Seattle Seahawks: 3 undrafted free agents who could make the team
Josh Avery, Southeastern Missouri Redhawks.
Josh Avery, DT, SE Missouri State
It’s almost unfair that Josh Avery moves as well as he does for his size. He is 6-4, 325 pounds, and has a 30-inch vertical jump. Additionally, Avery can squat 530-pounds, bench 465, and clean 325. All the above numbers show he is an athletic freak. Where he lacks is in technique.
Playing at an FCS school, Avery went under most team’s radar leading up to the draft. He didn’t get an NFL combine invitation and due to COVID-19, and SEMO’s pro day was sparsely attended. The Seahawks didn’t travel to Cape Girardeau to watch Avery live, but they must have liked what the saw on tape because they signed him.
He is raw and will need work to reach his potential. The good news is technique can be taught. Physical attributes, such as size, strength, and athleticism, can’t. Avery is very coachable, and that will be important when he finally gets his chance on the Seahawks practice field.
There are several intangibles Avery possesses that will help in his development. First and foremost, hard work doesn’t scare him. At the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, the big lineman was asked what he was doing to prepare for the draft. His answer was conditioning and watching himself on film to find areas in which he could improve.
When studying up on Avery, one question Draft Diamonds asked him stood out. They asked him, “What do you worry about, and why?” His reply was very mature for a young man and showed his character.
“I worry about providing properly and my family safety.”
A man who is playing for his family’s welfare is someone to be taken seriously. Avery very well could make the transition from the SEMO Redhawks to the Seattle Seahawks.