Seahawks select versatile wide receiver and kick returner D’Wayne Eskridge with 56th pick in the second round

ESKRIDGE FULL  BIO AND CAREER STATS

2020

 Selected MAC Special Teams Player of the Year and first-team All-MAC at both receiver and kick returner finalist for Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile player … Was one of five finalists for Hornung and the only finalist not at a Power 5 program … Named second-team All-American (all-purpose) by Football Writers Association of America … Named all-conference first-team receiver and second-team returner by Pro Football Focus … Led FBS in all-purpose yards per game (213.0) and was the only player in the nation to average more than 200 all-purpose yards per contest ..

2019

 Started first four games of the season before suffering a season-ending clavicle injury at Syracuse… served as a starting wide receiver and cornerback against Syracuse and Georgia State … finished with 14 tackles and four PBUs … offensively, caught three passes for 73 yards (24.33) … in starting CB debut versus Monmouth, led the Broncos with eight tackles and recorded first career PBU … a week later at No. 19 Michigan State, tallied a personal-best three PBUs and registered four tackles … caught first pass of the year against Georgia State for a 20-yard gain on the Broncos’ second play from scrimmage … caught two passes for 53 yards at Syracuse prior to injury … on the field for 114 snaps.

2018

 Played in 11 games and started seven … missed contests against Delaware State and Georgia State … caught 35 passes for 776 yards (22.17) and three TDs … in the Mid-American Conference, ranked second in yards per reception and fifth in receiving yards per game (70.55) … nationally, ranked 11th in yards per catch and 60th in receiving yards per game … named Mid-American Conference West Division Offensive Player of the Week following performance against Syracuse in season opener … had 2+ receptions in all 11 games and 6+ catches in three contests including a season-high eight grabs versus Syracuse in the season opener … logged seven receptions against Miami and six versus Northern Illinois … against Syracuse, finished with 240 receiving yards and a pair of TD catches … the 240 yards are the fifth most in a game in program history … turned in an 84-yard TD catch against the Orange, tied for the fourth longest play in program history .

Posted two other 100-yard games, versus Miami with 141 yards and against NIU with 123 yards … had 60+ receiving yards in two other contests (62 vs. Eastern Michigan; 61 vs. BYU) … second-longest grab of the year covered 54 yards against BYU in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, the fifth-longest catch in WMU bowl game history … after two touchdown grabs versus Syracuse, caught year’s other TD toss at Bowling Green … against Central Michigan, made a tackle and forced a fumble on defense during a third-and-24 play in the second quarter, stripping the ball from Kumehnnu Gwilly after a two-yard gain … on the field for 541 snaps.

2017

Started all 12 games … caught 30 passes for 506 yards (16.87) and three TDs and added four rushes for 13 yards (3.25) … led the Broncos in receiving yardage … had 2+ receptions in seven games and 4+ catches in five contests including a season-high seven grabs against Akron … logged four receptions apiece against Michigan State, Idaho, Buffalo and Eastern Michigan … posted 90+ yard receiving games versus Buffalo (97), Akron (93) and Wagner (92) … had 50+ receiving yards in two other contests … had TD catches against Idaho (15 yards), Buffalo (48 yards) and Akron (50 yards) … year-long catch was the 50-yard TD reception versus Akron … turned in four consecutive games with a 48+ yard catch against Wagner (48), Ball State (49), Buffalo (48) and Akron (50) … logged a season-high two rushes against Akron … tallied a year-high nine ground yards against Northern Illinois … on the field for 609 snaps.

2016

Played in 12 games, missing contests against Buffalo and Wisconsin in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic … caught 17 passes for 121 yards (7.12) and one TD while rushing six times for 60 yards (10.00) … turned in three games with 2+ receptions including a year-best nine grabs against Eastern Michigan … first collegiate TD reception covered 13 yards from Zach Terrell at Northwestern in collegiate debut and put Western Michigan ahead 13-7 with 12:31 left in the third quarter … had a season-best 46 receiving yards versus EMU … long grab of the year covered 14 yards against N.C. Central … rushed a year-high two times against Central Michigan and added three receptions for 30 yards … year-long rush covered 21 yards against Northern Illinois … a member of one of the best teams in Western Michigan history as it captured the MAC West Division title and Marathon MAC Championship Game crown and made an appearance in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.