Seahawks sign WR Donavon Kemp

The Seahawks signed free agent wide receiver Donavon Kemp Saturday, filling the empty roster spot recently vacated by Early Doucet. Kemp is a 24-year old 2nd year receiver out of UTEP that has spent time with the Chargers and Cowboys. He was a UDFA in 2011, and tore his ACL in training camp with the Chargers; he spent time on the IR last year with Dallas after signing there as a free agent and was released recently.

A scouting report on Kemp from our friends over at Blogging the Boys, written last April:

At 6'1" and 194 pounds, he's got the body to play inside or out for the Cowboys. When you look at his pro day numbers, though, he really looks like an outside receiver. 4.4 second 40-yard dash, 37.5" vertical, and an 11'2" broad jump. This is a truly explosive receiver with good height and great vertical. His broad jump is in the elite range.

When you watch [his college film], you might be disappointed to see that none of his routes are all that crisp. In fact, a number of his plays were made by simply flowing to an open area and waiting for the ball (then again, if you watched Laurent Robinson for us last year, that's essentially what made him so productive for us).

Once he gets the ball, however, he has an explosive first step and eats up yardage quickly. In traffic, he sometimes gets into trouble. His measured agility is very average for an NFL receiver, but, in college, he would often use jukes to get around defenders. In the NFL, those tricks won't work. Thankfully, he has the explosiveness to compete at the highest level, and has two of the best in Miles Austin and Dez Bryant to learn from.

Another area in which Kemp stood out was special teams. In the video, you see him blocking for returns, and returning. He really stands out as a blocker. He was all too willing to put his shoulder into coverage personnel and lay them out. He almost seemed to enjoy it more than catching the ball.

Kemp has 9.5" hands, 32.25" arms, and a 74.25" wingspan.

Here's his college highlight tape: