Seahawks TE Colby Parkinson Can't Wait to Start Working With QB Russell Wilson
Heading into this year's NFL Draft, the Seahawks were already extremely deep at the tight end position with Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister, and Luke Willson on their roster.
But with Seattle hoping to create competition within their tight end corps, they selected a pair of young players on Saturday, Colby Parkinson and Stephen Sullivan, who'll hopefully be able to make a positive impact next season.
While both of these tight ends have a lot of upside, Parkinson is the player who's caught a lot of attention because of his towering 6-foot-7 frame and potential to develop into a lethal red zone threat at the next level.
During his interview with media members, the Stanford product revealed he's already spoken with superstar quarterback Russell Wilson and that he can't wait to get started catching passes from the six-time Pro Bowler.
“He [Wilson] was just saying that he’s fired up and obviously I am, too. We’re going to get right into it, we’re going to start getting the playbook install coming here pretty soon," Parkinson discussed. "I can’t wait to play with a quarterback like that; someone who has been just an amazing player for the past, what, 5-6 years now since he came out of college. I’m excited to play with him and this great organization.”
Along with expressing his excitement about joining the Seahawks, the fourth-round selection also mentioned he's valued his outstanding catching ability throughout his career. As a result, he wants to be known as a reliable target for Wilson, someone who he can rely on to make plays in the passing game.
“It’s something I have prided myself on, over my career; being a very good pass catcher, someone that’s going to go up and make every catch," Parkinson detailed. "I make sure I’m always working on it. To be that consistent presence, especially at that tight end position, that the quarterback can depend on. He can throw the ball anywhere, and I can go up and get it.”
At the NFL Scouting Combine in February, the 21-year old tight end ran a 4.77 40-yard dash and utilized his impressive speed over his three years for the Cardinal, where he received All-Pac 12 nominations in each of the last two seasons.
During that timeframe, the former five-star recruit produced 87 catches, 1,171 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns and averaged 13.5 yards per catch through 21 games. In addition, the California native also completed an eight-yard touchdown pass this past season, suggesting that he could be utilized in trick plays with the Seahawks.
Despite Parkinson's impressive receiver traits, he still has a lot of work to do as a blocker, but at his size, adding a little more weight to his frame could help him become more effective at the line of scrimmage.
“I’m about 254 right now. Kind of a good weight for me, but I definitely want to add a little bit," Parkinson said. "I think my frame can handle probably about 260. In the next couple of months, and over my first year, especially, I’m going to look to put on some weight and keep that athleticism up."
With the help of Seattle's coaching staff and the leadership from their tight end corps, including Olsen, Parkinson should be able to learn a lot during his rookie season in blue and green.
Furthermore, pairing up with Wilson will undoubtedly help Parkinson's chances of unlocking his maximum potential, which could allow them to form a similar tandem to when Jimmy Graham played in the Pacific Northwest a couple years ago.
