Seattle Seahawks draft Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett in third round

Tyler Lockett officially made the transition from Kansas State to the NFL on Friday when the Seattle Seahawks selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft.

The former K-State receiver was the 69th pick, going fifth in the third round.

Most projections had Lockett as a third-round pick coming off a stellar four years with the Wildcats in which he grabbed 249 passes for 3,710 yards and 29 touchdowns, breaking every significant receiving record in school history. That was on top of 2,684 yards and six touchdowns as a returner.

Lockett met draft-day expectations thanks in part to a strong showing at the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, where he ran the 40 in 4.4 seconds. Seattle thought enough of him to trade up and take him.

“They want me to be able to come in and compete,” Lockett said on a conference call with Seattle media. “They want me to compete at special teams and to be able to compete at receiver, and that’s all I’ve been doing my whole life.”

He watched the draft in Kansas City, Mo. with family and friends, saying beforehand he was content with all possibilities. He treated the experience as an opportunity to relax.

The only thing he was hoping for was an early second-round selection in order to best his father, Kevin, also a former K-State great, who was the 47th pick in 1997.

He will join a team coming off back-to-back trips to the Super Bowl that is desperate for young talent at receiver and returner. The Seahawks, behind quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch, are a run-oriented team.

Lockett will have the opportunity to make an immediate impact the same way he did at K-State.

This story was originally published May 1, 2015 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Seattle Seahawks draft Kansas State receiver Tyler Lockett in third round."