Seahawks notebook: Takeaways from Day 1 of rookie minicamp

The Seahawks kicked off rookie minicamp Friday afternoon and, to no one’s surprise, second-round pick D.K. Metcalf was among the early highlights.

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Here are a few quick takeaways:

D.K. Metcalf makes an early statement

Through at least one day, new Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf was as advertised.

The 6-feet-3, 228-pound Ole Miss product drew plenty of attention on at least one leaping reception. It was a catch highlighted by Carroll after practice.

“He’s big and he’s fast, he’s got really good feet, his catching range was exhibited today, for a start,” Carroll said. “Even maybe more unique than we thought coming in…

“Sometimes with bigger guys, the feet don’t move as quick. His feet were really, really lightning quick (on his film) and it showed out here today already. That means the potential is there to make him an excellent releaser. He’s already going to be really strong, and (good at) using his hands getting off the ball. But that combination… should be a really good package.”

Metcalf’s new teammate, safety Ugo Amadi, had nothing but praise for the receiver after workouts concluded.

“He’s a monster,” Amadi said. “He’s a Calvin Johnson size. He’s definitely a threat to all defenses. He knows how to attack the ball, he’s very physical. I used to go up against him in high school, we used to go to camps together, he was that big in high school and I was still my size. He’s going to be definitely a threat when the season comes as well… the guy is a freak.”

Testing versatility at safety

The Seahawks picked up two safeties in this year’s draft class: Utah’s Marquise Blair, and Oregon’s Amadi. Blair got reps at strong safety, while Amadi was used at free safety.

While Seattle’s plan is to initially use Amadi at safety, the hope is that the former Duck will be able to adapt at nickel corner to bring versatility and depth to the Seahawks’ defense. Amadi told reporters after practice that he wasn’t surprised at all to see reps Friday at the nickel spot.

“I knew that my versatility, that I just expected to do anything today,” Amadi said. “It went very well for me. I understood their scheme a lot, a lot quicker just from the system I came from so I just adapted a lot quicker.”

Injury updates

Wide receivers Gary Jennings and John Ursua missed practice with hamstring injuries. Carroll said Jennings strained his hamstring during a pro workout and will likely miss a couple weeks (as a reminder, OTAs will kick off in late May, while training camp won’t open until late July). Carroll hinted that a return for Ursua is more imminent.

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