With apologies to Australian rugby league sensationJarryd Hayne, Seahawks rookie wide receiver Tyler Lockett locked up mythical preseason MVP honors with another long touchdown in Thursday night's 31-21 preseason victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Playing with Russell Wilson in the first quarter, Lockett blew past stumbling Raiders cornerback Keith McGill for an easy 63-yard touchdown that ended with a high-energy end-zone jig.
It was the cherry on top of a breakout month which started with 204 return yards in the preseason opener and included a 67-yard touchdown on a punt return last week.
Coach Pete Carroll previously acknowledged that Lockett has a "very special" ability on returns, which is where the former Kansas State star will make his mark as an impact rookie.
Here's what else we learned in Thursday's preseason wrap-up:
- Despite a missed offseason and a recent hamstring injury, Chris Johnson sported no obvious signs of rust in the preseason finale. Johnson totaled 55 yards on 12 touches, showing decent vision and burst against defenders on the roster bubble. He should make the team, though his snap count remains to be seen.
- Nominal No. 1 receiver Dwayne Bowe, who was given a $3.5 million signing bonus in March, played into the third quarter, catching one of two targets for eight yards. There were whispers earlier Thursday that Bowe was on the roster bubble, though we suspect that could be just the Browns coaching staff's effort to light a fire under the veteran.
- In his first game action of the summer, Terrelle Pryor rushed twice for nine yards out of the read option, but didn't draw a single target as a wideout. Pryor also saw action as a punt protector on special teams, a role he might have to fill as the last receiver on the depth chart.
- Fighting for a roster spot of his own, wide receiver Aaron Dobson hauled in four passes for 56 yards. He had a chance for a big play downfield but couldn't come up with the ball, which is becoming the story of his Patriots career. Reggie Wayne caught two passes for 24 yards. He got open a few more times, but Ryan Lindley couldn't hit him.
- All Jeff Janis does is catch touchdown passes. Behind rookie Ty Montgomery in the battle for the Packers' third receiver job, Janis has five touchdowns in his first two preseasons.
- Marcus Mariota tossed the first touchdown pass of his career on a 59-yard catch-and-run to Harry Douglas. Mariota finished his first preseason with 22-of-30 passing (73.3 percent) for 326 yards (10.9 YPA) and a sterling 105.7 passer rating.
- Falcons rookie Tevin Coleman had a pair of big runs en route to 56 yards on eight carries. The third-round pick was billed as a boom-or-bust runner coming out of Indiana and that is what he has shown the past two weeks. He figures to share the workload with Devonta Freeman this season.
- Dolphins first-round pick DeVante Parker caught one pass for 11 yards in his preseason debut. He got open down the sideline another time, but McLeod Bethel-Thompson overthrew him. Parker will likely be eased into Miami's receiver rotation as the No. 3 or No. 4 option, but has a chance to ascend to the top of the depth chart by the end of the season.
