Seattle’s very own Doug Baldwin, was listed from espn.com as one of the top prospects in the NFL. It’s no secret to Seahawk fans, we watched Baldwin come from UDFA to bright shining star all in one season. Coming from Stanford, Baldwin was passed over by all 32 teams before Seattle brought him in after the draft. Baldwin surprised everyone as he worked hard to prove that he belonged on the team. Week by week, Baldwin showed up and impressed the coaching staff, and even the fans.
During the pre-season, Baldwin was fairly unimpressive stat wise. In the four games, he caught 9 passes for 69 yards, averaging 7.7 yards per catch from NFL.com. During the season, Baldwin started only one game, but he caught passes in 15 of 16 games. In week 1, Baldwin exploded catching 4 passes for 83 yards, managing one catch that was 55 yards alone. Baldwin continued to impress all the season, reeling in pass after pass from the slot. By the end of the year, Baldwin had amassed 788 yards on 55 catches, with 4 touchdowns. All of these marked the most for any Seahawk receiver for the season. Remember that Baldwin was a rookie, an Undrafted one on top of that.
Fast forward to this year, the Seahawks are looking to improve the offense, and put up some higher numbers. The defense is well on their way to becoming a better, if not the best, in the league. The Seahawks have brought in different Quarterbacks to put a spark into the offense. Marshawn Lynch, if not suspended, will be looking to increase his rushing numbers. The Seahawks have released WR Mike Williams, paving the way for Baldwin to impress in his sophomore year. Can Baldwin step up and manage to get open versus the top corner backs in the league. In the slot, Baldwin only had to face the nickel corners that aren’t usually as good. Baldwin is ready.
“One of my biggest things I keep hearing from people is not to have a sophomore slump,” Baldwin said. “So one of my biggest things right now is to be perfect every day. Right now I’m working on my third perfect day with no drops and no missed assignments. So, not at all, I think I have so much more to prove and so much more I’m capable of.”
Although Baldwin, 5-10, 189 lbs., is well short of the big receivers that Pete Carroll tends to like, he has been impressive with his first year in Seattle. He is looking to fly past the opposing cornerbacks, and find the soft spots in the zones where he can reel off the big yards. Espn has Baldwin listed as one of their top prospects, and he will certainly not disappoint. Be on the lookout for #89 for the Seahawks, as the national spotlight will be focused on him, and how he responds to the new attention he will be receiving. Seahawk fans know he is just not another prospect, he is a great receiver looking to help the team any way he can.
Original Story:
http://seattlesportsnut.com/seattle-s...
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July 23, 2012
