DK Metcalf didn’t run fast enough in the 100 meters Sunday to advance to the finals in his professional track debut.
Yet, the Seattle Seahawks wide receiver fared better compared to some normal for a NFL player contending with a portion of the world’s top sprinters. With an authority season of 10.37 seconds, Metcalf completed last among the nine in his warmth and fifteenth among the 17 who contended in the USA Track and Field Golden Games and Distance Open in Walnut, California.
“These are world-class athletes,” Metcalf said afterward on NBC streaming service Peacock, which broadcast the event, when asked whether he learned anything by competing in the event. “They do this for a living. It’s very different from football speed, from what I just realized. So, like I said, just excited to be out here.”
American Isiah Young had the lowest time of the initial two warms of the 100 meters with a 10.09. The multiple times Metcalf beat were 10.38 (Derick Silva of Brazil) and 10.44 (American Maurice Eaddy).
Metcalf’s performance drew acclaim on Twitter from individual Seahawks colleagues Russell Wilson, Bobby Wagner, Tyler Lockett and Quandre Diggs.
“Amazing Bro!” Wilson tweeted. “Rollin!”
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was dazzled also.
Previous Olympic sprinter Ato Boldon said on the transmission heretofore that something in the scope of 10.6-10.7 would be a fun time for the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Metcalf.
“He did not embarrass himself,” Boldon said of Metcalf. “He hung with the pack. Yes, I think he’s eighth. But he ran well. I didn’t think he was going to run anywhere near that well.”
Before Sunday, Metcalf hadn’t contended in track since secondary school, when he was a champion hurdler and long-jumper and furthermore contended on Oxford High School’s 4×100 meter hand-off group in Mississippi. He ran a 4.33-second 40-yard run at the 2019 exploring join and arrived at a maximum velocity of 22.64 mph when he pursued down the Arizona Cardinals’ Budda Baker to keep him from scoring a cautious score last October, as indicated by NFL Next Gen Stats. That was the fourth-quickest max speed by any NFL player on a solitary play last season.
A respectful and appreciative Metcalf said on the Peacock broadcast that he needed to test his speed “against world-class athletes like this.” He called the chance to do so a gift. Inquired as to why he wasn’t anxious about the danger he could be taking by going up against experts, Metcalf said: “Because I’m a football player and an athlete first, and a man of God. So I just do things because I want to do it.”
Metcalf tweeted Sunday evening: “Thank God for the opportunity. Thank @usatf for allowing me to come out today, thank my coaches, PT’s, family, and friends that supported!”
Metcalf made the Pro Bowl last season in the wake of getting 83 passes for an franchise record 1,303 yards.
The day after his immediately popular pursue down of Baker, USA Track and Field tweeted a cheerful greeting for NFL players to test their speed “against real speed” at the Olympic preliminaries. Metcalf answered, “See you there.” Metcalf’s representative considered USATF’s Adam Schmenk a couple of days after the fact.
“DK’s agent told us that he really wants to try to make the Olympics and asked what steps he needs to take,” Schmenk told Yahoo Sports. “We walked him through what the auto qualifying time was that he would have to run in a sanctioned USATF event and told him that we would help him find a lane if and when he wanted to do this.”
The generally refered to time that Metcalf would have likely expected to run to fit the bill for Olympic preliminaries was 10.2 or better. USATF records 10.05 as the programmed qualifying standard.
Per Yahoo Sports, Metcalf’s representative considered Schmenk a second time the day after the Seahawks’ trump card misfortune to the Los Angeles Rams in January to disclose to him that Metcalf had effectively turned his concentration to preparing for the 100 meters.
“This should encourage every fast NFL guy — Tyreek Hill, are you listening? — this should encourage every fast NFL guy, you’re not that far off. Some more training, maybe you get in the conversation for the Olympic trials for the United States. Great run by DK,” Boldon said on the broadcast.
Metcalf was asked in his postrace meet on Peacock if his exhibition will persuade him that he should make one more run at qualifying the bill for the Olympic team, and maybe lose some weight during the NFL offseason to help his speed.
“I’ve got minicamp to go to,” he said with a laugh. “Like I said, just excited.”
