Tennessee football: Why Dominick Wood-Anderson is in good position with Seahawks
The 2020 Tennessee football NFL Draft class has already had one undrafted free agent become a breakout player in New Orleans Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway. Edge rusher Darell Taylor was the highest pick in that class, though, taken in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks.
Well, why not combine the two? It would seem like a great fit then for an undrafted free agent trying to make it sign with Seattle. That’s exactly what former UT tight end Dominick Wood-Anderson has now done.
Seattle signed Wood-Anderson for a second straight year Wednesday. Last year, the 6’4″ 247-pound former Tennessee football starter signed as an undrafted free agent but didn’t make the cut from 90 to 80 players.
Signing with them for a second straight year, however, suggests they see something in him. Otherwise, why would they waste a spot in trying to give him a look if they already saw him last year? There must be something that has them believing in him.
Wood-Anderson isn’t the first Vol to deal with this in some way either. Jauan Jennings was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers last year but was cut in September. Well, Jennings signed with them again in January.
Last year’s COVID issues did not allow for overlooked players like Jennings and Wood-Anderson to prove their worth on the field as much. There was no preseason, meaning players like Jennings, who shine during game time, had no chance to show what they can do.
Limited practice time during the offseason also forced teams to place a greater emphasis on what players did the previous years and their projected potential, and that’s always more reflected in how high they were drafted and how much they signed for. It’s hard to find unheralded talent without the extra practice time and preseason.
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As a result, these two former Tennessee football players being signed now means that their teams truly are interested in them and have an incentive to give them chances. Wood-Anderson is now in a good position with Pete Carroll.