Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: TE Griffin Hebert - Seattle's Version of Kyle Juszczyk?
With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities well underway league-wide, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC in less than two months, officially ushering in the 2023 season.
To celebrate the new incoming season, I will be detailing every member of 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 2023 campaign.
Griffin Hebert, Tight End
Height/Weight: 6-1, 239 pounds
2022 Stats*: 23 receptions, 431 yards, three touchdowns
*College stats at Louisiana Tech
Initially recruited as a receiver, Hebert didn't make a single reception in his first two years on campus, redshirting in 2017 and playing primarily special teams in 2018. Finally breaking into the lineup as a redshirt sophomore, he burst onto the scene with 30 receptions for 527 yards and six touchdowns while averaging north of 17 yards per catch. Even during a COVID-delayed 2020 season, he still snagged 19 receptions for 275 yards and a trio of scores in 10 games.
While Hebert never quite reached his 2018 numbers, he transitioned to a move tight end role by his final season with the Bulldogs, catching 23 passes for 431 yards and three scores in just nine games. Despite posting impressive athletic testing numbers at his pro day workout, he went undrafted and signed with the Seahawks, who list him as a tight end on their roster.
Best-Case Scenario: Doing his best Kyle Juszczyk impersonation, Hebert sees significant action as an H-back during the preseason and hauls in several catches out of the backfield, creating a potential exciting new role in Shane Waldron's offense and leading to a spot on Seattle's practice squad with a change to contribute later in the season.
Worst-Case Scenario: Rarely used as a blocker at Louisiana Tech, Hebert struggles to handle duties as a tight end or an H-back, getting physically manhandled even when trying to block out of the backfield, leading to his release midway through camp.
What to Expect in 2023: A natural receiver with soft hands and a fun set of athletic tools at nearly 240 pounds, Hebert presents an intriguing ball of clay to develop as either a tight end or a modern hybrid fullback. If he's able to quickly get up to speed in the blocking aspect of the game and improve technique-wise, his skill set could make him a fun gadget player to sprinkle into the Seahawks offensive arsenal.
With that said, with minimal experience blocking away from receiver, Hebert likely will be a long-term project that needs extensive time to develop before he's ready to play tight end on Sundays. Due to his athletic profile and receiving talent, he's a prime candidate to land on the practice squad and with Colby Parkinson and Noah Fant both scheduled to become free agents next March, an extra year in the weight room and hitting the blocking sled could position him to compete for a spot in 2024.
Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles
Montrae Braswell | John Hall | Bryant Koback | Cam Bright | Jacob Sykes | Benjie Franklin | Tyjon Lindsey | Austin Faoliu | Kendall Randolph | Ty Okada | Patrick O'Connell | Arquon Bush | Chris Stoll | MJ Anderson | Noah Gindorff | Christian Young | Jalen McKenzie
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Seahawks? Click Here to subscribe to AllSeahawks.com's Newsletter.
Follow All Seahawks.com on Twitter and Facebook
Make sure to subscribe to our daily podcast @lockedonseahawks today! Click here To Listen.
Want even more Seattle Seahawks news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
