A seventh round pick in the 2019 NFL draft, receiver John Ursua caught the eye of many Seattle Seahawks fans last summer with a strong showing in training camp and in the preseason, leading many to label him (prematurely) as the next Doug Baldwin.
While Ursua does possess the craftiness that Baldwin showed, and his size and speed are similar, he still has a long ways to go to even come close to the accolades Baldwin earned in his career, and may have to fight very hard to even find himself on the game day roster in 2020.
It’s no secret that Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are the top two receiving options in Seattle, but the competition for the final few spots is plentiful: David Moore is back and he’s joined by free agent Phillip Dorsett, sixth round pick Freddie Swain and a pair of undrafted free agents in Aaron Fuller and Seth Dawkins.
Additionally, Seattle used two selections on tight ends, Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan, and both could compete for roles in the slot as well.
So, where does that leave Ursua? After all, he only saw 11 snaps during the regular season last year, hauling in just one pass which fell a yard short of a touchdown against the 49ers in Week 17.
The report is that he struggled to learn the playbook, which is what kept him listed as a healthy inactive for the majority of the season. Now that he’s up to speed, coach Pete Carroll showed some optimism surrounding the NCAA’s leader in touchdowns from 2018.
“Johnny Ursua coming up, we’re excited to see where he fits into it,” Carroll told reporters at the NFL combine back in February. “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.”
Of course, those quotes were before Seattle selected three pass-catchers during the draft, and before the Dorsett signing, so his path to playing time is considerably murkier.
Ursua not only has to prove he mastered the playbook, which will give him a big leg up over the rookies who could face a condensed training camp with less chances to work in front of coaches, he also needs to prove that, at age 26, he still has room to grow and develop.
His skills as a slot receiver are definitely there, but with Seattle loading up at that spot, it looks like it will be a tough sell for Ursua to find himself a part of the offense on a weekly basis in 2020.
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