Seahawks sign first of their draft choices, fourth-round pick Colby Parkinson
The Seahawks have signed the first of the eight rookies they selected in this spring’s draft.
Now they get to figure out how best to use him.
Tight end Colby Parkinson from Stanford signed his four-year rookie deal, the NFL had in its official transactions for Tuesday. The 6-foot-7 pass catcher was Seattle’s first of two picks in the fourth round of the draft in April.
Parkinson’s salary-cap charge as the 133th-overall pick, in round four, is $777,610. That is per the NFL’s slotted salary structure for all rookie draft choices across all seven rounds of the draft.
The Seahawks don’t need to create additional cap space for Parkinson or any of their rookie draft picks. That’s because every offseason and preseason, up until the first day of the regular season, each NFL team needs to fit only the top 51 salaries on its 90-man roster under the league’s salary cap. So each rookie pick will be replacing a player already occupying a place among the top 51 salaries on the team.
As of Tuesday the cut off for the Seahawks’ top 51 salaries is $610,000. That’s the minimum contract value in the league for 2020, per the NFL’s new collective bargaining agreement with its players.
Seattle entered Tuesday with an estimated $13.99 million in cap space, per overthecap.com.
Coach Pete Carroll said after the Seahawks drafted 6-4 DK Metcalf last year his top priority was to get bigger wide receivers to go with small, elusive Tyler Lockett.
Parkinson said after Seattle draft him in April he learned all the receiver positions as a freshman at Stanford, and that he was an in-the-line tight end and wing or slot receiver in a roughly 50-50 split of time last season.
But he said the Seahawks have told him they see him as a “true,” traditional, “Y” tight end next to the tackle in their offense.
He comes to Seattle with glowing recommendations, in particular from Stanford coach David Shaw.
“At the combine, Coach Shaw came in and said hi to Pete and I and was bragging about him and loves him,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said. “He’s a huge target, has great hands. They didn’t have plans to play him right away, but he was just too good. You have big people like that running right down the middle of the field.... He’s a smart, tough, reliable guy, great guy. Just off the charts from a character standpoint.”
Parkinson said his blocking remains a work in progress for the NFL.
“It’s definitely getting better. I’m willing and able and ready to go, in terms of blocking,” Parkinson said. “Obviously, room for improvement, as I was mainly a receiver my first couple years at Stanford. I progressed to be a more complete tight end.
“I’m ready to step in and put my hand in the dirt and get ready to go in the run game.”
He said in late April he was 254 pounds. The Seahawks have a 240-pound receiving tight end in Jacob Hollister already.
Asked if he needs to add weight before training camp is scheduled to begin July 29, Parkinson said: “I’m about 254 right now. Kind of a good weight for me, but I definitely want to add a little bit. I think my frame can handle probably about 260.
“In the next couple of months, and over my first year, especially, I’m going to look to put on some weight and keep that athleticism up, as I’m doing so.”
No one doubts his pass-catching ability. He played all over Stanford’s offense: as a slot receiver, tight on the line next to tackles and as a prime target in the red zone.
“It’s something I have prided myself on, over my career, being a very good pass catcher. Someone that’s going to go up and make every catch,” he said. “Didn’t have a drop last year on catchable balls. Something that I take very seriously. I make sure I’m always working on it. To be that consistent presence, especially at that tight end position, that the quarterback can depend on. He can throw the ball anywhere, and I can go up and get it.
“I’m someone that is going to come in and be ready to work and absorb everything that I possibly can. I think as player, I bring a dynamic ability as a pass catcher and someone who can be in the slot, be out wide and also be inside with my hand in the ground and running routes and blocking from there as well. I think I’m a dynamic player that will come in and ready to compete and earn a spot on the team.”
Then Parkinson threw in something for you.
“Something that the fan base would want to know: I play guitar. A lot,” he said. “I’m an avid guitar player and an avid golfer.
“I’m not very good at either. But I try my best.”
This story was originally published June 2, 2020 at 3:20 PM.
