One of the most talented football players to ever come through the hallways of Skyline High School will get his chance to play professional football just 20 miles from his hometown.

Skyline 2011 graduate Kasen Williams, who played for the University of Washington Huskies from 2011 through 2014, was signed by the Seattle Seahawks to the 90-man roster on June 12. The wide receiver impressed the Seahawks during a rookie minicamp tryout in May and will report to training camp in Renton in mid-July.

The 6-foot, 3-inch, 217-pound Williams went undrafted in the 2015 National Football League Draft in Chicago this past April, but will have his chance to achieve his childhood dream this summer with the Seahawks. Williams’ aspirations of making an NFL roster reminds of Jermaine Kearse’s journey to the NFL. The similarities are inescapable. Both players went to high school within an hour’s drive of the Seahawks practice facility in Renton, both players starred at the University of Washington and both players weren’t drafted. Kearse will enter his fourth season with the Seattle Seahawks this fall and is a true household name in the Pacific Northwest due to the multitude of big time plays he’s made over the past two seasons during the postseason. His 35-yard touchdown catch in overtime against the Green Bay Packers lifted his team to a 28-22 victory and clinched a berth in Super Bowl 49 this past February.

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll isn’t your prototypical coach. He literally doesn’t care what round a player is drafted in, how much money the player makes or what his stats were in college. Carroll is a results-driven coach and he always puts the best players on the field no matter what. He proved this in 2012 when he chose to start third round pick Russell Wilson at quarterback over the recently signed Matt Flynn. Flynn had just signed a three-year, $20 million dollar deal with the Hawks in March of 2012 but when they took the field for their season opener Wilson was under center because he was the better player. It was as simple as that and was the best decision Carroll has ever made.

Williams couldn’t had landed in a better place to showcase his skills on the gridiron. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Williams on the opening day roster when the Hawks travel to St. Louis on Sept. 13.

Shaun Scott: 425-453-5045; sscott@issaquahreporter.com