Seahawks' Jake Bobo 'Flying High'; New Role After Smith-Njigba Injury?
RENTON, Wash. - Rapidly becoming a fan favorite as the latest undrafted sensation to shine for the Seattle Seahawks, Jake Bobo has lived up to the hype coming out of OTAs by reeling in several big catches during the preseason.
In his Seahawk debut, Bobo demonstrated a bit of shake-and-bake action against Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth, tying up the cornerback off the line of scrimmage with an impressive release to tie the defender in knots and come wide open for a 19-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Drew Lock. Then in Saturday's win over the Cowboys, his nifty route running skills were on display again as he executed a perfect sluggo route to slip past cornerback Daron Bland for a 28-yard reception.
But while Bobo's big play capabilities have been exhibited throughout training camp on the practice field as well as the preseason and helped launch the #MoreBobo movement in the locker room and on social media, he has equally caught the attention of coach Pete Carroll for his ability to handle the dirty work necessary for an undrafted rookie to make an NFL team.
Case in point? Just one snap after Bobo hauled in his 28-yard catch from starting quarterback Geno Smith, he showed off his football savvy and physicality as a blocker to help spring fellow rookie Zach Charbonnet for a 29-yard run.
“If you want to look up something really cool, look at Zach’s long run in the first quarter, watch what Jake accomplished on that play," Carroll gushed following Tuesday's practice. "He took care of two guys, fooled one guy and blocked him, and blocked another guy. It was a terrific play, really subtle stuff. He’s just a special football player."
On the play referenced by Carroll, Bobo initially tricked cornerback Eric Scott Jr. off the line, snapping his head towards Seattle's sideline to sell that he was running a route towards the boundary before turning upfield on a vertical route. With the defender's back turned away from the run, he stopped his decoy route and became a blocker, sealing him and blocking him out of bounds.
After executing his block on Scott, Bobo then turned his attention downfield to Bland, eager to make another block as Charbonnet unfortunately lost balance tight-roping the sideline. While such a detail may elude the casual fan watching a game, blocks by receivers on the outside are critical for busting long runs in the NFL and to the delight of Carroll, the rookie has embraced that duty away from catching passes.
For longtime fans who have followed the preseason closely over the years, there are plenty of cautionary tales from Kasen Williams to Jazz Ferguson illustrating that excellent performances in August don't necessarily guarantee a roster spot. Neither of those players wound up becoming a factor for the Seahawks in regular season games, combining to make one reception with the team.
In the case of Bobo, however, the former Duke and UCLA standout has several feathers in his cap that Williams and Ferguson did not. For one, both of those players struggled to find a fit on special teams, and despite underwhelming athletic testing at his pro day workout, Bobo has flashed in the third phase of the game several times during the preseason, nearly downing a punt inside the five-yard line and narrowly missing recovering a blocked punt for a touchdown on Saturday.
Secondly, though he never surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in his college career, Bobo caught more passes and racked up more receiving yards than Williams or Ferguson, who only had two catches at LSU before transferring to FCS program Northwestern State. In his lone season with the Bruins, he led the team with 57 receptions for 817 yards and scored seven touchdowns, turning nearly 80 percent of those catches into first down conversions.
When asked how much Bobo benefited from playing for former NFL head coach Chip Kelly and his staff in Westwood in preparation for the league, Carroll suggested UCLA was the fortunate one to have him for a year as a graduate transfer.
“He’s caught a ton of balls. He’s been in the midst of a passing program for all of his career. I think they were lucky to have him, I think it’s the other way around," Carroll responded.
Last but not least, Bobo may have a bit better fortune on his side than either Williams or Ferguson did when they were trying to make Seattle's roster. With Dee Eskridge suspended for six games and first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba undergoing wrist surgery on Wednesday, the door has been opened even wider for him to be on the roster as a potential third receiver behind DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett in Week 1.
Among the many reasons why he's high on Bobo, Carroll has loved the consistency he has seen from the Massachusetts native since he first arrived after signing with the Seahawks in May. From the outset, he's done everything right, using his high football IQ, polished route running, and toughness to offset his athletic limitations and building a quick rapport with both Smith and Lock, whose trust in him has been evident both in practice and game action.
“Jake's flying pretty high right now, he’s done great," Carroll said of Bobo. "He hasn’t just done well in the few plays in the game. He’s done well in practice throughout. He’s been really steady like it’s not a surprise to see him play like that in the games. We were thrilled to see what would happen cause he’s been making plays out here. He looks like he’s part of the flow to me. I don’t see any reason why we would think different."
Trying to tap the brakes a bit after heaping praise on the undrafted wideout, Carroll tried to stay coy about whether or not Bobo has done enough to make Seattle's roster on Tuesday, saying the team "hopes to fit him in." But with one preseason game left to play and Smith-Njigba's status for the season opener murky at best, the Seahawks should not play him much, if at all, against the Packers on Saturday and Carroll's words seem like a prime example of gamesmanship more than anything.
From OTAs to the first two exhibition contests, Bobo has done more than enough to showcase his skills on offense and special teams to cement a spot on the roster even before Smith-Njigba's injury, so keeping him healthy should be a top priority for Carroll and company. And, as an added benefit, less snaps for other teams to scout should be viewed as a positive at this point as well.
"He’s consistent, he’s tough, he’s really, really smart and savvy," Carroll said. "He’s been a real factor, and he’s gotten behind people too, in both games. I feel so fortunate that we got him outside of the draft. So we will see how far he can take it, but he’s in the middle of everything right now.”
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