Seahawks social media wants #MoreBobo.
Jake Bobo, an undrafted wide receiver out of UCLA, has gone from training camp fodder to the toast of the Northwest.
"It means a ton," Bobo said of fans' support, including the #MoreBobo hashtag. "I'm not sure what I've done to kind of garner that kind of support, but it's much appreciated for sure. It definitely drives me to continue to get better ... and make a push to try to make the squad."
After four seasons at Duke, Bobo transferred to UCLA where he shined in Chip Kelly's offense, generating 817 yards and seven touchdowns on 57 catches in 2022. However, he didn't hear his name called on draft weekend.
Bobo signed in Seattle and has steadily made his way up the depth chart.
"Jake's flying pretty high right now," coach Pete Carroll said, via The Associated Press. "He's done great. He hasn't just done well on a few plays in the games, he's done well in practice throughout. So he's been really steady. It's not a surprise to see him play like that in games. We're thrilled to see what would happen because he's been making plays out here."
Carroll has a history of finding room on his roster for undrafted players. The likes of Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse and Poona Ford all played significant roles in Seattle after going undrafted.
"I think before coming up here, I didn't really grasp (with) this organization how they view undrafted guys," Bobo said. "Obviously, I've come to feel that a little bit. Just being able to kind of be talked about in the same breath as those guys, I'm honored. But at the end of the day, we've got work to do."
At 6-foot-4, Bobo has the size and good hands to make contested catches. In two preseason games, the rookie has generated five catches on six targets for 98 yards and a TD, including gains of 29, 28, 19 (TD) and 15 yards. Running with Geno Smith and the ones in the second preseason game underscored Bobo's chances of making the roster.
"He looks like he's part of the flow to me, and I don't see any reason why we would think differently," Carroll said. "He's consistent, he's tough, he's really, really smart and savvy. He's just, he's been a real factor."
The Seahawks entered camp looking deep at receiver, but at this point, it'd be a letdown if Bobo didn't make the initial 53-man roster. D'Wayne Eskridge's six-game suspension to open the season and injuries to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dareke Young, Cody Thompson and Matt Landers have opened the door for Bobo to make the squad.
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