SEATTLE, Wash. - Hayden Hatten impressed thousands of Idaho Vandal football fans during his college career, reeling in unreal catches and making the Kibbie Dome erupt, and though he has only been in the National Football League for less than two weeks, he is already making an impact on the field.
After not being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft, Hatten signed an undrafted free agent contract (UDFA) with the Seattle Seahawks shortly after the draft.
The Seahawks held their rookie minicamp this past weekend, and while it can be difficult for UDFA's to stand out and make an impact, that wasn't the case for Idaho's career receiving touchdown leader.
Michael-Shawn Dugar, a Seahawks staff writer for The Athletic, had high praise for the wideout during Seattle's minicamp. In Dugar's article, under the sub-headline titled "Under-the-radar standouts," he said that even though the players throwing him the ball didn't perform well, Hatten still managed to make a noticeable impact.
"The quarterback play made it difficult to evaluate the wide receivers, but one of the guys who stood out was Idaho’s Hayden Hatten, who hooked up with [Chevan] Cordeiro (UDFA quarterback that was released from the team on Wednesday) a few times during the team periods. On Saturday, he created separation from [Nehemiah] Pritchett (Seahawks' rookie cornerback taken in the 5th round of the 2024 Draft) on a comeback route and caught a pass from Cordeiro for a decent gain. Seattle has plenty of talent at receiver, but there’s occasionally a guy who comes out of nowhere and makes an impression. Hatten might be that guy this offseason," Dugar said in his article titled 'Seahawks rookie camp: First impressions of Mike Macdonald, Byron Murphy II'. (For Dugar's full article in The Athletic, click here.)
Hatten, donning No. 84 for Seattle, took reps at wide receiver and special team during the rookie minicamp that ended this past Sunday.
It's no secret that the Seahawks have depth at the wide receiver position with stars like DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Jake Bobo, but Hatten could solidify himself as a special team specialist in his early NFL career before potentially getting some snaps with the offense.
Hatten became a Vandal legend during his five-year career at Idaho, hauling in a record-setting 33 touchdowns through the air along with 3,449 yards, which ranks second among Vandals all-time.
The consensus All-American in 2022 and first-team Big-Sky receiver remains on the roster during a time when many UDFA's get cut from the team. Hatten will have several more opportunities to prove himself and try to make the 53-man roster when the deadline rolls around at the end of August.
The Seattle Seahawks will hold organized team activities (OTAs) on May 20, May 22-23, May 28, May 30-31, June 3-4, June 6-7, before mandatory minicamp from June 11-13.
