Seahawks Rookie WR Ricky White III Making His Case For A Roster Spot

The Seattle Seahawks have kicked off their training camp, and one of the players fighting for a roster spot is rookie wide receiver Ricky White III. The team selected him in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft from the UNLV Rebels. The reigning Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year became the first Rebels picked in the NFL Draft since 2010. However, that was just the beginning of the journey for White III, who will now be competing for a spot on the team's 53-man roster. While many, including ourselves, have projected him to make the team's Week 1 roster, some are not so optimistic. 

Will Ricky White III Make The Seattle Seahawks' 53-Man Roster?

Field Gulls recently wrote about White III's likelihood of making the team, and they believe he's a long shot:

"Most of the Seahawks 2025 draft class was quite athletic. Ricky White III was not…at least at the combine. The RAS and Mockdraftable 40-yard dash times show the combine value of 4.61. However, White ran a 4.44 at his pro day…a marked improvement... Seventh-round picks are fun. They’re complete shots in the dark who could turn out to be the next gem in Chris Carson or the other side of the coin like Lazarius Levingston. White at least brings some legit special teams experience that could set him apart from other WRs vying for the final roster spots... White has a long road ahead of him to earn a spot on the Seahawks, but his special teams experience and WR production make his selection in the seventh round a solid use of John Schneider’s final 2025 draft pick... Here’s where the balloon deflates. I like White, but I don’t think he’ll make the roster in 2025. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Tory Horton and Jake Bobo are locks in my opinion. Marquez Valdez-Scantling, Dareke Young, and Cody White will be fighting with Ricky White III for maybe one spot given Klint Kubiak’s commitment to the run and the TE position. White III will make the practice squad and possibly be a late-season call-up due to injury. Maybe he will crack the roster in 2026, given his special teams prowess."

As you can see, they believe White III has a shot to make the roster, but they don't sound overly optimistic. We believe they are simply both underestimating the value he brings to the special teams unit and overlooking his talent as a wide receiver. We also believe the team will keep more than five wideouts on their roster this season. White III will make an impact with his work ethic in training camp and show off his talent, which is being somewhat undervalued because of a poor combine performance.