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Tyler Lockett Shines in NFL Debut

Tyler Lockett shows why he was the special teams player of the year the last two season in the Big 12.

By KSUEMAW!
Tyler Lockett is faster than you are.
Tyler Lockett is faster than you are.
Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

For four years we watched Tyler Lockett dazzle us with acrobatic catches, and electrifying kick returns. We sang the praises of Mr. Lockett to all who would listen. And while many did, some questioned Lockett's NFL skills. He's too short, he catches with his body too much, he doesn't have the size to play wide-out in the NFL. The Seahawks, however, had a pretty good idea what they were getting when they choose Tyler Lockett by trading up for him in the NFL draft, and Friday night Lockett showed the rest of the NFL that Seattle made the right call.

Friday Night was his first official (unofficial) NFL game (it's just pre-season so it doesn't really count) and all he did was remind everyone why he was one of the most dangerous kick returners in college football.

It began with the first kick-off of the game by the Broncos. Lockett got the Seahawks started with a quite 15 yard return. His second return gave Seahawk fans a taste of what he can do, as a little seam up the right side was all Lockett needed to speed to a 46-yard kickoff return.

He followed that up with, what for him was, a pedestrian 22 yard return. Then came the real fireworks. Following a Denver Broncos field goal, Conner Barth booted a line drive kick to Tyler Lockett, who fielded the kick just inside his own endzone. Heading upfield he hit the 20, cut back towards the nearside line, and was gone. You could see it coming.

The Broncos had no chance at catching him, and even their SBNation site, Mile High Report had to begrudingly give Lockett his due.

They weren't the only ones, as Russell Wilson chimed in on Lockett's return comparing him to Usain Bolt:

Overall, Lockett finished with 204 total yards, all on kick returns. It's an impressive start for a player many NFL talking heads overlooked heading into the draft. And if you are a Seahawk fan, you should be begging every team you play to kick to him, just so you can watch him destroy other teams' special teams.