Seattle Seahawks defensive back Ugo Amadi has displayed his wide array of talents throughout the team’s first two preseason games and is exciting coaches and players alike with his potential.
The fourth-round pick out of Oregon has shown he can do a little bit of everything, including blitzing and covering as a defensive back. Perhaps his most notable asset thus far has been his effectiveness on special teams. Amadi has shown promise as both a punt returner and special teams gunner, particularly the latter.
In the Seahawks’ second preseason game against the Vikings, he made his presence known to Olabisi Johnson on a punt, leveling him as soon as the ball touched his hands. Despite the loss, Amadi showed that he is not afraid to hit the opponent hard when it is necessary.
“It was a perfect play, it really was,” coach Pete Carroll told reporters this week. “The timing of it, the form tackle, the shoulder hit, a great Hawk tackle. He showed thousands of kids what it looks like to tackle somebody in open field. He’s just done something every time he’s been out on the field so he’s been a really exciting player for us and he knocked the ball out (in practice Wednesday), he got his first punch out today. There’s been a lot of positive stuff.”
The Seahawks are still undecided on who will start at the nickel corner position, and Carroll says Amadi could possibly fill that spot if he performs well enough throughout the rest of the preseason.
“He’s competing for the nickel spot,” Carroll said. “He’s still competing for the nickel spot. So these two games will be enormous for him again to show how far along he’s come. It’s really about the details and the intricacies of playing the position. He’s just got to catch up, he’s really a bright kid too. There’s no indication that he’s not going to learn it but it’s just kind of a race to the opener.”
Amadi still has room to prove his worth in the next two preseason games, but he is already showing flashes of potential and could make a case for being a significant contributor in the regular season.
