Observations From Day 2 of Seahawks 2021 Rookie Minicamp

Closing in on Phase 2 of the NFL offseason, the Seahawks returned to the field for the second of three rookie minicamp sessions at the VMAC on Saturday.

After watching practice and speaking with coach Pete Carroll and several players, here are five takeaways from Saturday's session:

1. Pete Carroll showed he's still got his defensive back skills after taking one for the team during drill work.

Long before he began his illustrious coaching career, Carroll played college ball at Pacific University, where he starred as a two-time All-Pacific Coast Athletic Conference selection at the free safety position. Nearly five decades later, the 70-year old coach showed on Saturday that he can still use a few of those skills if necessary.

Standing in the middle of the field during an offensive passing drill, Carroll got trucked by receiver Cody Thompson, who was running a post. The coach quickly got back up and began swiping at the ball, hoping to force out a fumble. While he was unsuccessful, he made sure to point out the effort he put in aiming for the turnover after being struck by friendly fire.

"The ball came out, but I didn't quite come out with it," Carroll quipped. "I think maybe a couple years back, I would have come up with that ball, but Cody did a better job scrambling for it."

As expected, Carroll immediately returned to his location in the middle of the action. After being knocked over at practice previously and also taking a football to the face two years ago prior to a game, Saturday's collision wasn't the first and likely won't be the last he's part of before hanging up his Nike Air Monarchs.

2. On this particular day, D'Wayne Eskridge got the better of Tre Brown in a battle of top draft picks.

This weekend wasn't the first time Eskridge and Brown faced off, as Seattle's first two draft picks from this year's class competed in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl in Mobile back in late January. Now teammates, the two squared off on numerous occasions during the first two days of rookie camp and the receiver found the upper hand in Saturday's session.

"It's what it's all about," Brown said after practice, admitting Eskridge beat him on a few plays. "It's about competing. He's here for a reason just like I'm here for a reason. That guy's really good, you know, he was drafted here. He's making the best of his opportunities just like I'm making the best of my opportunities, so we're going to make each other better."

Taking advantage of the fact Brown and Seattle's other corners weren't allowed to play as physical at the line of scrimmage as normal due to non-contact rules in offseason practices, Eskridge showed off his elite sub-4.40 speed to beat Brown downfield on numerous occasions during 11-on-11 team drills.

On one play, he beat Brown with an outside release, but Danny Etling's throw was off target and he wasn't able to reel it in despite a valiant effort contorting his body to make the catch. Moments later, however, he got a couple steps on the defender once again and Etling hit him in stride in the end zone for a touchdown.

"There's no question that he's a flyer," Carroll said of Eskridge. "He showed it right out of the chutes yesterday - his quickness and he's a very powerful guy. He's about 191 pounds, but he's built really strong and built really solid and you can see the explosiveness. He gets off the line of scrimmage really quickly and certainly has the burst. So it was really fun to see, it's what we were hoping to see, so we're pleased with the first showing."

3. With a pair of fellow undrafted rookie receivers sidelined, Connor Wedington took advantage of his time to shine.

Two of Seattle's most notable undrafted signees - receivers Cade Johnson and Tamorrion Terry - were held out of Saturday's session due to injuries. Per Carroll, Johnson has been dealing with a sore groin, while Terry landed awkwardly on his side during Friday's practice and suffered a mild hip pointer on the play.

While neither injury appears to be serious and both players could return to action when the Seahawks start organized team activities later this month, other players such as Wedington were able to capitalize on additional reps during Saturday's practice.

Previously starring at Sumner High School, which is located 45 minutes south of Seattle, Wedington saw snaps both on the outside and in the slot. During team drills, the ex-Stanford standout came open on a handful of drags and crossing routes and flashed excellent hands catching the ball away from his frame before turning upfield.

"He's a versatile athlete. I think he went to Stanford as a running back and went to receiver and then he was going to go back - he had that flexibility," Carroll said of Wedington. "Built well, strong kid, really bright kid. He was really excited to have the chance to play here and play in front of people he knows and a team that he loves and all that. We're looking forward to the versatility he brings."

Roster spots aren't earned at rookie minicamp, but Wedington certainly helped himself this weekend with additional opportunities in front of the coaching staff. He should be in the mix for one of Seattle's final roster spots at receiver and his ability as a kick and punt returner will also be an invaluable asset come July.

4. On defense, Darrell Taylor continued to impress in his long-awaited return to the field as he saw action at multiple positions once again.

Last season, the Seahawks extensively used "bear" fronts on defense featuring a nose tackle, two 3-tech defensive tackles, and two over-hanging defenders, including the strongside (SAM) linebacker. After losing Bruce Irvin to a season-ending injury in Week 2, the team turned to veteran K.J. Wright to play the position and he excelled, ending the year as the only player in the NFL with double-digit tackles for loss and passes defensed.

But with Wright still unsigned as a free agent and Irvin potentially retiring after multiple knee surgeries, Seattle suddenly has a significant hole to fill at the SAM role. Carroll believes size and pass rushing ability are a "crucial part of the scheme" at the position, which explains why Taylor has been double-dipping at defensive end and linebacker thus far in rookie camp and will continue to do so as the offseason progresses.

Through two days, after missing his entire rookie season recovering from leg surgery, Carroll and his staff have been pleased what they've seen from the ex-Tennessee star, most notably applauding how comfortable he has looked at linebacker.

"Just in the first couple days Darrell looks very much the part," Carroll said. "I know coming off the field today [defensive line coach Clint Hurtt] was really fired up about getting a chance to work him in his pass-rush drills and all. We really haven't seen much of him, we got one week and we just kind of babied him through his first week we got him out of here, so this is the first couple practices we've had. It is really important to the scheme, he does have the kind of makeup that fits it well, so at this point he's going to get a heck of a shot to show us what he can do there."

Once training camp arrives, depending on whether or not Wright returns eventually, a now-healthy Taylor should be in the thick of the competition to start at strongside linebacker against third-year defender Cody Barton.

5. Rookies and other young players who participated in this weekend's minicamp should be in line for extensive exposure to the coaching staff in coming weeks.

After the Seahawks wrap up day three of the minicamp on Sunday, the team will transition into Phase 2 of the offseason program next week. Players will be able to report on a voluntary basis to train in the facility and be on the field with coaches, but no team drills will be allowed.

"What we'll do next week is we'll practice with our young guys - we'll have 30-something guys - plus whoever else wants to come out to take part in similar type of drills that we just did," Carroll elaborated. "We won't be able to go against each other next week, the week after that then offense and defense will be able to face off so we'll get a little bit more. It'll be partially like it was this week, and then two weeks now we'll step it up. So everybody can be in the building and be on the field and work out in groups and all that kind of stuff - there's some new guidelines, but that's when Phase 3 kicks in two weeks from now."

Carroll indicated that rookies and other young players who took part in this weekend's festivities will participate in organized team activities (OTAs) when they kick off on May 24. Though veteran Seahawks released a joint statement through the NFL Players Association stating they wouldn't report for any voluntary work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he also said any veterans who wished to attend would be welcome.