O'Dea's Donny Lisowski Gets Shot At Seahawks' Roster

It's always nice to see a local kid achieve their dream. That's exactly what happened when former O'Dea star, Donny Lisowski, was invited to Seahawks mini-camp last weekend. Lisowski impressed so much so that he signed a three-year contract with the Hawks.

Out of O'Dea, Lisowski went to Missoula to play football at the University of Montana. While there, Lisowski excelled on special teams. The Grizzlies defensive backfield was stocked with talent, including St. Louis Rams second-round pick, Trumaine Johnson.

It goes without saying, but Lisowski is an exceptional athlete. While at O'Dea, he was a standout performer in football, wrestling, and track. In football, he was named one of the state's top 100 recruits by the Seattle Times and participated in the Washington's East-West All-Star Game.

I happen to know Donny personally, and we have actually trained together at the gym a couple of times. I can say firsthand, that he has a tenacious work ethic. He spends countless hours working on footwork drills and trying to perfect his technique. All of his hard work certainly paid off when he wowed at his pro day by running a 4.38 second forty-yard dash. Along with other local athletes, he was invited to workout for the Seahawks on April 5 at the VMAC. Lisowski raised eyebrows at the workout and ended up earning an invite to the Seahawks rookie mini-camp.

Coach Carroll praised Lisowski's efforts at the mini-camp and noted that he is looking forward to seeing what else Lisowski can bring to the table. Considering that he has experience playing quarterback, defensive back, and special teams, Lisowski has versatility because he is fast and physical. He can bring a broad skill-set to the Seahawks.

His special teams play at Montana speaks for itself. Donny was a gunner on the punt team and was on the kickoff team. With his superb speed and instinct, he was typically the first person to get to the returner and he is an aggressive, sure-tackler.

I would not be shocked if Lisowski earned a spot on the roster solely for special teams contributions - the Seahawks have kept a few specialists solely for this reason over the last couple years, most notably Kennard Cox and Heath Farwell. The special teams unit is extremely important to this coaching staff so Lisowski has a shot at the 53, if only for that unit. Yes, he might be an underdog and he might be undersized, but he has speed and instincts. Just as important as any intangible, is the will to succeed and the hunger to be successful.

Sometimes the most important traits a player can bring to a team are hunger and desire. Donny has completely dedicated himself to football and he deserves the chance to be a Seahawk.

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