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Seahawks May Have Struck Gold with Undrafted WR Aaron Fuller

The Seahawks seem to have a knack for finding solid contributors after the final pick of the NFL Draft is announced. Former Washington receiver Aaron Fuller could be their next find.

Colby Patnode

To say the Seahawks have found some success sifting through the hoards of players who find themselves without a team after the NFL Draft is a bit of an understatement. In his tenure as general manager, John Schneider has landed players like Poona Ford, Jermaine Kearse, and Doug Baldwin as undrafted free agents.

Every year there are some trendy players who go undrafted, but the Seahawks don't usually land the big names. Instead, they focus on players who fill certain needs and may have just one outstanding skill that can help their football team.

This undrafted free agency period wasn't much of a deviation from their normal strategy, though the name Anthony Gordon was certainly the headline grabber. 

But Gordon wasn't the only local prospect that was scooped up by Seattle as an UDFA and unlike Gordon, he hasn't gotten nearly the same amount of buzz. But if Seahawks fans are looking for a player to watch late in the preseason, they should be aware of former Washington wide receiver Aaron Fuller.

Strengths

Often overlooked playing behind John Ross and Hunter Bryant, Fuller was a four-year contributor at Washington. As a junior and senior, Fuller caught 117 passes for 1,576 yards and 10 touchdowns and became a reliable safety blanket for both Jake Browning and Jacob Eason.

The first thing that stands out about Fuller when you pop in the tape is his strong hands. Fuller can make some ridiculous catches that are reminiscent of Doug Baldwin, like this catch against Colorado in 2018.

Fuller is also quite good around the goal line and uses advanced body control to win late on fade routes. On this play against Eastern Washington, he shows both excellent body control and impressive hands hauling in the one-handed touchdown grab.

Against UCLA in 2018, Fuller wins late with a great adjustment, fights through contact, remains in bounds, and scores a touchdown on a ball that could have easily fallen incomplete.

Finally, Fuller shows some special teams prowess and has handled punt return duties for the Huskies over the past two years. The Seahawks are clearly looking to take special teams duties off the plate of Tyler Lockett and selected Florida's Freddie Swain to specifically handle that role this season. But Swain and Fuller may have to battle it out for the job as the ex-Husky can certainly make things happen in the return game.

Weaknesses

Fuller went undrafted for several reasons, not the least of which is his small stature. At 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, Fuller doesn't have the prototypical size of an outside receiver. Fuller also didn't test particularly well at the combine, running a 4.59 40-yard dash with average explosive numbers.

Fuller isn't going to wow anybody getting off the bus and while he looks like a slot receiver, he needs to clean up his routes and is too eager to get vertical, telegraphing his routes to defensive backs before he can run them. 

He is a smooth but not explosive athlete and is going to get caught from behind by faster defenders. Fuller dropped some passes over the middle bracing for hits and will need to play with less fear to fit in the slot at this level.

Where He Fits in Seattle

At the end of the day, Fuller is probably best described as a player with an outside the numbers mentality and the physical traits of a slot receiver. But Fuller's strong hands, ability to win late, special teams abilities, and raw skills to improve his route running should give him a chance to make the 55-man roster.

Ideally, the Seahawks will be able to stash Fuller on the practice squad in 2020 with the potential to promote him to the active roster if injuries strike. To stick around for the year, he will need to show improvements and a commitment to be a good special teams contributor early in his career. 

But Fuller was fairly productive as the second or third option for an unimaginative Washington offense. With a better offensive coordinator and a better quarterback, Fuller has a chance to follow in the footsteps of his fellow alum, Jermaine Kearse.

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Colby Patnode
COLBY PATNODE

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