Things didn’t work out for Percy Harvin and the Seattle Seahawks. The talented slot receiver and kick returner was shipped off to the New York Jets for little in exchange last season, and in the end it was really a case of Seattle trying to get something for him before they outright released him.
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It’s crazy to think that he went from being worthy of giving up a first-round pick on, to traded away a year-and-a-half later for just a conditional late-round pick.
But just because the Seahawks had to get rid of Harvin doesn’t mean they don’t want the skills he brought to the table. What team doesn’t need an all-purpose playmaker and return man?
That brings us to the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft where Seattle traded up (four picks to the Washington Redskins) to select Tyler Lockett with the 69th overall pick.
Lockett fits the mold of a Harvin-like player, aka, smaller in stature but very quick and versatile. He’s a four-year player and All-American out of Kansas State, who also happens to have an NFL pedigree.
His father, Kevin, also played wide receiver for KSU and was taken in the second round of the 1997 draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Lockett Sr. went on to play seven seasons, racking up a modest total of 1,738 yards receiving and eight touchdowns.
Ideally, the Seahawks need Lockett to put up those kind of numbers over his first two seasons.
For now, it appears the second generation NFL performer will be focusing on returns to start his career, as the Seahawks have already dubbed him their main return artist heading into to training camp this summer.
“He’s got the knack. He’s got the big play nature to him, but his attitude is perfect for wanting to jump in there. I would imagine he catches the first kickoff of the season. He will be back there doing it — he will compete to prove that — but it is hard to imagine anyone can outdo him back there,” said Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll to the Associated Press (via FoxSports.com).
It’s rare when a third-round rookie already gets a big job just after the first minicamp, but that’s how good of a returner Lockett is.
Considered by some the best pure return man in this year’s draft, the 5’10”, 185-pounder totaled nearly 2,700 total kick/punt return yards for six touchdowns at Kansas State, including an astounding average of 35.2 yards per kick return during his freshman season.
He should have no problem stepping right in and making a difference from kickoff number one in 2015.
The Seahawks are smart to assign him a role this early on. It allows Lockett to focus on something right out of the gate all the way up to Week 1. It also takes pressure off of him in the passing game, a place where he’s not exactly polished and obviously undersized.
Lockett isn’t just Harvin’s replacement on the Seahawks, he’s a player with strikingly similar numbers, size and skills. Both were in the neighborhood of 4,000 yards from scrimmage and 30 touchdowns in college, both are under six-foot and near 200-pounds, both can run a 4.4/40 and both fit best in the slot and return game.
Seattle needs everything Harvin brought to the table, and they still have it despite trading him away last season. It’s just that his role will now be played by the much-younger, far less expensive Tyler Lockett.
Next: Seahawks Should Not Trade Bennett
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