Seahawks draft profile: Darnay Holmes could be a mid-round steal
By Lee Vowell
As we get a little closer to the 2020 NFL Draft, we take a look at a player the Seahawks might choose to take. This time it is Darnay Holmes.
The Seahawks like their cornerbacks tall out wide, but at slot corner they like quicker guys who can be versatile enough to cover tight ends and smaller receivers. This is one reason Ugo Amadi might be Seattle’s nickelback of the future. Or that future player might come in the form of UCLA’s Darnay Holmes.
Holmes is 5-foot-10-inches and does not fit the mold of a classic cornerback for Pete Carroll. But what Holmes lacks in size he makes up for in his ability to tackle and make plays. Holmes does have a bit of an issue with technique, but that won’t worry Carroll so much. Carroll is one of the better teachers of technique in NFL history.
Plus, as we all know, the Seahawks have their own way of technique and if they bring a player in who has learned a certain way, or not learned at all, they know they can teach him. Holmes is that kind of guy and he isn’t expected to go until rounds 3 or 4 when Seattle has three combined picks (one on the third round and two in the fourth).
The other good fit for Holmes for Seattle is his ability to play special teams. He has returned kicks and punts during his time in college but also played on cover teams as well. He was asked to do a bit less with returns as his college career wore on, but as a freshman, he returned 33 kicks for a 21.7 yards per return average and as a sophomore returned just four kicks but for a 35.8 yards per average, including a touchdown. Holmes also returned punts for a short time.
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In 35 college games, Holmes had 8 interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. Once he gets the ball, he knows what to do with it. This is something the Seahawks secondary needs: Playmakers. And while Holmes doesn’t seem like an outside guy, Tre Flowers wasn’t great in 2019 and Seattle might choose to go with a playmaker like Holmes, even if smaller, than an ineffective corner like Flowers was.