On Thursday, the Seahawks added tight end depth with an unexpected player: NCAA basketball champion and three-time Big 12 All-Defensive player Mark Vital.
When the Seahawks added tight end Mark Vital to their practice squad on Thursday, he already shared something with teammate Russell Wilson: both have impressive records as dual-sport athletes.
Wilson was good enough to go in the fourth round of the 2010 MLB draft, and Vital was more than good enough in his senior season at Baylor. He entered the NFL with the unique distinction as an NCAA basketball champion.
Vital, who played as a 6-foot-5, 250-pound forward, got his start in Baylor basketball as a redshirt freshman on the practice squad.
Vital worked his way up through four seasons with the Bears, averaging 5.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his senior season.
In his junior year, Vital earned Third Team All-Big 12 and Big 12 All-Defensive Team honors. Vital made the Big 12 All-Defensive Team three times for his critical defensive play, which secured the NCAA Championship earlier this year.
After signing with Lil Wayne’s sports agency ahead of the NBA Draft, Vital went undrafted before signing with the Portland Trailblazers for NBA Summer League.
Seahawks news: Seattle signs two-sport athlete Mark Vital
With NBA hopes dwindling, Vital announced his intentions to pursue an NFL career, even though he once tweeted, “I’m never going to be a football player.”
According to Vital, he’s already drawing comparisons to legendary tight end Antonio Gates.
“I feel like I can be a Hall of Famer,” Vital told KPLC earlier this week. “I’m already getting compared to Antonio Gates from different scouts and teams when hearing them talk about me. I’m already getting compared to a Hall of Famer and that’s motivation to me to get to that level. I can see the similarities. He and I are both explosive, fast and big. We are built the same.”
Before the Seahawks signing, Vital dismissed rumors that he would return to Baylor to play football this season.
Instead, the basketball champion scored a slot on an NFL team with an impressive playoff history all its own. True to his “Always Compete” mentality, Pete Carroll proves once again that he’s willing to give any hard-working athlete a shot in Seattle.