Pete Carroll says D.K. Metcalf is more unique than Seahawks thought
By Bryan Perez
Seattle Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf is a rare physical specimen and he put those rare traits on display at the team’s 2019 rookie minicamp.
When the 2019 NFL draft is revisited three years from now, the Seattle Seahawks might be the team everyone agrees landed the steal of the class.
Ole Miss wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who was regarded as a first-round pick for most of the run-up to draft weekend, slipped to Seattle’s second-round pick, No. 64 overall, and is already making a huge impression — literally — on Pete Carroll and the Seahawks coaching staff.
“I mean, he’s big and he’s fast,” Carroll said Friday. “[H]is catching range was exhibited today for a start. And you know, we’ve got to figure it out, figure out where it is, maybe even more unique than we thought coming in. So we just develop it as we go. But big and really fast and the catching range was really obvious today.”
Metcalf made his debut along with Seattle’s other rookies at the team’s rookie minicamp this week and clearly exceeded expectations.
More from NFL News
- Did the Bears Do Enough for Justin Fields this Offseason?
- Looking Back at Desmond Ridder’s College Skillset
- Dalton Kincaid Impresses Early into Bills Training Camp
- Has Bill Belichick Done Enough Through the NFL Draft?
- Looking Back at Sam Howell and his College Skillset
His impressive and downright intimidating size shouldn’t come as such as shock, however. He was the star of the 2019 NFL combine when he checked in at 6-3 and 228 pounds. The most impressive thing about his size is how he carries his weight; Metcalf is 228 pounds of pure muscle.
The real show started when Metcalf ran his 40-yard dash. He clocked a ridiculous 4.33 time and added a 40.5-inch vertical jump for good measure.
And that catch radius Carroll is talking about? Metcalf’s arms are nearly 35 inches long. Add that length to the sky-high vertical, and you have a target that’s almost impossible to overthrow.
The knock on Metcalf was his agility scores; his 7.38 three-cone time isn’t consistent with the kind of lateral quickness expected of a high first-round pick and the concern about his muscled-up frame had some suggesting he just isn’t flexible enough to create separation as a route-runner.
Big mistake.
Guys with Metcalf’s physical makeup are open even when they’re covered, and in today’s game that features a bunch of back-shoulder throws and downfield jump-ball opportunities, players with Metcalf’s size and length win more than they lose.
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks passing offense will benefit greatly from Metcalf’s draft-day fall while NFC West defensive backs lay sleepless while planning how to stop what could end up becoming a lethal combination in 2019 and beyond.