Senior Bowl’s Jim Nagy: Seahawks rookies Dee Eskridge, Tre Brown can be long-term pieces

The Seahawks made just three picks in last year’s draft due to a number of trades for more veteran players.

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While one of Seattle’s picks – sixth-round offensive tackle Stone Forsythe – didn’t play much in 2021, the Seahawks’ two other picks saw the field in decent capacities.

They would be were second-round receiver Dee Eskridge and fourth-round cornerback Tre Brown, and someone who knows those two very well is Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl.

Nagy, a former Seahawks scout, was in Mobile, Ala., at last year’s Senior Bowl ahead of the draft and got to see Eskridge and Brown up close and personal. In fact, shortly after last year’s draft Nagy posted a video of the two future teammates competing against each other at the Senior Bowl.

That was, of course, before either of those players were drafted by the Seahawks and played in their first NFL games.

So after playing a handful of games in 2021, what does Nagy think of Eskridge and Brown? He offered his thoughts during a wide-ranging conversation with Jake and Stacy on 710 ESPN Seattle.

“Unfortunately, they both got dinged up quite a bit,” Nagy said. “And that happens, that’s part of an NFL career. Unfortunately for those two guys it happened right out of the gate so they weren’t able to get traction.”

Eskridge appeared in Seattle’s Week 1 opener but suffered a concussion during a rushing attempt. The concussion was so severe that Eskridge didn’t return until Week 10. Overall, Eskridge finished his rookie season with 10 catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, plus four rushes for 59 yards.

Seahawks close the gap before the half.

Dee Eskridge scores to make it 23-21. #Seahawks

📺: #SFvsSEA on CBS
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— NFL (@NFL) December 5, 2021

Brown, meanwhile, injured his knee during training camp and started the season on injured reserve. He would ultimately play in five games, including three starts at outside cornerback, where he played very well before suffering a season-ending injury, also to his knee.

So what can those two bring to the table long-term for the Seahawks?

“Just looking at (Eskridge), he’s going to bring that offense an explosive element. I think he’s the guy you can hand it (off) to. I mean, everyone’s kind of looking for the next Deebo,” Nagy said, referring to star San Francisco 49ers weapon Deebo Samuel.

While listed as a wide receiver, Samuel does a bit of everything for the 49ers. He had 1,405 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns and rushed for 365 yards and eight scores and earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

“He’s not as strong as Deebo, not as sturdy as Deebo, but he is the guy that you can be creative with,” Nagy said of Eskridge. “He’s got that kind of explosive playmaking ability. So I think it’s just a matter of Dee getting healthy.”

With Brown, Nagy thinks the Seahawks have someone who can hold down the cornerback spot for a long time.

“I know the Seahawks are super high on Tre Brown just talking to those guys. They think he’s going to be a really, really good player for them, a long-time starter for them,” Nagy said. “They were very encouraged with what Tre could do when he got out there this year.”

What makes Brown a great talent for the Seahawks?

“Tre’s game is all competitiveness and ball skills. He is a feisty dude, scrappy dude who can get his hands on the ball,” Nagy said.

Brown is 5 foot 10 with 30 3/8-inch arms, and Nagy acknowledged he “kind of deviates from what we were looking for at corner” when he scouted for the Seahawks. The team since 2010 has typically opted for cornerbacks who were at least 6-feet tall with 32-inch arms or longer.

“But he’s good in off-man coverage and he can jump routes and he just can make plays,” Nagy said. “He’s got some ballhawk to him. I think both those guys stay healthy, they’re going to be good long-term pieces for the Seahawks.”

You can hear the full conversation with Nagy from Thursday’s edition of Jake and Stacy in the podcast at this link or in the player below.

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