Seahawks breakout players for 2018 – yes, that is 2018.

Which Seahawks will be the breakout stars for 2018? And why won’t they blow up this season? Read on for our bold predictions

Naming the Seahawks that will be breakout stars for this season is easy. Okay, not really, but that’s a different topic anyway. Besides, what better time is there to stretch iffy suppositions into bold proclamations than July? No better time, that’s right! On to our picks.

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Actually these are just my predictions. No need to besmirch the reputations of all our fine writers. Before I move on to the actual selections, a brief rationale for the breakout occurring in 2018. In most cases, these are young players and lack NFL experience. Hard to step in as a rookie and shine in most positions. Just ask Jared Goff and Carson Wentz about that. Yes, quarterback is a different animal altogether. No, I’m not selecting Russell Wilson as a breakout player.

So let’s get to it, shall we?

Watch closely. Cyril Grayson is usually just a blur

Some Seahawks have an extra gear. This guy has a top gear on top of his top gear. The former LSU track star has more than speed, though.  Doug Baldwin had this to say about how little extra attention Grayson needed during the Seahawks OTAs:

"“To be completely honest with you, he hasn’t really needed much attention. He’s done a fantastic job of learning the playbook so he knows the concepts really well right now. What I’m really impressed by is he’s picked up our two minute signals already. He knows the route concepts. He knows how to run routes. And he’s extremely fast as we all know. I’m really excited to see what he can do when we get against real competition, because he’s got a lot of talent and I think he can help us for sure.”"

When Doug Baldwin is impressed, there is definitely more than just speed there.

So why won’t he be a breakout star in 2017? Rookie wide receivers rarely become stars. It just doesn’t happen that often. Look at this list of the best rookie seasons ever from Matt Stein on Bleacher Report. Notice how the number four selection, Billy Howton, joined the league in 1952? That’s 65 years ago to get the number four guy on the list. It just doesn’t happen that much.

Plus, there has to be opportunity. The Seahawks already have Doug Baldwin, Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson, Jermaine Kearse, and about 30 more wideouts on the roster. Grayson is probably last on the depth chart headed into camp. That tends to happen to guys who never played college ball.

That’s okay. With a year under his belt, Grayson will shine in 2018, and develop into one of the league’s best deep threats.