What about rookie RB Travis Homer is exactly what the Seahawks need?

Jun 25, 2019, 12:02 PM

The Seahawks took Miami running back Travis Homer in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. (Getty)

(Getty)

Editor of SeattleSports.com

The Seahawks kick off training camp on July 25, and until then, Brock Huard and Mike Salk will count down the top 25 most intriguing Seahawks every weekday at 8:30 a.m. Their list continues with No. 20: running back Travis Homer.

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Quick look

• 5-10, 202 pounds
• Taken in the sixth round (204th overall) by the Seahawks in the 2019 NFL Draft
• Rushed for 985 yards and four touchdowns on 164 carries as a senior in 2018 for the University of Miami Hurricanes

What Brock Huard is saying

“I like Travis Homer an awful lot,” said Huard, who noted that he called a lot of Homer’s games on TV during his college career with Miami. “Every time I watched Travis Homer in college I’m like, that dude runs hard.”

Homer is a case of a player who never jumps off the page but will kick open a door if it’s left cracked for him to go through.

“He’s just one of those that doesn’t flash this amazing tool to where a coach says, ‘Oh, I’ve gotta have this guy. He’s my starter, he’s my main guy.’ And yet every time he was given an opportunity in college, he just got the job done,” Huard said. “Mark Richt was his coach the last couple years at Miami, and he loved Travis Homer because Travis Homer wanted to play on the practice squad, because Travis Homer wanted to be on kickoff coverage, because Travis Homer wanted to do whatever was asked of him as a Miami Hurricane. He is that kind of guy, and because of that, it doesn’t surprise me that Seahawks were enamored with him throughout the scouting process.”

Why is he on this list?

To Mike Salk, Homer fits the bill of something the Seahawks were missing in 2018.

“I love this kid. I love Travis Homer. I put him on this list probably too high even though he might not make the team, because I want him to,” Salk said. “I am putting him on the team for a reason. First of all, he is exactly the type of player the Seahawks need. I’m not saying the position necessarily is a position of need, but he has the personality and is the type of player they need. They need special teams help. The special teams last year were not good and they went out there and made a concerted effort this offseason to make them better. … I think Travis Homer will be a huge help in that.

“Second of all, he’s got that attitude that they seem to be continuing to morph into of guys that love to just go play football. I don’t know whether he’s going to make the team. I am intrigued by his skillset. If you saw him at rookie minicamp, he looks the part.”

Homer also has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield, and he could battle the oft-injured C.J. Prosise for the role of Seattle’s third-down back. And that, above all, may be what makes him intriguing.

“It’s not just what he does on first and second down running hard; it’s his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield,” Salk said. “Who would you rather have on this roster: Travis Homer or C.J. Prosise?”

“Travis Homer,” replied Huard.

“Thank you,” said Salk. “Then why is he the No. 20 most intriguing player on the team? That’s why. Because you’d rather have him on the team than C.J. Prosise.”

Listen to Brock and Salk’s full segment on Homer and how he fits into the picture for the 2019 Seahawks: