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In Justin Veltung, the Seahawks sign a guy who jumps really, really high

Doug Farrar

The news release from the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, announcing the signing of undrafted free agent receiver Justin Veltung, was about as vanilla as you're going to get:

The Seattle Seahawks have signed wide receiver Justin Veltung, the team announced today.

Veltung, from nearby Puyallup, played 43 career games at the University of Idaho and collected 62 receptions for 901 yards with eight touchdowns and returned 80 kickoffs for 1,743 yards with two touchdowns in his career. He left Idaho as its all-time kickoff return leader (78) and kickoff return yardage leader (1,743), and 11th on its all-time all-purpose yardage list with 2,972 yards.

Veltung attended Seattle's rookie minicamp on a tryout basis from May 10-12.

So ... yeah. That's not why Veltung made Shutdown Corner today. He made Shutdown Corner today because he can rock a 56-inch (4-foot-8) standing box jump at 5-foot-11. To put that in perspective, NBA draft prospect DJ Stephens recently got a lot of attention for a 46-inch vertical leap while working out for the Brooklyn Nets. Box jumps and verticals are different, but still ... wow.

You can view Veltung's super-jump below:

That's fairly impressive, and reminds us of the time that former Arizona Cardinals and current New England Patriots safety Adrian Wilson (at 6-foot-3) pulled off a 66-inch jump with a three-step head start.

Yes, these NFL athletes are talented. Of course, Wilson has taken his athleticism to five Pro Bowls since 2001, while Veltung is just getting started. But with him on the roster, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson -- who is generously listed at 5-foot-10 5/8 -- should consider his new receiver for the end zone fade, at the same time he's warning the kid not to try and jump over his head.