12 Most intriguing Seahawks: No. 5, RB Chris Carson
Jul 20, 2018, 11:17 AM | Updated: 11:19 am
RB Chris Carson had a promising debut for the Seahawks before injuring his leg in 2017. (AP)
(AP)
Mike Salk and Brock Huard are counting down the 12 most intriguing Seahawks players every weekday morning at 9:30 a.m. leading up to the first day of training camp on July 26. (All 2018 Seahawks Training Camp dates and times can be found here.)
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The pair continued the countdown Friday morning by focusing on their No. 5 pick: running back Chris Carson.
At a glance
A 2017 seventh-round pick, running back Chris Carson looked to be the surprise rookie starter for Seattle last year. He rushed for 208 yards and one touchdown on 49 carries through four games before a high ankle sprain and leg fracture landed him on the injured reserve. After undergoing surgery, he resumed workouts during the regular season but was ultimately unable to return to the field.
Now returning for his sophomore season, Carson told reporters at minicamp he’d put on 10 pounds of muscle – and the change in his frame was obvious to Brock Huard and Mike Salk.
Brock’s take
“Every one of us that went out to the Seahawks’ OTAs and minicamp said the biggest head-turner on the field was Chris Carson. They say it all the time in college football: the biggest jump you’re going to make is from your freshman to your sophomore year. If you are going to make a jump in the pros, it’s tough; many times you’ve already hit your physical limit. But Chris Carson had not. Carson bounced around the collegiate ranks, orginally to Georgia, then to junior college, then to Oklahoma State. Between different systems and different places. He didn’t have the real commitment to his body and to his diet that he’s made over the last few months.
“When you all get to training camp, the two guys you’ll see who have developed the most are Ethan Pocic and Chris Carson. Carson is bigger, he’s stronger, and he’s faster. You add that mix to some of the highlights he showed last year and, well, that is a pretty promising prospect.”
Salk’s take
“The Seahawks don’t need Chris Carson to be good in order to be good as a team this year. They can be good even if he doesn’t take the leap and turn into a significantly better player than he was last year. They drafted Rashaad Penny, and even C.J. Prosise, if healthy, is a really good quality running back. They will be OK if Chris Carson isn’t great. But you know what would be really fun? Is if he is.
“That’s why he’s so intriguing. They don’t necessarily need him, but if he is the one that pops that dude is a blast to watch. A seventh-round pick who turns himself into a superstar running back? That would be an awesome story. Then you add Rashaad Penny to the mix and have the two of them going back and forth. Yeah, alright, maybe at that point you’d be a little bit bummed that you used your first-round pick on a running back. But so what? You would have a superstar. He’s such a fun dude to watch. He has remade his body and he’s the one guy who stands out probably more than any other. I would be so excited to see that guy pop.”
Previous picks: No. 12, LB Shaquem Griffin. No. 11, WR Tyler Lockett. No. 10, LT Duane Brown. No 9, LB Bobby Wagner. No. 8, S Delano Hill. No. 7, DE Dion Jordan.
