2017 NFL Draft: Seahawks select Mike Tyson in 6th Round
By David Stobbe
The Seattle Seahawks have drafted Mike Tyson with the 3rd pick of the 6th round. He will provide some depth at the safety position.
The Seahawks apparently saw secondary as a need, by picking 3 safeties and 1 cornerback so far in the draft. Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas aren’t getting any younger, and providing depth at this spot is a need.
Mike Tyson should contribute right away on special teams, as the Seahawks have 4 safeties on the roster ahead of him on the depth chart. The team typically has 5 safeties on the 53-man roster, so Tyson has a golden opportunity to make the team.
He will be competing right away with Bradley McDougald and the other draft picks, Delano Hill and Tedrick Thompson. This should be a heated competition in training camp, and, especially, with the three rookies, as they will all be fighting for roster spots.
Tyson went to Cincinnati for his college ball and is listed at 6-1 and 204. He ran a 4.56 40 yard dash and jumped 33 inches on the vertical test. He isn’t overly fast or athletic, so it will be interesting to see what John Schneider and Pete Carroll see in him.
The Seahawks decided not to sign Kelcie McCray or Steven Terrell in free agency and needed to fill those spots during the draft. So, even though 3 safeties seems a bit excessive, the depth is needed.
3 Safeties too much?
Seahawks fans may be disappointed with the team drafting three safeties, but it may work out in the long run. It’s interesting to think back to last year when the Seahawks took 3 running backs in the draft. They aren’t scared of filling a need, and clearly see safety as a position that needed to improve.
Hopefully Mike Tyson can come in right away and be a beast on special teams and provide depth. The more competition the better and if Thomas and Chancellor get injured, we need to have players to step up.