NFL Seattle Seahawks

Focusing On Seattle Seahawks’ Paul Richardson, Kevin Norwood

Fresh Videos

By @The12thDude

Seahawks' Paul Richardson and Kevin Norwood

Getty Images

Perverse wide receiver Percy Harvin has been traded to the New York Jets, and now it is time for the Seattle Seahawks and their fans to move on. The thought process is that the Seahawks will now be able to regain their identity, which means feeding the ball to Marshawn Lynch and completing deep passes down field. Trying to incorporate Harvin into that style of offense obviously did not work for Seattle.

Harvin demanded a lot of opportunities, which got away from Russell Wilson spreading the ball around to his receivers, and even caused less touches for Beast Mode. That will not be the case going forward, and we should finally start to see glimpses of the two drafted wide receivers from this year’s NFL draft.

The Hawks used their first pick in the second-round on Paul Richardson out of Colorado. Richardson is a true speedster who has the ability to beat anyone deep. If the Hawks decide to keep the jet sweep in their offense, Richardson or Ricardo Lockette would be a natural replacement for Harvin. Richardson not only has superior top-end speed, but he has the acceleration to go with it. He also does a good job at breaking off cornerbacks and works his way back towards his quarterback. Richardson does, however, lack bulk. Even though the Seahawks had a smaller receiver in Golden Tate that could, and would, lay the wood on anyone, don’t expect Richardson to do the same — he is more of a DeSean Jackson type of receiver. Richardson also has the ability to make spectacular catches, but he also showed a lack of focus at times, and dropped some easy ones. That will certainly be something to watch for.

Kevin Norwood, a fourth-rounder out of Alabama, has not seen any playing time whatsoever, unlike Richardson, who has seen very little. Norwood had foot surgery during training camp, but he is healthy now. Norwood is basically the complete opposite of Richardson – he does not have superior speed or acceleration, and he cannot break away on athletic ability alone. He does, however, run very good routes, and he has fantastic sideline awareness. Norwood has great hands, and he was a reliable third-down option while at Alabama. Norwood was Alabama’s most trusted receiver, so hopefully he will become a dependable option for Wilson as well.

If Richardson and Norwood get more involved in the Seahawks’ offense, it has less to do with the Harvin trade, and more to do with the amount of Seahawks’ injuries that have been mounting up. Along with Richardson and Norwood, we may very well see second-year RB Christine Michael for the first time in the regular season this Sunday against the St. Louis Rams. The departure of Harvin, however, means more opportunities for other Seahawks’ receivers, and that includes the two rookies. It may not be much, but they will get their shot to show Seattle that John Schneider and Pete Carroll made the right decision when they drafted them last May.

Let’s hope that they prove them right.

Tyson Sweet is a Seattle Seahawks writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @The12thDude, like him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google!

Share Tweet
Trending Now on