Freak … So?

Your thoughts on DeKaylin and Tariq

Being a “freak athlete” could be a detriment to some players. Riq Woolen and DK Metcalf are cut from the same cloth as far as athleticism, with both nearing 100th percentile for their combination of size and speed at their respective positions.

DeKaylin Metcalf is 97th percentile weight but also 98th percentile 40-yard dash and broad jump.

Tariq Woolen is 99.9th precentile height for a cornerback, but also 99.7th percentile 40-yard dash and over 98th percentile vertical.

These are mind-boggling testing results for fans of the NFL Scouting Combine and also the main reason that either of these players was drafted, but if their college playing careers had matched their underwear performances, Metcalf and Woolen could have been top-5 picks.

Do they use their gifts as much as they can?

Ja’Marr Chase and Jalen Ramsey are also freak athletes, but both were picked 5th overall. What separates them from DeKaylin and Tariq (maybe nicknames are better suited after they regain Pro Bowl form) is that they proved themselves to be football players before they reached the NFL. Chase and Ramsey were All-Americans and national champions at premier programs, whereas Metcalf finished third in yards during both of his seasons on mediocre Ole Miss teams, and Woolen played at UTSA and had to change positions after failing as a wide receiver.

Is it only a coincidence that DeKaylin and Tariq seem to share some of the same negatives, like a lack of focus, discipline, and a frustrating inconsistency? Or is that they’ve been too reliant on their elite athleticism knowing that it has gotten them this far?

Metcalf has often said (after a bad game or a costly penalty) that he’s not going to change who he is or how he plays, and why should he? He’s already made over $61 million in the NFL — with $22 million more scheduled for 2025 — just by toeing the line of greatness every once in a while and that’s not including his endorsements.

Woolen has been a starter for all three seasons, in itself a huge accomplishment, and he’s going to get paid a lot of money by somebody in the next 12 months or so and that’s despite the good teams knowing that he’s a player they can target in the red zone and in the running game.

Not even Tariq’s biggest fans could argue that he uses his “size advantage” to make tackles, hits, or serve as an intimidating presence on the field. We knew from the Seahawks playoff game against the 49ers in 2022 that San Francisco’s gameplan was largely to run at Tariq and throw towards him.

To this day, it is still the only time that Brock Purdy has thrown for 300 yards or thrown multiple touchdowns in a playoff game: Purdy had 332 for 3 TD and 0 INT, while Christian McCaffrey had 119 rushing yards on only 15 carries.

In that same game, Metcalf had a dominant line of 10 catches for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns, which he then made good on the next season by setting a franchise record with 1,303 yards. Where did that guy go? Opposing corners don’t seem to fear a 6’4 “freak” with muscles like you’d assume and some have admitted to egging Metcalf on to force him into 10 and 15-yard penalties because teams know it will work.

Fittingly, DeKaylin’s top career highlight is not a catch, but a 100-yard dash.

At 27, which is at least a couple of years older than the league’s top receiving stars, are Metcalf’s best career seasons ahead of him or behind?

Following up again on last week’s Seaside Joe community forum “Praise or Pressure?”, these were some of the top comments on Metcalf and Woolen. Part I — which was about John Schneider, Ryan Grubb, and Geno Smith — can be read here.

Praise or Pressure: DeKaylin Metcalf

Running way with the most likes was this reply by Largentium writing that the Seahawks should move on from Metcalf:

He's not going to be worth the money he is going to ask for. There are too many penalties, drops, bad routes run, and opposing players getting in his head to make up for the great things he does. If he wanted to be paid like a top-10 receiver, he needs to play like it and he's maybe top-25 at best at this point. Time to move on.

Metcalf finished 25th in receiving yards (tied with Darnell Mooney) and he was 23rd in yards per game. The league average catch rate is now 68.3%, but Metcalf ranked 172nd in the NFL with a catch rate of 61.1%. A lot of the players ahead of him are running backs or don’t have as many targets, so just compare him to a true superstar like Puka Nacua: 74.5%. Nacua had 990 yards, 2 behind Metcalf, but he missed six games, not two.

Here are a few more comments on DeKaylin:

Grant Alden: I don't like his temper, I don't like his stupid penalties, and I don't think his production merits the dollars he thinks he's worth. I'd love to see him thrive elsewhere. Heck, I'd love to see him thrive here but not at the expense of building a team that coheres and grows and can be more than a one- or two-season success.

La’au: DK is a body catcher. He likes to bring the ball into his chest when he catches the ball. This is why he is not an elite red zone receiver. Occasionally we see hand catches from him but they are just not consistent enough like we see with the other two receivers this year. Number 14 also does not have the consistency needed to be a true number 1 receiver.

Brad: Pressure. Being the career leader in OPI is not hall of fame worthy

Most of the replies follow this line of thinking and it was difficult to parse out some praise for Metcalf, but here’s what I found:

Rozone: I don’t think the team can afford to lose him until they have others who are as good or better in motivation and leadership.

Mike McD: He has been a good downfield blocker and has been very supportive of JSN's success. He seems like a big team guy.

Robert Odell: Drawing extra coverage that helps other WRs; continued ability to take the top off of the defense and open up the middle for chunk plays.

However, none of the “praise” points about Metcalf are necessarily that hard to find in a player who costs almost nothing. Robert Woods, for example, is an amazing veteran, team leader, blocker on the Texans. If what the team wants is leadership and blocking from the receiver position, they can get it for under $5 million.

We made it this far without asking you to subscribe, so yeah…if you can afford to send a little support, it’s only $5 for Regular Joes membership.

Believe it or not, these types of posts take me more time to write than the usual newsletter. Thanks for your patience!

Praise or Pressure: Tariq Woolen

Another one where Largentium had the most likes, noting the similarities (as I did, but now you know I wasn’t the first!) between Metcalf and Woolen, but that at least the cornerback doesn’t necessarily have any contract leverage and is still cheap. Let’s check out a few more comments by those of you we haven’t seen yet today.

Dale: Sit him down and talk to him. Point out where his concerns are and tell him what he needs to do to keep his job. Coach him and I’m sure we’ll see improvement.

Brendan Schwartz: We need to draft him some competition to let him know he is gonna have e to earn his spot. He knows he can start based on potential and speed no matter what. If we had DJ Reed, he may not still be starting

PhilippRttr: First he was massively underrated by the opposition which got him his picks last year, now he is the picked player all too often because he has so many coverage flaws. Maybe he is more of a CB3, but at least a super fast and tall one.

Chris H: Pressure. I hope someone can reach that kid, but if Leslie Frazier can’t…….

I did find a “praise” for Woolen and that deserves equal coverage.

Andrew: Praise, he is still on his rookie deal. Depending on how negotiations go this offseason, he could be a reliable building block. I’m not pressuring a 5th round pick who has flashed cornerstone ability, but isn’t that for 17 games. I see incredible value in a young player here and panicking will only end with frustration in scrambling for another player. If MM is who we want him to be it could be this year of developing and technique changing and next year is the break out.

One point to add to the idea of “to trade or not?” is that the Seahawks don’t necessarily have “nothing to lose” by keeping him. It’s easy to overlook how close Woolen was to being permanently benched in 2023 and 2024, which means that both Pete Carroll/Clint Hurtt and Mike Macdonald had reached a certain threshold with him that caused temporary time on the sidelines.

So if a team is offering a third round pick, that might be turning down a third rounder for a player who could be benched next season.

Could that happen to him? Of course! Why not? Woolen was benched at UTSA for not being a good receiver. Not just benched, the team gave up on him as a receiver. He’s found a place at cornerback because of the league’s dearth of quality cornerbacks. Carroll was almost done with him at the end of 2023, and Macdonald disciplined him with a one-quarter benching in 2024.

Then there are times when fans have to be nervous that the opposing offense is inside the 10-yard line because Woolen gave up multiple touchdowns to the Bills and multiple touchdowns in one game against the Rams. So should the Seahawks turn down any decent draft pick for Woolen? There’s risk in either decision, to keep or trade because there’s no denying his athleticism…

Maybe that’s the problem.

Seaside Joe 2142