Jake Bobo entered the Seattle Seahawks’ training camp with something to prove.
Throughout the month of August, he proved it.
Bobo, a 25-year-old undrafted free agent who grew up in Concord, was on the Seahawks’ initial 53-man roster when the team finalized it on August 30.
“Just keep making plays,” Bobo said after the postgame press conference following Seattle’s final preseason game at the Green Bay Packers, in which he caught an 18-yard touchdown pass.
“I think all of us undrafted guys have a chip on our shoulder. My mentality going in was to prove something,” he said. “Once you’re in the thick of it, you just want to keep getting better every day and be better than I was yesterday. And you just keep stacking days.”
In the three preseason games, Bobo caught seven passes for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
“Jake’s flying pretty high right now,” said Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll in a report from the Associated Press after the second preseason game.
“He’s done great. He hasn’t just done well on a few plays in the games; he’s done well in practice throughout,” Carroll said. “He’s been really steady. It’s not a surprise to see him play like that in games. We’re thrilled to see what could happen because he’s making plays out here.”
A 6-foot, 4-inch, 207-pound wide receiver, Bobo began his college career at Duke University, where he was a two-time All-ACC selection. He spent his final season of eligibility at UCLA, where he caught 57 passes for 817 yards and seven touchdowns.
While Bobo was hoping to be drafted by an NFL team, a 4.99-second 40-yard dash hurt his chances of being drafted.
Once the Seahawks signed him as a free agent, however, he wasted no time making an impression.
“I’m so excited for Jake,” Seahawks’ quarterback Geno Smith said in a Sports Illustrated story. “Thinking about back in OTAs and minicamp when he was making all those plays and everyone was like, okay, what is he going to do when we put the pads on? Everything we’ve seen from Bobo is what he is. He’s been making plays; he gets separation, gets open, catches the ball and he’s been a great player for us.”
Born in North Andover, Bobo moved to Concord from Arkansas with his family when he was in the eighth grade. He attended Sanborn Middle School.
He played high school football at the Belmont Hill School, where he was a two-time team MVP. As a senior, he caught 34 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns.
Bobo will suit up for his first NFL regular-season game on Sunday, September 10, when the Seahawks host the Los Angeles Rams.
