Tyvis Powell looked about as good as an undrafted free agent could look during his professional debut Saturday night with the Seattle Seahawks against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Powell provided swarming kick-off coverage, almost decapitated a man with a block on a punt return, and registered the first interception of his NFL career—among other things.
During his stint with Seattle, Powell has played both safety and cornerback for a team that's known to prefer size in its secondary.
Monday, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll met with reporters and discussed Powell at length.
From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's Stephen Cohen, here's Carroll speaking on if Powell could make a full-time move to cornerback:
"He's certainly physically capable of doing that. He's really fast. He's really tall and long. He's very coordinated and comfortable in the movements and stuff. It takes longer really to learn our system at safety. Physically it takes a long time to figure out the corner stuff. He's going to be back and forth. We're going to try to do the same format we did with DeShawn [Shead] and see what happens. What makes him more valuable to us, makes a sport on the roster more available and with what he did on special teams, that's the right idea. I think we stay with that."
Carroll is not known for long soliloquies on undrafted free agents, let alone effusive praise, but he did that as well.
"He had a great game. He had a terrific game. Your first time out a as rook and you know that special teams is a big deal. He makes a great play on kickoff coverage at the 12, he has a fantastic, classic block on ... punt return. The ball that he almost kept out of the end zone was an extraordinary play too, just to make that play. And he has a pick. It's a great day. I was really fired up for him. He's looked really good at practice, and he made a big statement. I don't remember a first-year guy having a first game that was that obvious like that, so it's very impressive."
Remember, Powell's YouTube draft documentary showed the bidding war between the New York Jets and the Seahawks for Powell's services. Powell chose the 'Hawks, and so far it's looking like a prescient decision.
Powell, already legendary in Columbus for his comedic attitude, displayed high spirits earlier in the day:
"I don't care if they tell me, 'Tyvis, we need you to get the water for everybody.' I'm going to be the best water boy in America."
The good news for Tyvis is, even if he can't make the 53-man roster as the best water boy in America, he wouldn't have to look far in the Buckeye State for employment.
