Getty The Seahawks traded back into the draft to select LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan.
The Seattle Seahawks made one more trade on the final day of the NFL draft that may have been lost amidst the bevy of additional roster moves. Seahawks general manager John Schneider traded back into the draft to select LSU tight end Stephen Sullivan. Seattle landed the No. 251 pick in the seventh round from the Dolphins and will send Miami their sixth-round selection in 2021.
It is a bit of a surprising move given the Seahawks already selected Stanford tight end Colby Parkinson earlier in the draft. The Seahawks also have Greg Olsen, Will Dissly, Jacob Hollister and Luke Willson on the roster. Sullivan spent time at both tight end and wide receiver while at LSU.
The Seahawks were introduced to Sullivan through Pete Carroll’s connection with LSU head coach Ed Orgeron. Schneider described Sullivan as a bit of a developmental project, while Carroll noted that the former LSU player will start out with the Seahawks playing tight end. Sullivan explained in his press conference that Carroll told him at the Senior Bowl that he was going to make him a Seahawk.
“Everybody had a very strong feeling for him,” Carroll said in the post-draft press conference. “He had a great Senior Bowl, playing tight end the whole time and he’s played outside, he’s played inside. Obviously, you guys know, I’m sure by now, that he has an incredible, incredible story. We had a lot of buy in from a lot of people.”
Sullivan Spent Time Sleeping Under a Bridge as Child After His Parents Were Arrested
The “incredible story” Carroll referenced includes Sullivan sleeping under a bridge as a child after his parents were both arrested. According to The Advocate, this lasted a few days until his little league football coach A.D. Jenkins picked him up.
“I don’t really try to remind myself of what I went through,” Sullivan explained to The Advocate. “I try to block it out. Me telling people and me talking about it, it still hurts a little bit.”
Carroll emphasized that Sullivan was a favorite of LSU coaches, and the team is excited they were able to make a move to draft him.
“Fortunately, John made a great move late and gave us a chance to get him in the program,” Carroll explained, per Seahawks.com. “He was so excited and so pumped up about it, just like Ed had said he would be. Ed told me he was going to be one of my favorite guys. All of that added in. He’s a marvelous talent. We’ll see if we can find a good way to make it come to life and come to the front. It surely is going to be on us, because he’s going to do his part. He has so much energy for it, such a great motor. A really good guy to bring into the program.”
The Seahawks Have at Least 6 Tight Ends Competing for a Final Roster Spot
The Seahawks two new draftees push the number of tight ends on the roster to six not counting the undrafted players. Seattle signed Greg Olsen over the offseason to go with Dissly and also brought back Hollister along with Willson.
Olsen and Dissly are both safe bets to make the team, but the remaining four players are expected to compete for a roster spot. Sullivan could be a candidate to at least make the Seahawks’ practice squad roster.
“We’re loading up,” Carroll admitted after the draft. “We’re really excited. You’re going to hear me every time go right back to competition. It can’t be better than this one. The guys are different, too. We have unique players. Greg [Olsen] is going to be such a good leader in this group, he’s been such a dynamic football player. I would really hope that everybody is going to be better because he’s in this group.”
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