Seahawks WR Shares Confident Message Heading Into 4th Season

The Seattle Seahawks drastically overhauled their wide receivers in the off-season, which means they need an unproven wideout to step up.

That could mean a bigger role for little-used fourth-year wideout Dareke Young, who opened up about his potentially larger role for the Seahawks in 2025.

Young has been primarily used as a special-teams player in his first three seasons, since he has just two catches for 24 yards since Seattle selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft from Division II Lenoir Rhyne University.

But with Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf departed, and a starting spot up for grabs behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, Young is confident he can win the spot.

What Did Dareke Young Say About 2025?

Young has primarily been used in special teams, since he has played in roughly 60 percent of those snaps over his first three years. But this year is important for him, since it is the last of his rookie contract.

So Young has felt the urgency and met it in the preseason so far. He has six catches for 83 yards in two exhibition games, including his five-catch, 52-yard performance against the Kansas City Chiefs.

“It felt good,” Young said, according to Seahawks.com. “It always feels good when the coaches are calling plays for me and I’m getting open and succeeding.”

Young said he entered camp more confident and ready to earn a role among the Seahawks wideouts this season.

“I worked really hard this offseason and I feel like I came in the most confident I’ve ever came in into a training camp,” Young said, “and it’s showing.”

What Have The Seahawks Said About Dareke Young?

Though he came from a small, little-heard-of school, Young earned draft credentials due to his pro size of 6-2 and 224 pounds.

So when asked about Young’s potential to make the team, Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald gushed.

“I think this is a great system for him because he can show his physicality in the run game and he’s really fast, so all the vertical stretch stuff,” Macdonald said. “You feel the burst, feel the flexibility, which is a tribute to his work ethic and the work he put on his body. The guy looks like a figurine out there, man. It’s impressive.”

Drew Lock, a Seahawks quarterback who played with Young in his first two seasons before he went to the New York Giants for 2024, said he tried to coach him along in his first tour with the Seahawks. He also noticed Young’s growth in his one year away.

“I’ve talked to him one on one about his progression from mainly special teams to becoming a reliable receiver for us,” Lock said.. “He’s done a great job. The difference from my second year here to what he is now, it’s miles ahead of what I remember.

“That’s just a testament to how hard he works. He’s one of those guys who just puts his head down, grinds, works. You’re not going to get a ton of hoorah out of him; he’s going to come out and play his butt off.”