Seattle Seahawks: Freddie Swain a 2020 NFL Draft steal

The Seattle Seahawks found themselves a steal in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft with Florida Gators wide receiver Freddie Swain.

One of my favorite exercises after the NFL Draft every year is to look over every team’s depth chart and roster and see how their late-round picks can fit into the mix. For the Seattle Seahawks, former Florida Gators wide receiver Freddie Swain could be a steal from the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Florida Gators didn’t have the same type of dominant aerial attack as the Alabama Crimson Tide, but it’s fun to wonder what it might have been like if their receiving crew had Tua Tagovailoa throwing them all passes for the better part of the last three years.

The Gators had a number of receivers drafted this year — Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, and Freddie Swain — as well as their starting running back Lamical Perine.

Those four players were all behind tight end Kyle Pitts in a massive target share at Florida, but NFL scouts took note of their immense talent which was shown in flashes over the past four years, and because of the transitional period Florida has been in at the quarterback position (Kyle Trask looks like he could be a good one), these players may have their best football yet ahead of them.

What all of Jefferson, Cleveland, and Swain have in common is speed.

Swain ran a 4.46 at the Scouting Combine, and maybe it’s his Florida Gators uniform or his 6-feet, 197-pound frame, but the way Swain plays reminds me of another former Seattle Seahawk — Percy Harvin.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying Swain is Harvin. Harvin had rare speed, explosiveness, play strength, and production, but Swain has a comparable skillset.

One of his top physical and athletic comps in terms of testing is Golden Tate, who offers a similar package of traits to that of Harvin as well.

Even in a massive target share at Florida, Swain managed to score 13 total touchdowns as a receiver and punt returner over the past two seasons.

https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1254201004548960256

The Seahawks do a great job every year of finding players at the college level who can contribute right away to their roster, no matter if those guys are top picks or later-round picks.

This is a team and coaching staff that really buys into their young players early and behind Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf right now are veteran Phillip Dorsett and former seventh-round pick David Moore.

Swain has a chance to make enough plays and crack the rotation this year as a slot guy and punt returner, and he’s capable of making an impact to every level of the field. He was utilized a lot at Florida on screen plays where his speed and explosiveness combined with natural open-field elusiveness made him a big play threat any time he touched the ball.

I think this guy is a potential steal for the Seahawks in the sixth round of the draft.