Having only three draft picks available in the 2021 draft, and only one in the first two days, it was vital the Seahawks spent that valuable second day pick in the right way. They selected a wide receiver out of Western Michigan by the name of D’Wayne Eskridge.
Firstly, let’s get to know a bit about D’Wayne Eskridge, from small-town Bluffton, Indiana and being small in physical stature, Eskridge went largely unrecruited by FBS schools but accepted the offer to attend Western Michigan.
Eskridge made 10 appearances for the Broncos in his freshman year, in those ten appearances he amassed a modest 181 scrimmage yards and 1 touchdown. In his sophomore season, his production increased to 519 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns, and again in his junior season to 776 scrimmage yards and a further 3 touchdowns.
D’Wayne Eskridge could be great fit for the Seahawks
His senior season in 2019 was cut short by injury, which resulted in him having a medical redshirt season in 2020.
Eskridge showed the value of that extra year by totaling 811 scrimmage yards and 8 touchdowns from just 6 games. In 2020, he also averaged 28.8 yards per return as the team’s kick returner. All this and a 40-yard time of 4.38 recorded at his pro day, raised the attention of the Seahawks who were in need of a replacement for the departed David Moore.
Eskridge being drafted, added to the existing depth chart of D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and last year’s sixth round pick Freddie Swain.
The Seahawks can fully expect Metcalf and Lockett to provide their normal high level of performance at WR1 and WR2 in 2021. Lockett recently received a contract extension which keeps him in Seattle through 2025, Metcalf’s rookie contract ends after the 2022 season, but he will surely get another contract from the Seahawks.
So the Seahawks need a third/slot receiver that can develop into the longer-term replacement for Lockett. Could D’Wayne Eskridge be the receiver the Seahawks are looking for to provide that threat from the slot in the next two to three seasons, and then possibly expand their role to assume the WR2 role currently occupied by Tyler Lockett?
What Seahawks should expect from D’Wayne Eskridge in 2021
Eskridge’s first objective has to be to secure the role as WR3, which means showing in this year’s softened pre-season or early in the regular season that he can outperform incumbent WR3 Freddie Swain and fighting off any challenges from UDFAs.
Swain recorded 159 yards and 2 touchdowns in his rookie season, not bad from a sixth round draft pick.
But as a second round draft pick, Eskridge must be expected to quickly establish ascendency over Swain. Many, including myself, had Eskridge mocked as a round 4 or 5 draft pick, so have the Seahawks made too big a leap of faith with Eskridge?
Terrace Marshall, Jr. went just three picks after Eskridge, whilst not the slot receiver the Seahawks were looking for, Marshall’s stock fell pre-draft due to an injury. When healthy it probably would have gone 20-30 picks earlier, so longer-term would have been a better option to replace Lockett.
Tutu Atwell has a similar profile to Eskridge and went one pick after him. Another 9 receivers went in rounds 3 or 4 before the Seahawks picked again at pick 137.
So Eskridge needs to outperform most or all of them in order to justify his second round pick, if he performs toward the bottom end of that group of nine, you would have to question the worth of spending a second round pick that you could have got him or similar with your fourth round pick.
But who am I to second guess the professionals who have scouted these guy’s for months and decided Eskridge was their man? Eskridge will also face competition from three reported UDFA’s in Tamorrion Terry, Cade Johnson and Connor Wedlington.
Plenty of competition for Eskridge
Tamorrion Terry will provide the greatest threat, he produced 2230 scrimmage yards and 18 touchdowns in 31 games as a Seminole, at an average of 71.9 yards per game and 0.58 TDs per game. Eskridge produced 2360 scrimmage yards and 15 TDs at Western Michigan, averaging 54.9 yards per game and 0.35 TDs per game.
I was amazed Terry went un-drafted and he is an excellent pick up for the Seahawks, he should knock Freddie Swain down the depth chart and is a threat to Eskridge’s playing time too. Cade Johnson had 3,054 yards and 28 TDs from 47 games at South Dakota. This is an average of 65 yards per game and 0.59 TDs per game.
Connor Wedington out of Stanford does not have stats anywhere near the other three for the Cardinal, but is a definite kick return specialist.
So Terry had better production and at a higher level of competition, he and Eskridge are likely to compete for roles as receivers, whereas Johnson and Wedington look set to compete for kick returning duties.
Production target for 2021
There were nine receivers taken in rounds 2 and 3 of the 2020 draft, who were Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman, Laviska Shenault, KJ Hamler, Chase Claypool, Van Jefferson, Denzel Mims and Devin Duvernay
Those nine averaged 470 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 2020 season. If the Seahawks get 500 yards and 4 touchdowns out of Eskridge then he will have had a very good rookie campaign, and he also looks set to play a role in the return game.
For further comparison Tyler Lockett had 664 yards and 6 touchdowns, Metcalf had 900 yards and 7 TDs in their rookie seasons. Legendary UDFA receiver Doug Baldwin had 688 yards and 4 touchdowns as a rookie.
500 yards and 4 touchdowns would therefore certainly establish Eskridge as a good WR3 for the Seahawks.
If Terry is as good as I think he is then added to Swain, the Seahawks will have plenty of depth behind Metcalf and Lockett which was an issue pre-draft. So the Seahawks look to have done a really good job solving this issue at a very low cost cap-wise ahead of the 2021 season.