During his career at Utah State, Bobby Wagner played both inside and outside linebacker.
When the Seahawks took Wagner with the 47th overall pick last month, speculation began as to where he would line up in the Seattle defense. We got our answer during the team’s rookie minicamp over the weekend. Wagner lined up exclusively at middle linebacker and coach Pete Carroll said that he’s going to get a chance to be the starter there come the regular season.
“Bobby’s going to get a heck of a chance,” Carroll said, via the Associated Press. “We want to see him. We’d love to get that speed on the field if we could. It’s rare to find a linebacker that runs that fast,” Carroll said. "... But he’s got to do it. He’s got a long way to go before he can take that over.”
Wagner’s speed and athleticism give him an edge over Barrett Ruud, especially with Ruud battling multiple injuries, and Matt McCoy, but there were doubts about his football instincts leading up to the draft. Those can be honed a lot more easily than the physical gifts that Wagner already has, however, and the Seahawks will take steps to limit the pressure on Wagner by giving the playcalling duties to strongside linebacker K.J. Wright.
