Washington Football tight end Will Dissly landed in nearby Seattle for the Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Here are 5 reasons why the 12th man will love him
Washington Football star tight end Will Dissly heard his name called in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft by a familiar team. The 2017 Seattle Seahawks finished with nine wins and seven losses. But for the first time in many years, the team missed the playoffs. From that point, the team began a makeover of it’s defense. But perhaps one of the biggest stories for the team’s future occured on offense.
When the Seattle Seahawks selected Dissly with the 120th pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, it was difficult not to applaud the selection. He is a natural fit for a team in need of excellent skillsets at tight end.
As a matter of fact, he is a natural fit for the fanbase who already know and were enamored with his lumbering receptions where he shed tacklers like a juggernaut. For years, the Seattle Seahawks scan all NFL hopefuls and choose the right niche guy to improve the team. While they have many happily-ever-after stories in their past, this one is setting up to be one of their best finds in recent years.
Dissly is a natural fit for the Seahawks. He is already quite familiar with the area and the coaching staff, having played for the Washington Football team for four seasons. But he is a tremendous asset in the locker room. Willing to do whatever the coaches ask of him, he is the perfect rookie for a team which knows how to optimize an NFL players’ production.
5. Great size
Let’s face it. Any NFL tight end enters the league with two jobs. On one hand, he must cause matchup nightmares to the opposing secondary. On the other hand, he must be able to block well enough to set the edge and protect the quarterback. At 6-foot-4 and 262 pounds, this young man brings a punishing load to any defender he comes into contact with. Throughout four quarters, that punishment adds up.
The @Seahawks have drafted TE Will Dissly in the fourth-round (120th overall). #SeahawksDraft
— Seahawks PR (@seahawksPR) April 28, 2018
At the cost of a fourth round draft pick, the Seahawks selected a player whose upside is very high in any number of areas. He can excel at special teams. He brings experience to the team from defense, blocking, pass catching, and even in short yardage running offense.
Dissly has the right size and strength to garner plenty of attention from coaches and opponents. But the strongest attribute he adds to the seahawks is his versatility. In short, he can deliver at practically any role the Seahawks need a player to step up.
4. Versatile enough to crosstrain as offensive tackle
The Seattle Seahawks have needed help with blocking for years. Now, with Dissly, they get a huge upgrade in that need. This season, the Seahawks address their offensive line woes with plenty of talent. To begin, the team traded for left tackle Duane Brown. Next, the team added offensive lineman D.J. Fluker in free agency. Additionally, the team draft offensive tackle Jemarco Jones. With Dissly, that offensive line appears to be a strong suit for the team.
Still there is a curious upside to this pick. The Philadelphia Eagles star left tackle Jason Peters began his NFL career as a sure-fire blocking tight end. However, insightful coaches with the Buffalo Bills saw his prowess and began to work with Peters at left tackle. The result? An All-Pro left tackle who joined the Eagles and enjoyed a stellar career.
While there is no way to establish a cause-and-effect or link the two careers, you can bet the Seahawks coaching staff have that outcome in the back of their mind. To that point, there are few coaches in the NFL as progressive as those of the Seahawks. For the investment of a fourth round pick, even a possibility of a bookmark offensive tackle is worth the investiment.
3. Tough to bring down
Having a player who is not the fastest on the field may not jump off the page as the sort of player who will deliver a positive impact to the Seahawks. But from the moment Will Dissly takes possession of the football and becomes the ball carrier, his impact immediately takes center stage. In short, he is a mess to tackle.
That may not seem all that important, but for a possession receiver who needs to move the chains, it immediately changes the way defenses look to cover him. If they go with a linebacker, his size and speed will give him an advantage to getting the ball. If they go with a defensive back, good luck trying to bring him down.
The NFL is a game of inches. Dissly places tremendous pressure upon defenses to hit the right coverage each and every play. If they fail, either Dissly or Wilson will make them pay for the mistake instantly.
2. Can catch
One of the most underrated abilities of Will Dissly at the tight end position is his ability to catch a pass. While he didn’t boast a prolific NCAA career in that department, he does possess the ability to haul in a pass.
He began his college career as a defensive end. After two years, he was persuaded to turn offense by the coaching staff, as the Washington Huskies needed his size and power on the offensive line. In just two seasons, Dissly caught just 25 receptions for 336 yards and three touchdowns.
His NFL scouting report cited his rapid improvement on the offense. And at round four, he is not expected to enter his rookie season as a starter. In fact, his presence as a rookie in summer camp drew praise from coaches. It was eye opening for head coach Peter Caroll, who commented that Dissly performed far better in the passing game than expected.
Given the tight end’s reputation for blocking, pass-catching is an added bonus, and gives the rookie a solid chance of landing on the 53 man roster by the time the regular season begins.
1. Blocking ability off the charts.
Seattle has flourished under the ground and pound moniker for years. With a stalwart defense, and quarterback Russell Wilson, that was always enough. But over recent years the team focused more on a passing game at the expense of the run. Last season, the teams best non-quarterback rusher was Mike Davis, with a paltry 240 yards gained. The previous season was little better, as Christine Michael rushed for 469 yards.
The last 1,000 yard rusher was 2014 running back Marshawn Lynch, with a punishing 1,306 yards gained on the ground.
As the team ignored a need to continue to emphasize great blocking, that rushing production dropped dramatically. Now, Dissly joins a team eager to reclaim a running offense. On one hand, that type of offense helps redistribute the workload for the quarterback. Yet there is that added benefit to the defense as well. Particularly a defense called to protect a lead in the closing minutes of a game.
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Seattle needed to address the tight end position in the 2018 NFL Draft. The exodus of tight end Jimmy Graham was a positive step for the Seahawks. He never delivered on the pass receptions, and his blocking skills were… atrocious. Now Seattle can refocus on the type of game which earned them the playoffs year after year. To that end, Will Dissly is an integral part of the Seahawks future.