The preseason can be a tough time to get reads on players. We have seen preseason Hall of Famers like Troymaine Pope and Trevone Boykin pass through Seattle Seahawks training camp over the last decade. Neither player, for whatever reason, made an impact once the regular season began.
Basically, we should temper anything we see right now. That doesn't mean that our eyes completely deceive us, however. Some of the guys either battling to make the roster or move up the depth chart are playing well now and could play well when the real games begin, too.
The Seahawks are going to have tough roster decisions to make. This is especially true for the three guys that follow. But with a great game in preseason Week 2, these players might take another step toward cementing their spot on the team.
Seattle Seahawks running back Bryant Koback
Koback had a few things going against him when he left college after the 2021 season. Mind you, none of his concerns had anything to do with how well he played at the University of Toledo. Koback was very good and in his final year he ran for 1,407 yards on 208 carries and 15 rushing touchdowns. But while Koback had the size to be an NFL back - he is 6-feet and 210 pounds, he didn't run a sub-4.4 40.
But Koback isn't slow, and he showed against the Minnesota Vikings backups that he could dole out some punishment. Koback doesn't mind running with force into a defender, and head coach Pete Carroll probably likes that to some degree. Koback also flashed his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and he ran a wheel route and took off for 32 yards.
With another excellent performance in preseason Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, Koback is going to force the Seahawks to make a tough decision about the running back room. We can assume that Seattle is going to keep Kenneth Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, Kenny McIntosh, and DeeJay Dallas, but do they keep a fifth running back as well? Seattle might if Koback plays well against the Cowboys and follows that up with another good performance in preseason Week 3 against the Green Bay Packers.
Seattle Seahawks receiver Jake Bobo
We are likely going to write a whole bunch of articles about undrafted free agent Jake Bobo. First, his name is awesome, and quarterback Drew Lock has said that the phrase, "More Bobo!" has already made the rounds in Seahawks practice. But players don't cause teammates to come up with catchphrases about them if they aren't also performing at a decent level and also working their tails off to try to make the team.
No Bobo isn't faster. In fact, his 40-time for NFL receivers is extremely slow. He ran a 4.99 at his Pro Day at UCLA and that's enough to not get a player drafted. Bobo, of course, did not get taken by any team in the 2023 NFL draft. Fortunately so far for Seattle, the team was able to sign Bobo as an undrafted free agent and he has been excellent since he came to Seahawks camp.
Bobo seems to just have a knack for finding the open spaces on the field. He led the team in catches and receiving yards in Seattle's mock game a couple of weeks ago, and then he led the team in receiving yards against the Vikings, too. Of course, he has produced those numbers mainly against backups so as long as he is facing backups in regular season games, too, then he should be fine. Only, he won't.
My hope is that Seattle plays a few more of their presumed 2023 starters against the Cowboys on Saturday and that Bobo is part of the first-team rotation. We can't really know what to expect of the 6'4" and 210-pound receiver until he begins seeing top-end talent in a different uniform than his own. At this point, I think Bobo would make the active 53-man roster because Dee Eskridge is suspended to begin the year and Dareke Young has been dealing with a hip injury. But Bobo still needs to have another good game against the Cowboys.
Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Boye Mafe
While Mafe was going up against mostly backup offensive linemen for the Vikings in preseason Week 1, he still looked like the best player on the field. He was constantly pressuring the quarterback and was around the ball when Minnesota ran as well. Mafe has also had a fantastic camp by all accounts and he was even the first-team starter during the mock game. But 2022 starter Darrell Taylor missed the mock game with an injury.
Mafe should already be overtaking Taylor on the depth chart, though. Taylor stinks against the run and currently Mafe is better against the run than he is trying to chase down the opposing quarterback. But Mafe has the size and speed to develop into a dangerous pass rusher while he is already sturdy against the run.
One of the reasons that the Seahawks struggled so much against the run in 2022, besides interior defensive linemen seemingly playing out of positions, was that Taylor began as a three-down edge rusher and constantly got run over. That won't be the case with Mafe. He is simply a lot stronger than Taylor and his base is so that he is much tougher to move.
Yet if Darrell Taylor is healthy by Week 1, Seattle might decide to play Taylor opposite fellow edge rusher Uchenna Nwosu. Seattle knows what they are going to get from Taylor and likely hopes he will be better against the run this year. But Mafe should be the starter as he has the bigger upside and he has a more well-rounded game than Taylor.