Korey Toomer making big plays, big statement in OTAs

As OTAs wrapped up on Monday, it looked like there was one player who was OK with the fact the Malcolm Smith and Bruce Irvin are still sitting on the sidelines.

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Not because he wants to see his friends nursing their injuries and recovering from surgeries, but because he finally has a chance to prove his worth in the Seahawks deep linebacker corp.

Korey Toomer was drafted by the Seahawks in 2012, but since his standout junior season at Idaho, he hasn’t really had the opportunity to grow into his own potential in Seattle.

With Smith and Irvin not participating early in OTAs, Toomer is taking full advantage of his new opportunity.

Pete Carroll is certainly excited with what he is seeing, per The News Tribune:

"“He probably has been the brightest guy of the whole camp,” Carroll said. “Jumped up the most. His speed is obvious. He no longer is a rook; not understanding. He’s studied really hard, he’s worked hard. In the offseasons he’s watched so much, he practices just like the guys that are playing all the time. He looks like he can compete with all those guys.”"

The Seattle P-I reported that Toomer has been putting himself in great position to make “tackles” on the field for little or no gain.

That’s reminiscent of Toomer’s big final season at Idaho.

In 12 games, he recorded 68 total tackles, 10.5 of which were behind the line of scrimmage. He also posted four sacks and had an interception.

Those numbers and his excellent size (6-foot-2, 234 pounds) landed him in Seattle, who picked him up in the 5th round of the 2012 NFL Draft.

But injuries have plagued Toomer in his NFL career thus far.

Shoulder and knee injuries have landed him on the injured reserve in each of the past two seasons.

But I love the determination to keep going and that’s paying off now, as he is finally healthy and finally being given the opportunity to prove why the Seahawks drafted him two years ago.

Toomer has never played a game in the NFL, but if he keeps his strong performance up in training camp, there might be a spot for him on the 90 man roster.