Seahawks sign LSU track star Cyril Grayson
The Seahawks have indeed signed a young gentleman by the name of Cyril Grayson, a name with which you may not be familiar. That’s okay, you’ll soon know much more about the four time NCAA track and field champion.
Oh, and he can play a little football, too, but we’ll get to that later. How did this guy get signed? These things tend to happen when people run a 4.33 second 40 yard dash and combine it with a 34.5 inch vertical leap at their school’s Pro Day. How did the Seahawks sign him with the NFL draft still a couple weeks away? Grayson has been at LSU for five years; hence, does not have to go through the draft.
So, why did no one else jump on this kid? Winning four NCAA titles in the 4 X 400 relay should open some eyes, right? Could be it has something to do with his size – he stands just 5′ 9″, and weighs 178 pounds. Not a prototype wideout in the age of Julio Jones. Or it could be he hasn’t stepped on a football field since his senior season – at Archbishop Rummel High School in 2011.
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Right now, you may be rubbing your eyes, thinking, “Oh no, not another Nehemiah!” Well, if you’re really old, you may be thinking that. But let’s look at that high school season, just a bit.
Like most great high school talents, Grayson played several positions, including safety and quarterback. For his senior year, he moved to wide receiver – and it paid off handsomely. He set the school’s single season receiving record at 731 yards on just 28 catches. That’s over 26 yards per catch. Just thought I’d be nice and do the math for you. He also posted the single game record, with 220 yards. Admittedly, both records have since been broken, but that is why they’re there, after all; to be broken.
There is a red flag there of course; he averaged fewer than three receptions per game. I have no information on how often he was targeted, so I can’t tell you if he had a lot of drops, didn’t run the best routes, or if he simply didn’t have a very accurate quarterback. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time that an excellent receiver wasn’t blessed by a teammate equally as skilled to get him the ball.
Of course Grayson is a project, but at least he does have experience on the field. Plus he has the drive. At LSU’s Pro Day last week, Grayson said, “”It’s always been a dream of mine. People take different routes to get different places. I came here and ran track. Nobody here today has the resume that I have. Nobody else is a seven-time All-American, five-time All-SEC, and four-time national champion.”
Perhaps one day Mr. Grayson can add some more hardware to his shelf. Until then, baby steps; let’s make the team first. Good luck to Cyril Grayson, and Go Hawks!
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