DK Metcalf's Rise To Stardom
We all know DK Metcalf as the star WR of the Seattle Seahawks. From his highlight grabs, to his superman like physique. This is how DK Metcalf began his journey to reach the NFL and superstardom for the Seahawks.
Viral Photo
The viral photo of Ole Miss WR DK Metcalf took the internet by storm. A shirtless photo of him and former Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown before the combine showed a shredded DK Metcalf that looked like he should be competing in Mr. Olympia.
The Combine
Then the improbable happened. Just four months after breaking his neck, DK Metcalf showed up to the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Metcalf measured in at 6-foot-3 and 228 pounds with a body fat percentage that turned heads. His body fat measurement came in at an incredible 1.9%.
Workouts
Not only was he able to put him some incredible body-fat numbers at the combine. His workouts dazzled all in attendance. He benched 225 pounds an incredible 27 and ran a 4.33 40. This helped cement his place as high end pick for the upcoming NFL draft.
Everyone Reacts
Of course, no one who saw this couldn’t help but have a reaction. Anyone with any love for the game of football reacted. And after Metcalf finished his 40 run, he grabbed his phone, headed to the bench and placed a FaceTime call and broke down in tears on the phone.
Success Didn't Come Overnight
But anyone who knew DK Metcalf and his journey knew this wasn’t an overnight success. This was due to hard work and perseverance and this had been in the works for a long time. Let’s take a step back and see how it all started.
As A Kid
Metcalf was strong as a kid. At the age of 5 years old Metcalf could bench 50 pounds and squat 100 pounds. Yes, five years old. His father, Terrence bought him his first set of weights that were kid sized and had him working out early.
Father Was A Pro
His father, Terrence Metcalf was a former offensive lineman and at the time was starting his career with the Chicago Bears. He got drafted in the third round and when he got drafted he already had DK and another child (DK was the oldest). He also attended Ole Miss and was a football star there.
Life As A Bear
His father Terrence loved to include his family with the Chicago Bears family as much as he could possibly. And when the Bears won the NFC Championship game in 2007 he brought the whole family to celebrate in the locker room. But DK and Terrence’s biggest bond? Working out together.
Daily Workouts
Everyday after Terrence got home from practice, him and DK would hit the weights. However, the Bears strength coach told Terrence that weight could stunt the growth of DK so they switched from weights to bands for his workouts.
Just 10 Years Old
The training really got going when DK was around 10 years old and Terrence’s playing days were over and the family returned to Oxford, Mississippi. DK and Terrence would wake up in the morning and head to Ole Miss to run the stadium steps or go to the gym together to work out.
No Football
We have been talking about weights but what about football? Well, DK was not allowed to play football until he was 12 years old because his parents were worried if he had started playing too early he could have a coach that would turn him off from the sport. But once DK started playing, he knew he wanted to be a pro.
Varsity
He made the varsity team of high school as a freshman and played all four years. At first he was a safety and then switched to WR. He also was a star on the basketball court and on the track and field team. His coach said he would even come in at 6 AM to train and lift weights before school.
Get Swollen
The school had a powerlifting team and even though DK was not on the team, the coach was also the football team’s strength and conditioning coach named Jason Russell. Under Russell’s guidance DK got swole and turned his body to a shredded man’s body. Summer before senior year, he squatted 500 pounds, benched 275 and could deadlift 585 pounds.
Ole Miss
Then DK Metcalf went to Ole Miss to play football. And during his time at Ole Miss a scare happened.
Big Scare
His parents were in the crowd and did know there was something wrong at first. They couldn’t find her son on the field. DK exited the first quarter of an Ole Miss game against Arkansas. When his mom finally tracked him down DK said he thought he suffered a stinger. But tests turned out much worse.
Fracture
Tests revealed he had a C3 fracture in his neck which would require surgery. His college career was over but everyone was hoping his football career was not. He spent months in a neck brace to let the bone heal.
Offers
Before attending Ole Miss, DK had offers from all over the country. DK had offers from Cal, UCLA, Nebraska, Auburn and other programs. But he decided to follow in father’s footsteps and attend Ole Miss.
Ole Miss Stats
While DK was on the field at his time at Ole Miss he averaged 18 yards per catch and scored 14 touchdown passes in 21 games. But he suffered a broken foot his freshman year, and the neck injury took away the second half of what turned out to be his final season at Ole miss. With two years of college eligibility left, he declared for the NFL draft.
Exos
One of the upsides of his neck injury was it allowed him to get some extra time to prepare for the combine. By the time he was cleared to train he had 12 weeks to get ready for the combine, meanwhile most prospects get just eight weeks to train. He went to EXOS in Phoenix, AZ to train and arrived at 5% body fat. By the time he left he was under 2%.
Combine Was Amazing
DK arrived at the combine and just had an absolutely amazing performance. He was in the 90th percentile in nearly every team. 134-inch broad jump (97th percentile), his 40 ½ inch vertical jump (93rd percentile) and his 40-yard dash (95th percentile)
Draft
The NFL draft arrived and The Seattle Seahawks selected DK Metcalf with the 64th overall pick. He was a second round pick in the NFL draft.
Welcome To Seattle
He was greeted by the Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll with no shirt on. This was supposed to be a tribute to the shirtless photo of DK Metcalf that went viral.
Time In Seattle
His time in Seattle has been nothing short of spectacular. He has just entered his sixth season with the franchise where he has 375 catches for over 5,000 yards and 43 touchdowns.
Best Is Yet To Come
The story of DK Metcalf is only beginning as he’s entering the prime years of his NFL career. He’s already a Seahawks legend and the story of DK Metcalf will continue to get better as his career progresses.