The Seattle Seahawks added an intriguing offensive weapon they took Miami tight end Elijah Arroyo in the second round of last month’s NFL Draft.
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The 6-foot-5, 254-pound Arroyo has an impressive combination of size, speed and athleticism, which he put on display during a breakout 2024 campaign with the Hurricanes. After missing most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a knee injury, Arroyo exploded last fall with 35 catches for 590 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 16.9 yards per reception, which was the most among all FBS tight ends.
Arroyo also showed a unique level of positional flexibility last year. According to Pro Football Focus, 49.2% of his snaps came as an inline tight end, 39.5% came as a slot receiver and 5.7% came as an outside receiver.
That’s prompted some speculation that Arroyo could play occasional snaps on the outside as the Seahawks’ “X” receiver, which would help fill the void created by the DK Metcalf trade.
How realistic is that, though? Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard was posed that question Thursday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. While Arroyo has game-breaking speed for a tight end, Huard isn’t sure he’s fast enough to be an “X” receiver – at least outside the red zone.
“I don’t know on base downs and between the 20s if you’re looking at a guy that’s gonna really truly be split out there,” Huard said. “It’s hard. … You face the top corners when you’re playing on the outside. You face a 12th man that is the sideline, and these corners know how to leverage and use their body and use that extra defender out there.
“So you need elite speed to turn those guys, to challenge those guys,” he added. “If you don’t threaten that you can run by the corners in this league – the premier guys, the starting guys on the outside – it’s really, really difficult.”
But what about in the red zone, where the field is more condensed?
“Now, get inside the 20 and inside the 15 where that space is not as big a deal – where you can frame up, where your speed isn’t as important as your body and creating your own space?” Huard said. “Then we’re talking a different animal.”
Listen to the full Brock and Salk conversation at this link or in the audio player at the bottom of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.
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