QB/WR Trevone Boykin signed by Seahawks as undrafted free agent

TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin ended his 2015 season on a down note, but the Seattle Seahawks are taking a shot at him as a project, signing him in undrafted free agency.

Boykin was a three-star recruit from Mesquite, Texas, committing to TCU in 2011. He redshirted his freshman year and didn’t earn the starting quarterback job until 2012, when Casey Pachall got suspended for a DUI charge. Boykin started the final nine games of the season and had his struggles, leading the Horned Frogs to a 3-6 record in his nine starts under center.

Boykin and Pachall continued to split starts in 2013, and it wasn’t until his junior year that Boykin truly emerged as TCU’s leader. He enjoyed a breakout year in 2014, throwing for 3,901 yards and 33 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, winning the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award and finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting.

Boykin entered the 2015 season with high expectations. He nearly lived up to them, setting a college career high in yards per attempt (9.0) and completion percentage (64.8), while placing 10th in Heisman voting. However, Boykin’s senior year ended early after he got arrested for third-degree assault and was suspended for the Alamo Bowl.

With his college career over and new questions raised about his maturity, Boykin went on to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, where he attempted to turn his reputation around. Via SB Nation:

“It’s been way better than I really thought it would be,” Boykin said. “I have no problem telling my story and I’m just really ready to move forward and prove to guys that I can play quarterback in this league. They know young people make mistakes and right now it’s just about not making any more mistakes. You’re a professional and you have to treat it like that.”

But Boykin was an afterthought in the game, completing just 1 of 3 passes for 15 yards while throwing a pick. The Senior Bowl declined to invite him because he didn’t want a full position switch back to wide receiver. He followed that up with a middling performance at the NFL Combine, measuring in at 6’0, 217 pounds. That’s a small frame for an NFL quarterback, and Boykin didn’t impress in the physical drills, running just 4.77 seconds in the 40-yard dash.

There are things to like about Boykin’s game -- he has a decent deep ball and pocket elusiveness, with legs that can turn a broken play into a positive gain.

However, Boykin is just too raw to contribute at the pro level right now, and he’ll likely need multiple years learning on the bench before he becomes an acceptable NFL quarterback. It’s tempting to rate small quarterbacks higher based on the success of Boykin’s new teammate, Russell Wilson, but Boykin doesn’t have nearly the arm accuracy or poise that made Wilson an instant star. If the Seahawks start him or even use him at all in 2016, it likely means something has gone horribly wrong with the depth chart.