One byproduct of Russell Wilson's explosive passing offense during the second half of last season was rookie Tyler Lockett bursting onto the scene.
Always a dangerous return man in both the kick and punt game, Lockett proved he could provide a dynamic element to the Seattle Seahawks' pass game alongside Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse. Lockett compiled 23 of his 51 receptions in the final five regular-season games, including contests of 90 and 104 receiving yards.
With Marshawn Lynch out the door for good, the offense should continue to shift more toward a Wilson-focus. That will mean greater opportunities for Lockett.
To prep for those chances, the second-year receiver is working on his release from the line of scrimmage.
"He's continuously improving his game, and one of the things that we talked about in the offseason was working on his releases," Baldwin said late last week, via MyNorthwest.com . "He's so quick and he's so fast that there's no reason for guys to be able to put their hands on him at the line of scrimmage.
"So we've been working on that and he's taken that to heart and he's done an excellent of taking his craft to the next level. I'm really excited to see guys line up against him, other teams line up against him, to see what he has in store for them because he's I think he's ready to take it off."
Around these parts, we call hitting the next level, "Making The Leap" (spoiler: Lockett will be on our list, too).
The All-Pro kick returner is in for a huge role for the Seahawks both on special teams and on offense. With the ball in his hands and in space, there are few in 2016 as electric as Lockett. For the 5-foot-10, 182-pound wideout, getting off the line of scrimmage wasn't exactly a problem last season, but any improvement will mean more grass for Lockett to gobble up against hapless defenses.