When the Seattle Seahawks traded away four draft picks in order to move up to select Tyler Lockett in the third round, they knew exactly what they were doing. They took Lockett with the expectation that he would drastically improve their return game on special teams and provide them adequate production on the offensive side of the ball. So far this season he has not only lived up to expectations, but has completely surpassed them.
Lockett has shown Seattle exactly what it expected to see out of him on special teams (if not more). In his first season in the NFL, he has been selected to the Pro Bowl as a return specialist and selected as a first-team All-Pro returner as well. He is third in the league in kick return yards, third in the league in punt return yards and has a return touchdown in both. Amongst rookies, he is second in kick return yards to Ameer Abdullah and first in punt return yards by a wide margin.
To give an example of what Lockett has been able to do in the return game, look at the Seahawks’ last regular season game against the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks put together a dominating first half in which Lockett was able to set a franchise record for punt return yards with 139 by the time the second quarter ended. Even more impressive is that throughout the first half, Seattle’s average starting point for its offensive drives was the Arizona 49-yard line, in large part because of the return ability of Lockett. In that game, he averaged nearly 35 yards per return. Throughout the season, he averaged over 25 yards per kick return and just less than 10 yards per punt return while being second in attempts at both.
While Seattle expected Lockett to excel in the return game, it may be his production on the offensive side of the ball that is even more impressive. He has been able to be a top five receiver in the league in terms of catch rate with a 76.1 percent mark according to Pro Football Focus, and amongst rookie wide receivers Lockett is fourth in receptions, third in yards and tied for most touchdown catches.
He also has shown his ability to make a big play. He is tied for fourth in catches over 20 yards and tied for second in catches longer than 40. Pro Football Focus rated him as the top rookie wide receiver in the second half of the season with a +7.6 rating. The next highest receiver on that list was DeVante Parker with a +4.4. He also set a Seahawks franchise record with 1,915 all-purpose yards.
Seattle has a lot of big names on the field that it will have to count on in the postseason, but up-and-comer Lockett will play a huge role in this team’s success. As you saw in the Arizona game, his production on special teams constantly sets the Seahawks’ offense up in a great position to be able to put points on the board, and at the very least gives Seattle an opportunity to flip field position at any moment.
This is something that could prove to be huge in its first-round matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The weather is expected to be less than ideal and points may end up being hard to come by. This is a valuable skill set that Lockett will bring to the Seahawks not only in the postseason, but also for years to come.
