render his struggles with contested catches moot. Lockett may not be the complete package at receiver, but he is elite at what he does and will consistently challenge defenses over the top. His size and lack of length will probably limit him to the slot in the NFL, but Lockett has the skills and work ethic to become one of the more dangerous inside receivers in the league at an increasingly important position.”"

Couldn’t of said it any better myself.

In conclusion, Lockett could be the steal in the 2015 NFL Draft, he is projected to go in the 2nd/3rd round by most experts. In my opinion, he is an instant game changer! Even though he’s small, Tyler Lockett has the potential to become a star. Even if the Seattle Seahawks pass on this kid, I’ll be a fan of his until his career is all said and done.

Next: Seahawks draft target: Nelson Agholor

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