The Seattle Seahawks used this offseason to revamp their red-zone attack by adding one of the game's premier pass-catching tight ends in Jimmy Graham.
Graham drew cheers from the Seattle faithful when he hauled in a 12-yard catch from Russell Wilson in Friday's 22-20 preseason loss to the Broncos, but nobody received a more raucous response than rookie Tyler Lockett.
The third-rounder out of Kansas State thrilled the 12s with his 103-yard kick return for a touchdown early in the second quarter. His dash had Pete Carroll jumping up and down on the sideline before the Seahawks coach was barreled over by an official.
"I thought Lockett's 83-yard touchdown was pretty good. See, I didn't see the last 20," Carroll quipped after the game, per ESPN.com. "But Lock did a great job tonight. He lit it up in kickoff return, punt return. It was great to see that. We all know that's exactly what we were hoping to see. He looked very special tonight."
Locket totaled 186 yards off four kick returns and added another 18 yards off his lone returned punt, leaving Wilson to say that the rookie "looked like (Olympic sprinter) Usain Bolt running down that sideline."
With Locket's speed and vision, the Seahawks are a solid bet to top their season-long kick return of 47 yards in 2014. The Seattle Times also noted that Lockett -- whose dad and uncle both played in the NFL -- looked "really impressive" during training camp.
Touted in June as "easily been the most impressive rookie" on the field, Lockett has turned heads with his "polished and subtly skilled" route running.
It will take time for Lockett to grow as a receiver in Seattle's offense, but it's not unusual to see a rookie make an immediate impact on special teams. That's in the cards for this intriguing new addition in the Pacific Northwest.
