Seahawks add RB depth with 4th-round selection of DeeJay Dallas
Apr 25, 2020, 11:19 AM
Seahawks fourth-round pick DeeJay Dallas overcame fumbling issues at Miami. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Seahawks found a running back in the NFL Draft who exhibits the kind of style they like out of the backfield.
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With the 144th overall pick and their second fourth-round pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, Seattle grabbed Miami running back DeeJay Dallas on Saturday morning. The pick came shortly after the Seahawks took Stanford tight end Colby Parkinson at No. 133, and it makes for their third straight offensive player taken when you add in LSU guard Damien Lewis, who they took in the third round Friday night.
Dallas, who will join fellow Miami alum Travis Homer in Seattle’s backfield, led the Hurricanes with 693 yards and eight touchdowns on 115 carries in 2019. He only slightly was used more than Cam’Ron Harris at running back by Miami, getting just one more carry. Dallas also had 14 catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns.
At 5 foot 10 and 217 pounds, Dallas fits the mold of the kind of bruising runner the Seahawks typically go for, much like current tailbacks Chris Carson and Rashaad Penny and the prototype for Seattle, Marshawn Lynch.
“He’s a between-the-tackles runner… which is exactly what Seattle wants,” Danny O’Neil said of Dallas shortly after the selection on the 710 ESPN Seattle draft show.
Something else the Seahawks put an emphasis on is taking care of the ball, which has been a problem for Dallas. According to his NFL.com draft profile, he struggled with fumbles as a sophomore, committing four in 2018. He saw a sports psychologist at Miami, however, and bounced back in his junior season by making no fumbles while leading the way in rushing for the team.
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