Seahawks 90-Man Roster Primer: Gavin Heslop

Despite missing most of training camp as a rookie, Seattle held onto Heslop as a member of the practice squad throughout the 2020 season, indicating the team still believed he could develop into an NFL-caliber player. Amid a crowded depth chart, will the former Stony Brook star crash the party and make the 53-man roster?

Author:
Aryanna Prasad
Publish date:
Jun 12, 2021 3:30 PM EDT

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason programs in full swing across the country, NFL training camps will begin around the league in less than two months. To celebrate the new incoming season, we will be breaking down the Seahawks' 90-man roster over the next several weeks, exploring best and worst case scenarios and what to expect from each player entering the 2021 campaign.

Gavin Heslop, Cornernback

Height/Weight: 6-foot, 197 pounds

2020 Stats: N/A

Heslop, an undrafted free agent out of Stony Brook, was signed by the Seahawks in May 2020. After dealing with an injury in training camp, was cut by the team and immediately added to the practice squad, where he remained for the majority of the season. He suited up for one game during Week 4 at Miami but ultimately did not play any snaps. To date, Heslop has no recorded NFL stats, but his collegiate stats garnered enough interest for Seattle to bring him back as secondary depth. During his senior season for the Seawolves, Heslop earned Third-Team All-CAA Football honors as a team captain. In that season alone, he recorded 52 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, two blocked kicks, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries, returning one for a touchdown. He finished his collegiate career with a total of 138 tackles and 21 tackles for a loss.

Best Case Scenario: With the Seahawks cornerback situation rather uncertain after the departure of Shaquill Griffin and Quinton Dunbar, Heslop takes advantage of limited opportunities at the start of camp and impresses. Shining on defense and special teams like he did in college during the preseason, he manages to sneak onto the practice squad taking the role held by Linden Stephens last season.

Worst Case Scenario: Following the arrival of Akhello Witherspoon and Pierre Desir, Heslop faces stiff veteran competition in his sophomore season. Struggling to find playing time in the preseason, the Seahawks move on from Heslop in favor of newly-signed veterans and with young players such as Tre Brown now in the mix, he isn't re-signed to the practice squad.

What to Expect in 2021: Heslop has two things going for him: the cornerback position is one of Seattle’s potential areas of concern, and he has a proven big-play ability with three forced fumbles and recoveries in his senior season alone. From everything we know — Heslop’s tape, his injury last year during training camp, his Miami appearance, and his January 2021 reserves contract — it’s apparent that Seattle had strong interest in seeing him in a more extended look to see where he fits. He obviously won't be a starter, but Heslop has enough untapped potential that if he dominates on special teams, he could be in contention for a roster spot late into the preseason. With that said, he has an arduous task ahead of him trying to beat out the likes of Tre Flowers, Pierre Desir, and others for a roster spot and the practice squad feels like his highest ceiling for now.