MVN - Most Valuable Network

Remember This Name: Logan Payne

With a name like Logan Payne how can you not? What he is, or is going to be, is a “Payne” for defenses to deal with someday soon.

After his freshman year in college, Logan Payne switched his number from 33 to 84. Fitting that he ended up in Seattle. In Seattle the number 84 is synonymous with dependability and clutch. In Seattle, number 84 is the epitome of the unnoticed superstar. 84 is Bobby Engram. Someday soon, it could be Logan Payne. He would be a fitting successor.

For much of his youth, Payne was everything but a football player. Well, actually that is not true, it is just that he was a futbol player, as in soccer. He also played a little hoops. Enough that he was the team MVP his senior season in High School. It never really occurred to him to pick up pigskin until his best friend, former Florida St. QB Drew Weatherford, convinced him. It worked out OK. “My best friend was the quarterback, so naturally we had good chemistry,” said Payne. You could say that. With little experience under his belt, he quickly became a standout. “When he played high school football, he led the state in receptions,” John Benedetto, his high school coach, said. “We had a hard time convincing people he could play college football. The only (school) that would listen was the University of Minnesota. Now, he’s on the outside of playing in the NFL. It’s hard to find a better story than that.”

It would seem the story is about to get a lot better. Payne is a 6’2”, 205lb wide receiver clocked in the 40 yard dash in the 4.5s. Well he is neither the biggest nor the fastest wideout around, Payne has enough to do what the west coast offense demands. In fact, his best trait may be dependability, which is something that never goes unappreciated in Seattle. Logan is on the verge of breaking the lineup with the Seahawks. Most people around the country still don’t know his name. Some think he can be better than a serviceable receiver in this league. I think he can be a star.

Payne got his only offer to play college ball from the University of Minnesota. Logan became a very dependable target on a team that liked to run… a lot. The Gophers had both Lawrence Maroney and Marion Barber during his time there, so you can imagine. So how does a guy like Payne make a name for himself on a team like that? With blocking of course. In the time leading up to the 05’ season, Payne said his biggest strides came in run blocking. That added up to more playing time. Logan never looked back. His premier performance came against Temple in Sept of 06’. He had 136 yards and four touchdowns… in the first half. Still, he wasn’t invited to the NFL scouting combine.

Because of this he was an undrafted college free agent. The Seahawks had the foresight to sign him. He spent last year on the practice squad. But the reviews of his play have inspired promise. He is known for his focus and concentration. Last year, for the playoffs, he was called up to the big squad. Although he hasn’t yet made a game day roster, his spot as one of the top 53 isn’t one he will relinquish with outta fight.

Bill Welle, who works Payne out when in Minnesota, says… “Logan is a really hard worker, He’s trying to figure out those fine little points. I think he’s got a really good shot at being a player on Sunday.” So do the Seahawks.

With the Seahawks numbers down at wide receiver this year, they will be looking for their young guys to contribute. The other two, Ben Obamanu and Courtney Taylor come with a draft pick attached to their name. Likely though, that won’t matter. The best man will win. Payne signed a deal with the Hawks over the offseason making sure he would remain with the team. Sounds like a smart move. After being underappreciated in high school, college, and then when entering the league, he might finally be ready to hit the big time and make a mark. Of course Payne describes himself as “a practice squad guy at heart.”

He is getting ready for his role as the next Bobby Engram already, ultra clutch and relatively unnoticed. I wonder if he will switch to #84 again too.

 

Info for this story was taken from The St. Petersburg Times, The Minnesota Daily, The Seattle PI, and NFL Draft Scout.com.

 

Michael Steffes writes primarily for Seahawks fan site, Seahawkaddicts.com. If you are interested in up to the minute news and analysis please visit the site and read more of Michael’s work.

 

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at 4:28 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.