From 8-man football to the NFL: Seahawks UDFA Uso Seumalo's journey

· Yahoo Sports

Seattle Seahawks UDFA signee Uso Seumalo had a head-turning journey to the NFL that could be a movie script someday, yet fits their organization to a tee.

From the same franchise that brought you cornerback Richard Sherman as a wide receiver convert, Jarran Reed as a junior college product, and most recently, Tyrone Broden switching sides of the ball, Seumalo looks like a football player on the outside as a 6’3”, 335-pound human being, but has barely spent a quarter of his life around the gridiron.

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According to Maui reporter Robert Collias, Uso only began playing football as a senior in high school. Not only that, it was 8-man football, typically only played at smaller schools where they hardly have enough players to field an entire team. This would mean Seumalo’s first time playing organized, 11-man football came in college at Garden City CC. After learning this, his unlikely route from the JUCO ranks starts to make a lot more sense.

His Kansas State bio tells the story. He apparently played basketball and volleyball throughout high school, only convincing his parents to let him play football for his senior year. The agility training basketball gave him undoubtedly helped him transition to football, and when combined with his strength and size, it made for the best case scenario for a late beginner.

His highlight tape shows his agility-first mindset as such a wide-bodied player, as most of his sacks come from quickness around offensive lineman. His raw athleticism is his best trait, but it would likely be used in run defense more by the Seahawks. They take as much pride as any defense in recent memory at defending the run, having not allowed a 100-yard rusher in an NFL-record 29 regular season and playoff games dating back to mid 2024. A big piece of that is the usage of “chess pieces” such as Byron Murphy II and Nick Emmanwori. Murphy’s ability to be an immovable object with his width might be the best in the entire NFL. The Seahawks might see a similar style of ability, albeit much less developed, in Seumalo.

Brock Huard reported that he appears to have made a strong first impression during Rookie Minicamp last weekend as well. He goes on to compare his role to Brandon Pili and the precedence set to prioritize that type of player on the roster.

Seumalo might still be on the outside looking in for the 53-man roster, but will be one of the most interesting names to follow during the summer and preseason. His role is well-utilized by the team, there’s raw talent to be untapped, and his journey to this point has already been fascinating. Keep your eye out for number 92 on defense heading into training camp.

This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Uso Seumalo's unlikely path to the Seattle Seahawks

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