Seahawks UDFA profile: Is the Jake Bobo hype warranted?

The Seattle Seahawks wide receiver depth chart looks pretty settled at the top. It features this 20th overall pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba, former Pro Bowler DK Metcalf and steady vet Tyler Lockett. After those three though, it’s pretty open as every other remaining receiver on the depth chart combined for 11 NFL catches at the NFL level last season. Due to the uncertainty at the position there’s multiple spots that are ripe for the picking for anyone including UDFA’s, like Jake Bobo. The former Duke Blue Devil and UCLA Bruin has reportedly been one of the standouts in camp and has a real shot at a job with the team.

Because of the uncertainty of the depth of wide receiver position for the Seahawks it is not inconceivable to see him exit camp as the team’s fourth or fifth receiver. As a result of that, we should familiarize ourselves with Bobo as a player and what he will bring to the table for this team.

In-breaking routes

This is where Bobo makes his money as a receiver and where UCLA used him the most last season. He ran an assortment of square-ins and slants in what was a one read out offense a lot of the time, and he excelled in that role. On the first play shown, the defensive back certainly did not cover himself in glory as he really sold out for something up the field, but Bobo deserves his due as well. At the stem of the route, he gave a jab step up field to further take advantage of the defensive back’s aggression before snapping it off to the inside.

The second play (skip ahead to the 16 second mark) is more of the same as he is running a deep slant, takes a jab step to the outside to get the defensive back to open his hips the wrong way and then breaks it off to the inside, going across the face of the defensive back.

The third play gives us a look at Bobo (top of the screen) not lined up in a stack formation. He does not sell the defender on any move at the stem, instead snapping it off at the stem and getting to the window behind the zone defender. There is nothing advanced to this route, but it does show us that he can be used all over the field.

Hands

In the short to intermediate parts of the field, Bobo has extremely reliable hands which makes him an option on third down and in the red zone. The first catch we see more so speaks to the hand-eye coordination and concentration that Bobo has as a receiver. He deadens the ball in the air, tips it up to himself twice, then traps it against his body to make the grab, all whilst being dragged down by a defender. The second play speaks to just how strong the former Bruins receivers' hands are. When scouting a player this catch is a 7 on a 1-9 scale meaning you do not expect most players to actually be able to come down with that, especially through some contact.

Overall thoughts

I do think Bobo breaks camp as the team’s fourth or fifth receiver because of the element that he would bring to this team. He is a taller receiver at 6’4 who has steady hands and can be a weapon on money plays. Now, I do think we have to reel in our expectations a bit with him though, as he was a UDFA for a reason. He is not a player who possesses great after the catch ability, can be a bit sluggish at the stem when he is having to flip his hips and he’s not much of a downfield threat. Nonetheless, Bobo is going to be a contributor in some fashion for the Seahawks on the offensive side of the ball which is more than what can be said about most UDFA’s.