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DK Metcalf entered the big leagues by way of the 2019 NFL Draft. Metcalf, a three-year student at Ole Miss, was selected 64th overall by the Seattle Seahawks.
On Thursday, the 24-year-old continued to make his dreams come true by signing an extension with Seattle.
The two sides agreed on a 3-year deal worth $72 million, including a signing bonus of $30 million. Per multiple outlets, this signing bonus is the highest in league history for a receiver.
Seahawks’ WR DK Metcalf is signing a three-year, $72 million extension that includes $58.2 million guaranteed, per source. Deal includes $30 million signing bonus, the highest ever for a WR. Metcalf will be a free agent again at 27 years old.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 28, 2022
Throughout his three-seasons with the Seahawks, Metcalf has managed to total 3,170-yards receiving and 29 touchdowns. The 6'4 receiver has also managed to catch 216 balls, with his drop percentage lowering each year.
Metcalf has posted a PFF grade north of 80 in each of his last-two seasons, peaking at 82.7 in 2020.
DK has helped Seattle greatly since entering the NFL, and for that, the Seahawks were happy to give their towering receiver a hefty extension. How does Metcalf help Seattle moving forward, though?
2 Ways DK Metcalf Helps The Seahawks Moving Forward In Seattle
2. Metcalf is a legitimate deep threat
Since being drafted by Seattle, Metcalf has logged a yards per catch number of 15.5, 15.7 and 12.9, respectively. In both '19 and '20, this number ranked top-15 leaguewide, climbing up to 11th-highest in 2020.
During his '20 campaign, Metcalf also averaged 11.3 depth yards per target on completed passes; A number that ranked 12th-highest leaguewide.
Part of the reason that makes Metcalf so dangerous downfield is the 4.33 40-time he sported during his NFL Combine. The Ole Miss alum is confident in his speed, even declaring himself the fastest player across the NFL.
In 2020, during a week-7 contest against the Arizona Cardinals, Next Gen clocked Metcalf at 21.66 MPH – The 10th fastest speed recorded during any play throughout the entire season.
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Truthfully, having a quarterback who consistently throws a great deep ball only helps. Going from Russell Wilson, who found himself ranked 8th on NFL Network's list of top-10 deep ball passers in 2021, to Drew Lock will be quite the change.
If Metcalf can continue finding success downfield with this quarterback swap, it will be well worth it for Seattle.
1. DK's hands continue to improve
Each year since his rookie season, Metcalf's drop percentage has lowered.
When DK was a rookie in 2019, he ended his initial campaign with a drop percentage of 7.0. Now upping his receptions from 58 in '19 to 83 in '20, Metcalf watched his drop percent decline to 6.2%.
This last year, in 2021, Seattle's young stud had his most efficient year yet catching the football. Although he hauled in 8 less receptions, ending the year with 75 total catches, Metcalf cut his drops in half. With 8 in '20, the 2021 season ended with only 4 total dropped passes.
In turn, the interceptions thrown when targeting DK were also split in half, going from 4 in '20 to 2 in '21.
While the overall receptions and yards saw a decline for Metcalf in 2021, he was still able to impress with the football. This includes a career-high 12 touchdowns, as well as duplicating his broken tackles and the average yards after catch per reception from his All-Pro season in 2020.
Metcalf hasn't only improved with catching the football, but has also taken steps forward in holding onto it once caught. In 2019, the then rookie tallied a career-high 3 fumbles. Since, this number has dropped to 1 in both of DK's most recent seasons.
If his drop numbers continue to trend downward, Metcalf can truly become one of the league's most dominant wideouts, even with his new quarterback.
