Through the Seattle Seahawks’ first two games, their leading receiver is not Doug Baldwin, or Tyler Lockett, or even Brandon Marshall. Instead, that distinction belongs to rookie tight end Will Dissly – who was drafted specifically for his run-blocking ability and was not expected to be much of a factor in the passing game.
While that may surprise most people, it doesn’t shock quarterback Russell Wilson.
“He’s a baller,” Wilson stated at his weekly press conference on Thursday. “He can really make a lot of plays. He kind of reminds me of a young (Former Cowboys tight end Jason) Witten a little bit, just how he sees the game, how he runs routes. He just catches the ball every time you throw it. And that’s how you tell if the receivers are pretty good, you throw it to him he catches it. He does his job and he does it really, really well.”
Wilson may have Witten on the brain thanks to Seattle’s upcoming game against the Cowboys. Regardless, that is very strong praise for the rookie. Dissly spent four years at the University of Washington, although he only caught 25 passes in his time as a Husky – after he spent his first two seasons as a defensive end.
“He has very limited background catching the football,” coach Pete Carroll commented on Wednesday. “But it’s not because he doesn’t have good hands and he didn’t see the ball well and all that.”
Indeed the Seahawks went right to him in the opening game, and have targeted him five times in each of the first two games. That total could be even higher, with coach Carroll saying that Dissly missed a hot route on Monday. However, Carroll thinks that Dissly’s rare mistakes will be corrected in time, and he’s thrilled about the rookie’s future.
“There’s a lot of stuff and he’ll get all of that in time,” Carroll said. “He’ll have everything nailed. He’ll totally command the position. He’s just got such an approach and a mentality that that’s how our expectations are for him.”
“We’re just real fortunate that we got him,” Carroll continued. “A very, very good draft pick for us.”
