Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has high hopes for second-year running back Christine Michael. He said at the NFL Scouting Combine on Friday that Michael could be Seattle's breakout star in 2014.
"He's really talented and he's a really exciting guy in our program. Probably has the most breakout potential out of anybody because you haven't seen much of him yet," Carroll said via Pro Football Talk. "We've seen him, we know that he can do really special stuff. He played in a very competitive position. It was hard to get in there with Marshawn (Lynch) and Robert Turbin there. But he'll give those guys a real run when we come back to work. He'll grow a lot from Year 1 to Year 2. We all know in our program that he's going to be very explosive and a really exciting guy. He showed that in his chances that he had."
Part of the reason Michael could have a breakout season in 2014 is that Lynch could be headed for a downturn in production after 400-plus touches in 2013. That could open the door for Michael to play a bigger role next year.