Seahawks position preview: Breaking down all 11 wide receivers
Rookies
Freddie Swain
A 2020 sixth-round pick, Swain seems to be a very stereotypical Seahawks late-round/undrafted wide receiver prospect. Like former undrafted free agent Doug Baldwin, Swain’s highlights show his main impact in the passing game to be his ability to always be wide open, and then when he gets the ball in that open space he makes something happen.
He also ran some nice short routes for touchdowns, turning into a great very short distance red zone threat for the Florida Gators. On top of that, he also did have some sparks in the deep passing game along with one punt return for a touchdown.
Swain ran a very impressive 4.46 40 yard dash at the combine and tallied 12 total TD’s his last two seasons at Florida. Look for Freddie to carve out a role as a punt returner early on in his career, and then hopefully turn into the Seahawks next Doug Baldwin.
Stephen Sullivan
Sullivan is an interesting prospect for many reasons but it’s clear why the Seahawks drafted him. On Sports Reference Sullivan is listed as a WR/TE, a hybrid because of his TE build mixed with WR athleticism. Sound familiar?
It seems as though the Seahawks went after Sullivan in the seventh round of this year’s draft because they see DK Metcalf reincarnated. Metcalf measured in at 75 inches and 228 pounds at the combine, while Sullivan came in at 77 inches and 242 pounds. Sullivan also ran a 4.66 40 yard dash, which is 87th percentile for a TE.
While his speed won’t burn like a WR, his main role, if he turns into a key player in the passing game, will be as a red zone threat. Since the Seahawks list him on the roster as a WR, I expect them to try to get Sullivan to slim down and gain some explosiveness, and try to turn him into a DK Metcalf Jr.
Aaron Fuller
Fuller had a slightly disappointing senior season with the Washington Huskies, and on top of that had a disappointing combine. This is why he fell out of the draft and fell into the hands of the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.
Fuller had two monster games his senior year when he had an impressive game all-around scoring a punt return TD against BYU, and 9 receptions for 171 yards against Stanford. Fuller has great hands, which he put on display time and time again making impressive one-handed grabs, none more impressive than one of his two touchdowns against Eastern Washington.
Fuller will have to try to earn a spot on the roster, maybe as a John Ursua type with an impressive preseason receiving, or he could try to show out in the punt return game. It would be cool to see another undrafted Husky make the roster, just as Jermaine Kearse did in 2012.
Seth Dawkins
Dawkins is another big receiver like Sullivan that the Seahawks definitely see some DK Metcalf in. Just an inch shorter and a few pounds lighter, the former Lousiville Cardinal had downfield speed mixed in with some good short catches just like DK in college. Dawkins had a very impressive sophomore season catching passes from Lamar Jackson, with 42 receptions for 642 yards, but his final two years at Lousiville did not live up to the potential.
Penny Hart
Hart had a very up and down college career at Georgia State. After a huge freshman season where he had more than one thousand yards receiving, Hart then suffered a season-ending broken foot his sophomore year.
He bounced back in a big way his “sophomore” season (redshirted his second year because of the injury) with near-identical stats to his freshman year, but then his senior season stats don’t follow along with years one and three and are not as impressive.
Hart has experience returning punts and kicks which may be his way to make the roster his rookie year, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he unlocked his freshman and sophomore year potential.
Cody Thompson
Thompson is a practice squad camp invitee, as he had multiple stays on the Seahawks practice squad last season. Originally a Chief’s undrafted free agent signing, Thompson was signed to the Seahawks practice squad in October of last year before being let go and then rejoining the practice squad in January.
It is hard to imagine that Thompson makes the roster, but crazier things have happened. He will try to compete for a spot on the practice squad for another season with the limited opportunities he will get in the preseason and a potentially shortened training camp.