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There’s an H-back in the Seahawks future, and his name is Dissly

By Todd Vandenberg

SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Tight end Will Dissly #98 of the Washington Huskies is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Portland State Vikings on September 17, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Vikings 41-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - SEPTEMBER 17: Tight end Will Dissly #98 of the Washington Huskies is congratulated by teammates after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Portland State Vikings on September 17, 2016 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Huskies defeated the Vikings 41-3. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) /
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Is there an H-back in the Seahawks future? Why yes, I believe there is, and rookie Will Dissly fits the role to a T. Or an H, I suppose.

The Seahawks have made it clear they plan to use the fullback much more often this season. They should throw in an H-back as well, and I have the perfect candidate. Actually, I’m not the first to think of Will Dissly in this role. Others have mentioned him as well, but the first I saw it was from one of our faithful readers, Micah R. Micah, we salute you!

Will Dissly, if you have somehow forgotten, played his college ball at U-Dub. He started his career as a defensive lineman, than shifted to tight end for his junior and senior seasons. Standing 6-4 and 267 pounds, he was universally acclaimed as the best blocking tight end in the draft.

He can catch the ball too, as he proved with 21 catches for 289 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. He can block and he can catch. Sounds like an H-back to me. The Seahawks could certainly do worse than Dissly for this role. For comparison, here are a few notable H-backs currently in the NFL.

Seattle Seahawks
Seattle Seahawks /

Seattle Seahawks

Just so you know, there are some pretty solid H-backs in the league

Ryan Hewitt, Cincinnati Bengals. At 6-4 and 255 pounds, Hewitt is just a bit smaller than Dissly. He hasn’t been used nearly as much the past two seasons as he was in 2014 and 2015, but that looks likely to change this season. Mainly a blocker, Hewitt totaled 18 catches over his first two seasons. Dissly will likely pull down more than that.

Ryan Nall, Chicago Bears. Nall is probably better known to many of you than Hewitt, as he played for the Oregon State Beavers the last three years. At 6-2 and 237, Nall was a bit undersized at tight end, so moved to running back and H-back for his final two years. He ran for more than 2,200 yards and snagged 56 passes for just over a 10 yard average in his Corvallis career. Nall has an uphill battle to make the Bears roster, but he certainly brings versatility to the game.

Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers. I hate to bring a 49er into this, but he’s one of the best out there right now. At 6-1 and 240 pounds, Juszczyk certainly fits the fullback prototype more than the flex tight end. In five seasons he’s pulled down 130 passes for six touchdowns. He only has 14 carries in those five years, but over the last four seasons, he’s been in for about 38 percent of his team’s snaps and made two Pro Bowls. Uncle Will could do worse for a prototype.

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To be sure, the Seahawks still need a fullback on the roster to truly launch the running game into the powerful attack Coach Carroll demands. Whether that fullback is Tre Madden or Khalid Hill, throwing Dissly into the mix will make things that much tougher for opposing defenses. And that’s the whole point of the H-back.

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