RENTON — Doug Baldwin always has believed in his abilities, even when others have doubted him.
That’s why he was able to develop into an all-conference receiver at Stanford, the only Division-I school that offered him a scholarship, and why, after getting passed over in this year’s draft, he was still able to make the Seahawks roster as an undrafted free agent.
But even Baldwin, who has made a career out of proving people wrong, can’t say he saw this coming. No matter how confident he is, Baldwin could not have imagined that, this early in his NFL career, he’d be seeing significant playing time as Seattle’s slot receiver. Or that four games into the season, he’d be the team’s leading receiver with 12 catches for 194 yards and a touchdown.
“Of course not,” said Baldwin. “But obviously like I said, whatever opportunity is given to me, I like to take it with a full head of steam and run with it.”
Run with it he has. Despite many skills that make him a good receiver — good hands, quickness, route-running ability, toughness — Baldwin went undrafted largely because he isn’t very big. At 5-foot-10, 189 pounds, Baldwin is considered undersized for his position, and he doesn’t have the jaw-dropping speed to make teams overlook his height. Even so, when all 32 teams passed on Baldwin for seven rounds, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider were quick to pursue him.
“John felt really strongly about him, and then I had background with him too,” said Carroll who coached against Baldwin at the college level. “So, we kind of got psyched up about him and made it a priority in free agency to go get him.
“There were a lot of teams that wanted Doug. He had as many as any (undrafted player) that we went after, so he was a hot item there, for good reason. … He’s been a great addition for us.”
Cornerback Richard Sherman, Baldwin’s Stanford teammate and a fifth-round pick last spring, knew right away what the Seahawks were getting when the signed the receiver.
“I was ecstatic,” Sherman said. “I knew he would make the team, I knew what kind of player he was and I knew how underrated he was.
“If you watch any of his film last year, you would have seen the same thing you see now. But a lot of people didn’t believe in him for some reason, and now they have to eat their words and kick themselves.”
And naturally, Baldwin took his draft-weekend snub and turned it into motivation.
“Anyone who goes undrafted and gets an opportunity wants to prove not only to everyone else, but to themselves that they’re capable of being successful at the highest level,” Baldwin said.
In his regular-season NFL debut against the San Francisco 49ers, Baldwin got busy proving he is capable of performing at the highest level. He led the Seahawks with 83 yards on four catches, including a 55-yard touchdown. After two quiet games, Baldwin once again led Seattle in receiving with 84 yards on five catches against Atlanta last week.
Like any good slot receiver, Baldwin has done his best work on third down. It is quickly becoming evident that, even with Sidney Rice back from a shoulder injury to make the receiving corps that much deeper, Baldwin is making himself a fixture in Seattle’s offense.
“It has been a bit of a surprise,” Carroll said of Baldwin’s quick emergence. “… His mindset is he’s a really hard-nosed, competitive kid with a chip on his shoulder — the way you like it.
“He’s been a really positive addition to the team. So we’re just going to keep going with him. We’re not going to hold him back at all. We’ll keep counting on him.”
And if Baldwin’s ability to not only make the team but to also stand out as a playmaker isn’t proof enough of the chip on his shoulder, try playing video games with him some time.
In the popular football game Madden NFL, Baldwin custom built a team made up not of star players, but one constructed entirely of undrafted free agents like himself. Among those playing for the Pensacola Cavaliers — the name comes from his hometown in Florida — is Seahawks No. 3 quarterback Josh Portis.
“I like doing that kind of stuff, taking the teams are not that good and trying to make them into better teams,” he said.
Injury update
Receiver Mike Williams (concussion), safety Kam Chancellor (thigh bruise) and tight end Zach Miller (knee) all sat out Wednesday’s practice as did linebacker Malcolm Smith and defensive end Anthony Hargrove, who both suffered hamstring injuries in Sunday’s loss. Carroll said the hope is to get Chancellor back to practice today. As for Miller, Carroll said, “We think he’ll be OK, but we’re giving him some rest today.”
Herald Writer John Boyle: jboyle@heraldnet.com. For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
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