Seahawks 90-Man Countdown: WR Matt Landers - Explosive Developmental Playmaker

A big play threat with a rare blend of size and speed, Matt Landers has the necessary tools to push for a roster spot as an undrafted rookie despite battling in a loaded Seattle Seahawks receiver group headlined by DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.

Author:
Corbin K. Smith
Publish date:
Jun 23, 2023 6:12 PM EDT

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Seattle Seahawks

With the calendar flipping to June and offseason activities wrapping up 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, we'll 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.

Matt Landers, Receiver

Height/Weight: 6-4, 200 pounds

2022 Stats*: 47 receptions, 901 yards, eight touchdowns

*College stats at Arkansas

Bouncing around in his college career, Landers originally committed to play for Georgia, but didn't record his first catch until 2019 after redshirting his freshman season and only playing in four games the ensuing season. Dissatisfied with his playing time following a difficult 2020 season where he caught only two passes, he transferred to Toledo, seeing an uptick in production with 20 receptions for 514 yards and five touchdowns while averaging north of 20 yards per catch.

Still with a year of eligibility remaining thanks to COVID-19 exemptions, Landers transferred back to the SEC and joined Arkansas, establishing himself as quarterback K.J. Jefferson's go-to target with career-bests in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Even after running a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, the third-fastest time at any position for the event, he went undrafted and joined the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

Best-Case Scenario: Giving the Seahawks a second tall, athletic receiver behind DK Metcalf with explosive downfield capabilities, Landers reels in a couple of 30-plus yard receptions during the preseason from Drew Lock and uses his speed to contribute on kick coverage, becoming the latest undrafted rookie at the position to find a way onto the 53-man roster.

Worst-Case Scenario: Lacking the polish to compete with Dareke Young, Cade Johnson, and other receivers biding for one or two roster spots at receiver, Landers endures a quiet training camp and preseason with only one catch and doesn't carve out a role on special teams, leading to his departure on the waiver wire.

What to Expect in 2023: While the Seahawks have several other intriguing young receivers on the roster who offer more refinement as route runners than Landers, including fellow undrafted rookie Jake Bobo, his raw athleticism stacked up against the best of the best at the combine. Combined with his size and proven ability to create problems for opposing defenses as a big-bodied vertical threat, he checks off a lot of boxes the team desires at the position.

Like any undrafted free agent aiming to make an NFL roster, however, Landers will have demonstrate to Seattle's coaching staff that he can be a factor on special teams, something that he didn't do at any of his three collegiate stops. Hitting a couple home runs during the preseason would work wonders for his chances of earning a spot on the team and if he can prove himself as more than a one-trick pony by helping out on kick and punt coverage, his potential upside could warrant keeping him on the 53 over the rest of the competition.

Previous Seahawks 90-Man Profiles