Undrafted free agent signings are underway and the Seattle Seahawks are quickly making moves. Seattle reportedly went after, and agreed to terms with, multiple defensive backs early in the process, adding four right off the bat. Rickey Thenarse, Jesse Hoffman, Jeron Johnson, Ron Parker all reportedly chose the Seahawks as the undrafted free agent signing period began on Monday night, showing that, once again, Pete Carroll loves his defensive backs.
Thenarse has quite the life story, overcoming adversity at every step of the way. Hailing from Los Angeles, he escaped the gang life that surrounds the area he grew up in, only to see two of his brothers killed in 2008. His senior year was taken away by an ACL injury, but a medical waiver allowed him to return in 2010, where he started in the Huskers' defensive backfield. Thenarse was unable to play in the 2011 Holiday Bowl against Washington, however, after being cited for a DUI following the regular season.
Jesse Hoffman comes to the Seahawks from Eastern Washington University and is more of a special teamer than a defensive back. In 2010, he earned All-Big Sky honorable mention honors for his kick returning prowess after returning two kicks for touchdowns and averaging just over 32 yards per return.
Jeron Johnson was a staple in the Boise State defensive backfield, starting 44 games at safety for the Broncos. In 2010, Johnson was named to the All-WAC first team. His 318 tackles puts him at No. 12 on the all-time list at Boise State.
Ron Parker is a small school guy, hailing from Newberry. At his pro day, he clocked in at 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, and put up 17 reps at 225 pounds on the bench press. He's listed as both a safety and kick returner.
We'll be tracking what the Seahawks do when the undrafted free agent hunting season opens in this StoryStream. Over at Field Gulls, Danny Kelly will be publishing an impressive array of posts on undrafted free agents, so keep an eye out for those.