Seahawks Training Camp: Brock’s pick to be a surprise player
Jul 26, 2024, 10:11 AM
AJ Barner of the Seattle Seahawks during rookie minicamp in 2024. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
There are all kinds of Seattle Seahawks training camp storylines to follow this year.
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It all starts with first-year head coach Mike Macdonald and his brand new staff.
Then there’s an interesting rookie class headlined by first-round pick Byron Murphy II, the first defensive player to be taken in the 2024 NFL Draft.
And just like how Macdonald is installing a defense that was the talk of the league the past two years when he was Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator, everybody wants to see how former UW Huskies offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb’s high-flying schemes will look in the NFL.
There are always surprises that come along during training camp, too, and Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard thinks a Seahawks tight end is going to turn some heads.
Asked who could be the most pleasant surprise of training camp, the FOX college football analyst pointed to somebody he saw up close a few times in recent years.
“One guy we’ve not mentioned, and some of it’s an (injury) he had in the OTA season they were very guarded with, is their tight end out of Michigan, AJ Barner,” Huard said.
Here's a quick look at the latest edition to the TE room: AJ Barner. 😯@_ajbarner_ x @UMichFootball pic.twitter.com/DYW0hoekAJ
— Michigan On BTN (@MichiganOnBTN) December 21, 2022
Barner was taken by the Seahawks in the fourth round of April’s draft after the 6-foot-6, 245-pounder caught 22 passes for 249 yards to help Michigan win the 2023 national championship. Even though it was his Wolverines that beat Grubb’s Huskies in the title game, Huard thinks he’s going to fit well into Grubb’s offense.
“We know that tight ends can be difference-makers, and my goodness, the guys at UW were pretty darn good for Ryan Grubb,” Huard said. “He knew not only how to move those receivers around, he did the same with Devin Culp, he did the same with Jack Westover – who is also there (as a Seahawks rookie) and I’m kind of anxious to see compete at this level.
“But AJ Barner should be a guy that hits the ground running. Did not talk a lot about that fourth-round pick, but he’s got some upside and I bet you in a day or two we will hear his name mentioned here at training camp.”
Hear Huard’s full thoughts during Blue 88 from Wednesday’s Brock and Salk, which is the last segment in the podcast at this link or in the audio player near the top of this post. Blue 88 is a daily segment at 7:45 a.m. where Huard answers three football questions on Brock and Salk, which airs from 6-10 a.m. weekdays on Seattle Sports.
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