'It's Now or Never' for Seattle Seahawks New WR Laviska Shenault Jr.

The Seattle Seahawks have a wealth of riches at wideout, but one needs to make things happen now.

Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the Seattle Seahawks announced the signing of free agent wideout/kick returner Laviska Shenault Jr.

Shenault was a second-round pick in 2020 of the Jacksonville Jaguars after a successful collegiate career at Colorado. The Dallas, Texas, native was traded to Carolia in 2022 before signing with the Seahawks.

Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle sports host, ex-NFL quarterback and FOX football analyst Brock Huard thinks Shenault is just coming into his own as a professional and says the situation with the Seahawks is good for him.

“If you’re Laviska Shenault, you sat on the market for quite some time, you have one of the richest receiver drafts in league history coming in here,” Huard said on his radio show with co-host Mike Salk. “There’s gonna be so much supply of so many talented players, (it’s) like, ‘Hey bro, this is your time right now to make it.’

"And I would say the same thing to Dee Eskridge, and I would say the same thing to (Dareke Young). … It is now or never. And if it’s never, you’re going to be in the UFL with Deon Cain and a bunch of these guys that are very good players, but their time and their window passed. So, you better make and maximize this opportunity if you’re Shenault.”

Huard points out that Shenault's numbers have dipped the past two seasons in Carolina, but the talent he brought into the league is still there as a second-round pick. Shenault posted 121 catches for 1,219 yards and five touchdowns in his first two seasons in Jacksonville, and he was also used in the run game. He registered just 10 catches in Carolina last season.

“He’s a unique guy, man,” Huard said. “… We see so many of these receiver body types that we kind of get used to seeing, and he was really a running back that was playing receiver at (Colorado). When I (called him in Colorado games) two, three, four times, I was like, ‘Man, this guy is really, really special.’”

“Like Golden Tate?” co-host Mike Salk asked.

“Yeah, but taller,” Huard responded. “… Big, thick, strong running legs and a powerful dude.”