After watching 62 players come off its draft board before making its first pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Seattle took measures to make sure the wait wouldn't be nearly as long before it made pick number two.
For just the second time in 11 draft-day trades under Executive VP/General Manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll, the Seahawks traded up in the selection process. The team swapped third-round picks with the Washington Redskins, moving from No. 95 to No. 69 overall, with the Seahawks also sending 2015 fourth- (No. 112), fifth- (No. 167), and sixth-round (No. 181) picks to the Redskins to move up the board.
With the 69th pick the Seahawks choose Tyler Lockett from Kansas State.
With pick No. 69, the Seahawks targeted 5-foot-10, 182-pound wide receiver/return specialist Tyler Lockett out of Kansas State, the school's all-time leader in receptions (249), receiving yards (3,710), receiving touchdowns (29), 100-yard receiving games (17), and kickoff-return yards (2,196).
Lockett participated in a conference call with Seattle-area media shortly after the Seahawks made him their second pick of the draft. Here's three things to know about the newest Seahawks wideout:
1. He Broke His Father's Records At Kansas State
Lockett's father, Kevin, also played wide receiver for the Wildcats. The elder Lockett held the school's all-time receiving records with 217 grabs for 3,032 yards. Until his son stepped on campus, that is.
"My dad's proud of me," the two-time team captain Tyler said of eclipsing his father's marks. "He said he'd rather it be his son than anybody else. Fortunately, that happened and that's something that I'll always cherish."
Tyler's dad went on to play in the NFL, going in the second round of the 1997 draft to the Kansas City Chiefs, where the Seahawks' GM Schneider then worked as the team's director of pro personnel.
"He just told me to enjoy it," Tyler said of his dad's draft-day advice. "The hard part is just sitting there. Your phone's not buzzing. You're watching a lot of people go that you know and you're excited for them. At the same time, you're waiting for your turn.
"For me, I was sitting there waiting. But it was worth the wait. It was really worth the wait. I really enjoy the fact that they decided to jump picks to come up there and select me. They told me that and that means a lot to me because out of all the players they could have selected I was the player that they selected."
2. He Compares Himself To Antonio Brown
Lockett identified Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver/return man Antonio Brown when asked what current NFL player he would compare himself to.
The two players are roughly the same build, both standing 5-foot-10 but with Brown's listed weight (186) owning a four-pound advantage over Lockett. Brown, a three-time Pro Bowler and first-team All-Pro honoree in 2014, has excelled at wideout and punt returner the past five seasons in Pittsburgh.
"Just being able to watch him, I have seen a lot of things he did in me in my career at Kansas State," said Lockett. "Now I am going to try to make my own game."
3. He Considers Himself A Kick & Punt Returner
We already noted Lockett set the record for kick-return yards at Kansas State, but he also saw success as a punt returner in 2014, averaging 19.1 yards on 21 tries. Carroll and Schneider said they see Lockett competing at both spots to open the season.
"I had a lot of success in kickoff return my first two years, had a lot of success at punt return my last year," said Lockett. "All I look for is an opportunity to put the offense on the other side of the field. I'd rather be in their territory than our territory. I learned at Kansas State that special teams makes a huge difference - the momentum can swing real fast in our favor."
Lockette, who in the pre-selection process was told he was Seattle's "number one return guy" in the draft, said finding success at both special teams spots comes by being able to trust your teammates to do their jobs.
"It's all about making a move and going," he said. "It's not about making a lot of jukes. You've just got to hit the hole. That's one of the things that I've been working on."
