The Seattle Seahawks made the wide receiver position a high priority in the NFL draft, selecting three players who each bring a different skill set to a group that may be without Doug Baldwin going forward.
Gary Jennings looks like the prototypical slot receiver capable of replacing Baldwin, while DK Metcalf looks like an elite X-receiver, able to make big plays downfield with his extraordinary blend of size and speed, not to mention an otherworldly catch radius.
That leaves the seventh-rounder John Ursua, who brings a little bit of everything else.
Ursua excelled on go routes while at Hawaii last season. According to Pro Football Focus, Ursua hauled in 16 receptions for 487 yards and a whopping eight touchdowns on 36 go route targets last season, good for a 130.8 passer rating.
A receiver with that kind of proficiency on go routes getting paired with Russell Wilson and his incredible ability to throw the deep ball is a potential match made in heaven and makes Seattle’s decision to trade back into the seventh round to get Ursua even more sensible.
Of course, with Tyler Lockett and his outstanding go route proficiency in the fold next season, Ursua may not get the chance to show off that skill right away.
However, Ursua is not a one-trick pony, as he also displayed proficiency running slant routes, where he hauled in 16-of-28 targets for 270 yards, three touchdowns and a 125.6 passer rating.
If Baldwin does call it a career, Jennings is expected to step in as the primary slot receiver in Seattle – although Ursua is more than comfortable in that role as well.
In fact, Ursua played 865 snaps in the slot his senior season – compared to just 23 out wide.
So, Ursua is primarily a slot receiver who excels on slant routes (Baldwin), who also displayed downfield proficiency on go routes from the outside (Lockett).
Whether he develops in the mold of Baldwin or Lockett remains to be seen, but based on his collegiate performance it’s not hard to see what Seattle liked about him.
