Training camp MVPs and preseason superstars tend not to fare too well on roster cutdown day. That said, undrafted Seahawks rookie wide receiver Jake Bobo is making a very strong case for himself to make the team’s initial 53-man roster to start the 2023 NFL season.
Already a fan favorite in the locker room, Bobo has been Seattle’s most-productive skill player over the last two weekends – leading the team in receiving yards in their mock game scrimmage last Friday night as well as their preseason debut on Thursday against the Vikings. Fresh off a three-catch, 55-yard, one-touchdown performance against Minnesota, Bobo’s teammates raved about him after the game – including quarterback Drew Lock.
Here’s what Lock had to say, per Mike Dugar at the Athletic.
“More Bobo’ is the thing that we like to say in the locker room… Get Bobo the ball. He does everything right.”
While he’s been undeniably impressive these last two weeks, Bobo still has an uphill battle ahead of him to make the team. The Seahawks have arguably the deepest wide receiver room in the entire NFL this year and the top three spots occupied by DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are as spoken for as it gets at this level.
Bobo’s primary obstacle may be 2021 second-round draft pick Dee Eskridge, who’s listed ahead of him on the team’s unofficial depth chart. It will help Bobo that Eskridge has thus far been a bust and will be suspended the first six games of the 2023 season. However, even the most-disappointing second-round draft picks are not tossed aside lightly, especially compared to UDFAs who represent a fraction of the investment.
Bobo is also competing with second-year wide receiver Dareke Young, who may only be a seventh-round draft pick but one who already has a year of experience at this level – not to mention a Relative Athletic Score that’s light years ahead of Bobo’s. Fellow undrafted wide receivers Easop Winston Jr., Cody Thompson, Matt Landers, Tyjon Lindsey and John Hall are also battling for one of what may only be three more spots below the three-headed dragon at the top of the depth chart.
Put it another way, the odds are still against him – but Bobo clearly has fans both inside and outside the locker room pulling for him.
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