Texas coach Tom Herman: Seahawks punter Michael Dickson is a weapon

The Seahawks traded up to take Texas punter Michael Dickson in the fifth round of the NFL Draft, signifying that general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll believe he’s a special player.

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If you ask his college coach at Texas, Tom Herman, he would tell you even that is selling the Australian with the big leg short.

“I would say that’s actually an understatement,” Herman said when 710 ESPN Seattle’s Mike Salk asked if Dickson is a special punter. “He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen at that position to be considered quote-unquote ‘a weapon,’ and he was.”

Dickson, who won the Ray Guy Award as the best punter in college football during the 2017 season and declared a year early for the draft, was a big part of Texas’ team last season, to the point that Herman considered him a part of the defense.

A vital part, at that.

“He was one of our best defensive players because he gave our defense such long fields time after time after time,” Herman said. “The one thing that he can do that’s just so extraordinary is if you’re backed up he can bomb you out with a 60, 65 yarder, and if you stall around midfield he can drop the thing pretty much wherever you tell him to drop it.”

While there were reports of the Broncos’ war room breaking out in laughter after the Seahawks took a punter with the 149th overall pick they had just traded up to get from Denver, Herman doesn’t find Dickson’s selection humorous.

“He’s worth trading up (to pick), in my opinion, because you’ll soon find out he’ll be one of your best defensive players,” Herman said.

Herman talked much more about Dickson as well as defensive tackle Poona Ford, an undrafted free agent signing out of Texas by the Seahawks, in his interview with Brock and Salk on Tuesday. You can listen to the full segment in this podcast.

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