'Really Cool!’ Seahawks Sign 2, Coach Pete Carroll Reacts
RENTON, Wash. - Though the Seattle Seahawks still have a little more than a week before their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, coach Pete Carroll already was in midseason form playing hardball fielding questions from local reporters following Wednesday's practice.
Exhibiting gamesmanship as expected from the NFL's oldest head coach, who has mastered the art of being coy, Carroll took the high road on several opportunities to discuss the status of injured players. In particular, he offered little information on top-five pick Devon Witherspoon's hamstring injury, simply saying he's "still in rehab."
But while Carroll wasn't eager to share much intel on Witherspoon and other players returning from injuries, he had plenty to say about Seattle's newest pair of rookies in cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly and linebacker Drake Thomas, who were awarded to the team off waivers earlier on Wednesday.
Joining an already stacked cornerback group featuring Riq Woolen, Witherspoon, Mike Jackson, and Tre Brown, Carroll indicated Kelly has been on the Seahawks radar for quite some time. Looking at his measurables, playing style, and college production at Stanford, it's not difficult to see why.
Checking off many of the boxes Seattle looks for from boundary cornerbacks, the 6-2 Kelly has 32-plus inch arms and plays a physical brand of football. He excels in press coverage using his length to control matchups off the line of scrimmage and while missed tackles were a problem at times in college, he's a willing and capable run defender who likes to stick his helmet into the fight.
Kyu Blu Kelly allowed a pair of touchdowns during preseason play with the Ravens, but the Seahawks like his tools as a developmental cornerback to groom in their scheme.
© Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
In four seasons with the Cardinal, Kelly, whose father Brian Kelly played 11 seasons in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers, produced 156 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 pass breakups. He garnered All-Pac 12 recognition three times, including Second-Team honors in his final two seasons on campus as one of the best defenders in the conference.
Selected by the Ravens in the fifth round of April's draft, Kelly endured a roller coaster preseason. In three games, he produced six tackles, including a nice goal line stop against the Commanders, but he also allowed a pair of touchdowns in coverage with quarterbacks posting a 122.1 passer rating when targeting him. This led to his release on Tuesday, opening the door for the Seahawks to put in a claim to acquire him.
“We saw him all through the process and I really liked what he looked like as a cover guy," Carroll said of Kelly. "He hits well and reminds me of another Stanford corner I’ve seen back in the day. Kind of long and is really in control, body-control-wise, and all of the stuff. That was really cool."
Kelly wasn't the only intriguing rookie Seattle managed to claim on waivers on Wednesday either. Having met with the coaching staff in a pre-draft visit back in April following a standout collegiate career at North Carolina State, the team kept tabs on Thomas after he signed with Las Vegas as an undrafted free agent throughout the preseason.
One of college football's most productive defenders at any position in 2022, Thomas amassed 101 combined tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and 7.5 sacks for the Wolfpack. Only one year earlier, he racked up six sacks, 13.5 tackles for loss, and three interceptions as a junior, showcasing a well-rounded game defending the run, blitzing the quarterback, and dropping back into coverage.
Despite those numbers and a pair of All-ACC selections, including First-Team recognition in 2021, Thomas didn't receive an invite to the NFL combine or the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. At just 5-11, 228 pounds, his lack of size also hurt his draft stock significantly, causing him to go undrafted before signing with the Raiders.
But while teams may have been spooked by his slight build, Thomas continued to be a playmaker in the preseason, racking up 20 tackles and two tackles for loss before surprisingly being waived. Lauding him for his natural skills and ability to track down the football, Carroll plans to throw him right into the fire on special teams with hopes he can grow into a linebacker capable of playing at a high level on Sundays for the Seahawks.
"He’s a ballplayer. Really instinctive, really natural, and finds the football really well," Carroll said of Thomas' game. "He hits with everything he’s got. He’s not the biggest guy but brings everything he’s got and is a very effective special teams guy as well. He looks like an exciting guy to add to the mix in hopes that he can find his way into special teams right off the bat and then work his way from there.”
With the additions of Kelly and Thomas and corresponding moves releasing veterans Artie Burns and Jon Rhattigan, 45.2 percent of Seattle's active roster consists of rookies or second-year players. Such a youth movement doesn't always lead to immediate success on the field, but after making an unexpected trip to the postseason a year ago, expectations have been ramped up for a franchise with a quality blend of established star veterans and youngsters.
A teacher first and foremost, Carroll has relished the opportunity to pass on his immense knowledge as newcomers soak it in like a sponge and get acclimated to how the Seahawks conduct business. Always young at heart, the 71-year old coach looks forward to the chance to now work with Kelly and Thomas after following them closely in the pre-draft process as part of an exciting young nucleus.
“It is maybe part of the reason I’ve been so jacked about this because I’m constantly teaching. I’m bringing the mentality and the approach and how we do things. To get it and settle in, I’ve been working hard at it which is fun for me to do that. It’s fun for me the way we look at things and how we approach stuff. I’ve felt the eagerness of the guys that they’re learning and they’re growing and so, all of that I’ve liked it."
