4 surprising candidates to make the Seattle Seahawks 53-man roster in 2023

Jake Bobo - Seahawks wide receiver

The Seattle Seahawks seem to have fixed their WR3 issue for now. Choosing Jaxon Smith-Njigba not only should help immediately but long-term, especially if and when Tyler Lockett (he will be 31 years old during the 2023 season) begins to slow down. Eventually, the Seattle wide receiver duo will be Metcalf and Smith-Njigba. But Jake Bobo could supply depth to the Seattle receiving room for quite some time.

Bobo is 6'4" and 210 pounds so he has good height. He also can catch well. According to his UCLA head coach Chip Kelly, Bobo is a fantastic route-runner who works his tail off in practice to try to get even better. What Bobo doesn't have is elite speed which is probably why he went undrafted this year.

But Bobo can do two things well to make the Seattle roster. One is to prove he can be a red zone threat. He has the size to do and the hands, but can he go up and get contested catches because he doesn't likely have the speed to break away from corners in short-yardage situations.

Bobo started his college career at Duke and played four years there. A coaching change led him to enter the transfer portal and he went to UCLA for the 2022 season. In his years at Duke, he had only 3 touchdown receptions, but in 2022 with the Bruins, he had 7. So the scheme or quarterback talent at Duke didn't allow him to be his best, while Kelly seemed to use him better. Now maybe going to an NFL team with a quarterback like Geno Smith, Bobo can be one of the few players that is much more productive as a pro than in college.