Potential Breakout Players for the Seahawks
By Brad Howell
Will any current Seahawk “breakout” with the style and force that Richard Sherman did a few short years ago? Doubtful, but some “nobody” will surely step forward this season and earn national recognition.
Predicting a breakout player in July is no easy task, and for the Seahawks it is arguably more difficult due to the shear number of stars already on the team. There just aren’t many “glamour” positions available for a new guy to breakout at. While there are multiple positions available along the offensive line, only the nerdiest of fans will consider the next left guard a “breakout star.”
So, for the purposes of this article, in order to “breakout” a player must have a reasonable path to playing time (opportunity) as well as the ability to then make enough plays to be noticed by the average fan (highlight potential).
Tyler Lockett
Sep 21, 2013; Austin, TX, USA; Kansas State Wildcats wide receiver Tyler Lockett (16) makes a catch against Texas Longhorns cornerback Duke Thomas (21) during the first half of a football game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports
I’m going to start with Tyler Lockett because my man-crush for him runs deep. In my mind it’s not a question of if Lockett will breakout, it’s a question of when. He will see the field on special teams and should quickly earn playing time as a wide receiver as well.
Lockett left Kansas State widely considered the best return man in all of college football and he’ll immediately upgrade Seattle’s return game. He’s also a polished route runner with excellent short area quickness in the mold of Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. Prior to this year’s draft, Pro Football Focus (PFF) graded Tyler Lockett in the top 5 in all meaningful WR categories among draft eligible receivers – a feat shared by only Amari Cooper (round 1, pick 7 to Oakland).
In fact, the only knock on Lockett is his size, which hasn’t been much of an issue for a few other Seahawks (Wilson, Thomas, Baldwin, etc). After making an immediate impact on the return game I think Lockett will quickly work his way onto the field as a slot receiver and become the newest darling of the 12’s. Our own Charles Tumbarello wrote more about Lockett here.
Douglas McNeil
Jan 27, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Seattle Seahawks receiver Douglas McNeill III (16) dances with Televisa correspondent Gina Holguin during media day for Super Bowl XLIX at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
I’m sticking with the wide receiver group but this time opting for more size. A bit of a long shot to even make the 53-man roster, 6’ 3” Doug McNeil has been somewhat of a human highlight reel during OTA’s.
McNeil is a small school guy (Bowie State) that also played Arena League football in Portland and spent some time on the Denver Bronco’s practice squad. He spent last season on Seattle’s practice squad before signing a three-year $1.58 million contract this offseason, although none of it is guaranteed.
After watching grainy YouTube highlights and a little video from OTA’s earlier this summer, it’s clear McNeil has the size, speed, and hands for the position but it still remains to be seen if he can handle the nuances of the position in the NFL.
Playing time may be the biggest impediment to McNeil breaking out as he currently projects as a practice squad player. However, I think there is a real possibility Jermaine Kearse is replaced this year by someone on a cheaper contract – perhaps someone like McNeil. Kearse is on a restricted free agent tender that, if cut, would cleanly remove $2.35 million from the salary cap. Furthermore, Kearse was not even a good receiver by any measure last year – #81 of 110 starting WRs as graded by PFF (subscription required).
Most significantly, his run blocking deteriorated from top 20 to bottom third (as graded by PFF) amongst starting NFL wide receivers between 2013 and 2014. If McNeil can prove a willing and able blocker on the outside, I think he could find himself moving up from the practice squad to the active roster very soon.
Marcus Burley
Oct 6, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marcus Burley (28) lines up against the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Seattle’s defense is loaded with established players at nearly every position leaving little room for a new “breakout” star. However, Byron Maxwell’s departure and Jeremy Lane’s nasty injury creates opportunity in the secondary. While Cary Williams will likely man Maxwell’s vacated right-cornerback position, the slot remains up for grabs.
Burley’s chance to shine could have come last year had he not been unceremoniously declared inactive for the Super Bowl. If you recall, Pete Carroll (foolishly) decided to activate B.J. Daniels as the third QB and backup returner because those are important positions because he “competed his butt off” in practice leading up to the Super Bowl. Imagine if instead Burley was active and subbed in for Jeremy Lane after his injury, thus leaving Maxwell outside and Tharold Simon on the bench. Seattle may have had a breakout Super Bowl star on defense to go along with Chris Matthews on offense. He certainly couldn’t have been worse than Simon.
Burley quietly played very well last year after coming to Seattle in a trade with the Colts a week before the regular season. While he only played in about one-third of the defensive snaps on the season, PFF graded him as the 33rd overall cornerback in the NFL. Burley doesn’t have the size Seattle normally covets (5’10”, 180 lbs), but his speed and agility match well against the smaller receivers percolating the NFL today.
Assuming Burley can beat out 30-year old Will Blackmon, he’ll likely start as the slot cornerback week one with Richard Sherman and Cary Williams on the outside. After finally experiencing an offseason of instruction from cornerback gurus Pete Carroll and Kris Richard, I think Burley could become the next great member of the Legion of Boom.
Quick Hits
I know I just trashed him above, but Tharold Simon could actually make a leap this season. While we all remember him for his disastrous Super Bowl performance, he played pretty well for most of last season. Prior to dislocating his shoulder against Arizona in week 16, Simon had allowed the third lowest passer rating against among all CBs in the NFL (44.4). Following the injury he plummeted to last in the NFL, allowing a passer rating against of 147.5.
Defensive tackle Jordan Hill came on strong at the end of last season, recording 5.5 sacks in the last six games of the regular season. He injured his calf working out prior to Seattle’s divisional round playoff game against Carolina and ended up on injured reserve. If he can pick up where he left off last season he could help bring Seattle’s defensive line back to the fearsome bunch they were in 2013.
And then there is Tarvaris Jackson…just kidding (I hope).
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