DK Metcalf is living up to the hype and proving doubters wrong

DK Metcalf was a combine star until he wasn’t. That terrible three-cone drill, for whatever it’s worth, was one of the knocks against the former Ole Miss wide receiver heading into the 2019 NFL Draft. Add in his limited route tree and injury history and suddenly a first-round talent was in danger of dropping to the third-round.

In come the Seattle Seahawks to trade back into the very end of the second-round, needing WR talent badly with Doug Baldwin’s retirement, and Metcalf was taken with the 64th overall pick.

For as much doubt as Metcalf received around draft time and throughout the offseason, hype within Seahawks training camp was growing louder. He was at the forefront of many training camp video highlights, as well as his offseason workout with Russell Wilson.

Due to a minor procedure that wiped out almost his entire preseason, we really didn’t know what we’d get out of Metcalf entering the regular season.

Nine games in, I think results have been more than ideal.

Metcalf had a breakout day against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, catching six passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. This even leaves out his game-tying two-point conversion in the third quarter, so if you want to be stretchy with the truth than he had seven grabs.

It’s not just the stat-line that stands out, it’s how he got there. His day ended with what was essentially a dagger back-shoulder catch along the sidelines that resulted in Seattle’s only third-down conversion of the entire 2nd half.

His touchdown was a thing of beauty, especially given the Seahawks’ lack of big yards after catch plays in the passing game.

And how can you not love his work in the two-minute offense (on what should’ve ended with Jason Myers’ game-winning field goal)? This was such a brilliant play by Metcalf to make the catch on the crossing pattern, break a tackle, and head for the sidelines to stop the clock.

...But, BUT HIS 3-CONE DRILL!

Metcalf has 29 catches for 525 yards and 5 touchdowns, and has quickly become a significant contributor to one of the NFL’s best passing offenses.

What is most encouraging? We are working on the assumption that Metcalf is going to get better from here. And if that holds true — we have no reason to believe otherwise, because it looks like he has excellent work ethic — then the NFL is on notice.

Oh yeah, we have the receipts on some of you who thought DK couldn’t hack it at a professional level.