The Seattle Seahawks used three of their 11 draft picks in 2019 on wide receivers. One of them, DK Metcalf, quieted the doubters and turned in an excellent rookie campaign while another, Gary Jennings, never made the active roster and was released before the season ended.
The third was John Ursua, a seventh round pick out of Hawaii who projects as a possession slot receiver in the NFL, but who only saw action in three games last year, with just 11 total snaps.
Ursua had a strong preseason, even drawing some way-too-early Doug Baldwin comparisons, but he struggled to learn the playbook and adjust to the NFL game, which hampered his ability to get on the field in year one.
Those days are behind him however, and coach Pete Carroll is excited at the prospect of a fully ready Ursua in the mix for playing time in 2020.
“Johnny Ursua coming up, we’re excited to see where he fits into it,” Carroll told reporters at the NFL combine on Tuesday. “He could definitely be a factor. He was the other end of the spectrum when we’re talking about young receivers. Johnny had a long way to go and had a lot to learn, and it took him longer to assimilate. But he’s getting there now and he finished out the season with us being active and all that, so there’s a lot of exciting parts to put together here.”
Ursua spent most of the season as a healthy inactive, appearing in three games and hauling in one reception, an 11-yard gain in the Week 17 battle with the 49ers that fell just one-yard short of the end zone.
The 26-year-old has a year of preparation under his belt, and if he can prove he’s ready to take on the playbook and the speed of the NFL game, he could be a nice short-yardage option in the receiver room in 2020.
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