Seahawks’ John Ursua might be ideal replacement for Doug Baldwin

The Seahawks need someone to replace the production of Doug Baldwin. John Ursua might not be able to do that in his rookie season but maybe in years beyond.

Let me be clear from the start, the Seahawks are not replacing the leadership and production of the great Doug Baldwin anytime soon. Tyler Lockett might put up huge numbers as the number one receiver with Seattle, but is he the leader Baldwin was? That is yet to be seen. Seattle needs a replacement on the field for Baldwin, though, and that might be 2019 draftee John Ursua.

Ursua put up big numbers in college at Hawaii. That is great and not so great. If he had produced the same numbers at Alabama, Ursua might be picked in the top three rounds of the draft. Instead, Ursua produced against mostly sub-par defenses in an offensive system that best used his skills.

Ursua does have ability, though. He is quick and shifty. Sound familiar? That is exactly what Baldwin was as well. In fact, Ursua is nearly the same size as Baldwin. And like Baldwin out of college, Ursua’s ability to beat his defender on deep throws isn’t expected to be great. Ursua is quick but not overly fast, just like Baldwin.

Ursua is a lot like Baldwin in other ways too. He runs smooth routes and has excellent footwork. He might not be able to burn past the corner covering him, but he can out maneuver him. Ursua can set up his routes effectively by being clever off the line, too. Ursua, like Baldwin, was born to play the slot.

There is one area where Ursua is not like Baldwin, though. While Baldwin would catch everything on his side of the Earth, Ursua had some issues with drops his last year at Hawaii. The one attribute that set Baldwin apart from nearly every other NFL receiver was his ability to catch. If Ursua can learn to be a bit more like Baldwin in this facet, he will have a solid career in the NFL.