Freddie Swain is off the board and headed to the Pacific Northwest.
With the 214th pick- the final selection in the sixth round- the Seattle Seahawks grabbed Swain, a four year starter at wide receiver. Swain becomes the sixth Gator to be selected in the 2020 NFL Draft: CJ Henderson went to the Jaguars, Van Jefferson went to the Rams, Jabari Zuniga went to the Jets, Jon Greenard went to the Texans, and LaMical Perine went to the Jets. Swain also becomes the 355th Gator all time to be drafted, and the 79th since 2007.
The Citra, FL product reeled in 68 receptions for 996 yards and fifteen scores. More than half of those stats were accumulated in his senior year, in which Florida’s offense became much more pass happy than in the previous three. But when he was thrown to, he was more than reliable.
The main problem with Swain was the lack of productivity throughout his first three years. The reasons for that ranged from bad offensive line play to bad quarterback play to plain bad coaching. He’ll also be well served to develop a little more versatility in terms of routes he’s comfortable running.
But there’s clear upside there. First and foremost, he’s got great hands and is more than able to both climb the ladder and go low to scoop up the ball. He’s an overall solid route runner who’s great at working over the middle of the field, and though he didn’t get to display it as much as he could have in Gainesville due to the presence of Kadarius Toney, he’s got the natural ability to become a bona fide slot receiver at the next level. To boot, Swain is a natural in the return game, and could make an instant impact as a punt returner in the NFL.
All in all, the Seahawks got a tough kid who could hang around the league a long time if he stays healthy. Best of luck to Freddie Swain in Seattle.
