The name has an extra L, but it sounds the same as the name of the guy the Seahawks stole with a third-round pick in the 2012 draft
A year after grabbing quarterback Russell Wilson with the 75th selection, the Seahawks have pounced on tight end Luke Willson, more than 75 picks after the 75th spot.
Willson, a fifth-rounder from Rice, has drawn rave reviews from coach Pete Carroll in a pair of rookie minicamp practices. As pointed out by Dave Boling of the Tacoma News Tribune, Willson has caught more passes in two practices than he did in all of his senior season.
That’s because an ankle injury limited Willson to nine receptions in 2012. But the Seahawks focused on his production as a sophomore and junior, along with an eye-popping 4.51-second 40-yard dash.
Like the one-L Wilson, Willson also has played baseball, as a pitching prospect for the Toronto Blue Jays.
Willson’s performance comes at a time when expectations are low. Per Boling, Carroll showed his coaching staff a video from last year’s rookie minicamp, during which One-L botched snaps and missed assignments.
“It was kind of for the staff to remember that we might not see everything on the first day, and to keep hopes that we can bring some stuff out of these guys,” Carroll said.
For Two-L, the stuff showed up quickly. Which puts him on track to be yet another solid find by Carroll and G.M. John Schneider.