DK Metcalf is someone who flew up draft boards through the offseason. He is a hulking man who looks like a linebacker or a bodybuilder by all accounts. He was a good receiver in college at Ole Miss, but he never had huge numbers or was talked about much as a first-round pick until the season started.
The Seattle Seahawks moved up to take Metcalf with the last pick in the second round. Now, with Doug Baldwin’s exit, Metcalf could be looked at to step on the field immediately and produce as the second or third receiving option for Russell Wilson.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Who is this guy?
Metcalf is from Oxford, Mississippi and stayed close to home when he chose to attend Ole Miss. His freshman year, he only managed two catches in two games before he broke his foot and missed the rest of the year. But, both of those catches were for touchdowns. This showed a glimpse of his proclivity for scoring. Through the next two years, he played 19 games while missing some with a few injuries and ended up with 12 touchdowns on 65 catches.
Oh, did I mention he is 6’4” and 230 pounds? He also ran the 40-yard dash at the combine in 4.33 seconds. That is just about as fast as you can get at his size. He also recorded a vertical jump of more than 40 inches, which was top 5 this year.
Simply put: Calvin Johnson is the closest size and speed comparison to Metcalf I can think of. And Johnson is one of the greatest receivers of the 2000s.
There has already been a rookie camp this year, and if you follow any Seahawks reporters on Twitter I am sure you saw them gushing over Metcalf during this camp. I began to think there was no one else at this rookie camp from the response I saw. I have not seen this much hype for a Seattle rookie since Kevin Durant began his short stint as a Seattle SuperSonic.
DK has the potential to provide Seattle with another dangerous speedy receiver to pair with Tyler Lockett. By all reports, Metcalf is working hard and making strides to improve his footwork and become a more complete receiver.
If things go according to plan, DK will catch about 50 balls and score six or seven touchdowns. His size will make him a mismatch in the red zone and across the rest of the field, so look for Seattle to try and exploit that matchup like it used to do with Jimmy Graham.
