From a broken neck to one of the NFL’s best receivers, DK Metcalf has made waves with his ‘eclectic’ playing style

CNN (CNN.com/sports) — DK Metcalf’s football career looked like it might have been over before it really began.

On October 13, 2018, Metcalf was tackled while returning a kickoff for Ole Miss against Alabama. He left the game with an injury which, after scans, was revealed to be a broken vertebrae in his neck.

The then-21-year-old was ruled out for the remainder of the season, and a doctor told him at the time that he’d never play football again.

But remarkably, Metcalf made a full recovery, declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft in which he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks with the final pick of the second round.

Since then, he has developed into one of the best wide receivers in the league, with his physical nature and ability to make tough catches presenting a unique challenge for opposing defenders.

When asked how he’d describe his playing style, Metcalf told CNN Sport’s Coy Wire: “Eclectic. I like that word.”

But his journey from almost never stepping onto a football field again to becoming an NFL star has altered the 26-year-old’s outlook not just on the sport, but on life itself.

“Just knowing that this game could be taken away from you, but you don’t have a final say when it’s over,” Metcalf told Wire. “So just waking up, living every day like it’s my last, taking every rep seriously, taking the practice reps seriously, or any time I’m in the weight room is just another opportunity for me to get better.

“So that’s just how I look at life, how I look at football, how I look at everything. It could be taken away from you. So just smile and live it up.”

Making plays

Hailing from Oxford, Mississippi, football was around Metcalf from an early age.

His father Terrence was an offensive lineman in the NFL for the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions and New Orleans Saints, while his grandfather Terry and uncle Eric also played in the league.

Metcalf explained that, growing up, it had always been a goal of his to “be like” his dad, who he said has played a “major part in the success” of his career so far.

But Metcalf, the oldest of eight siblings, sees his whole family as an inspiration and a way to keep him humble.

“They make it very good to wake up and fight for them every morning, or fight for a better living for them every day,” he explained. “Since I don’t have any kids, they’re like my kids. My siblings are my everything to me. My parents, they helped me through a lot with my upbringing.”

Like his dad, Metcalf also opted to play for Ole Miss at the college level before his season-ending neck injury curtailed his third season with the team.

To the surprise of many, he opted to forgo his last two seasons of college football eligibility and declared himself for the 2019 Draft. By the time the draft rolled around in April, Metcalf had gotten himself healthy and in peak shape.

His physical gifts made him one of the sensations of the combine ahead of the draft, with Metcalf producing some explosive performances in the drills to catch scouts’ eyes; a photo of a shirtless Metcalf and his former Ole Miss teammate AJ Brown even went viral, such was the imposing nature of their physiques.

But despite his impressive showing, Metcalf fell to the second round of the NFL Draft where the Seahawks selected him with the 64th overall pick – the ninth receiver taken overall.

Metcalf joined a veteran-laden Seattle team, but in spite of being a rookie, he immediately had an impact on the field.

In the team’s Week 1 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Metcalf finished with 89 yards on four receptions, the most by a Seahawks rookie wide receiver in a debut. He helped Seattle reach the playoffs where, in their wild card game against the Eagles, Metcalf exploded for 160 yards including a 53-touchdown. The 160 yards was the most ever by a rookie in an NFL playoff game and the most all-time in franchise history.

In his second season, things got even better for Metcalf as he set a franchise record with 1,303 receiving yards and was named as a second-team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl as a result.

Perhaps Metcalf’s most famous play from that season, though, came when he didn’t even have the ball in his hands.

In a Week 7 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson was intercepted at Arizona’s three-yard line by Cardinals safety Budda Baker. Baker tore down the sideline with no Seattle players ahead of him for what looked like a surefire touchdown.

But then appeared Metcalf. In a display of remarkable athleticism, the receiver sprinted from way behind Baker all the way down the field to close the distance between the two, before being able to take the safety just before the endzone.

Then-Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury called Metcalf an “absolutely freak athlete,” while then-Seahawks coach Pete Carroll described it as “one of the best football plays I’ve ever seen.”

Baker – who ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash during his NFL Combine workouts – said: “That’s the first time I’ve ever been hawked in my entire life.”

The moment went viral on social media, not just because of the athleticism on display, but also because of the desire Metcalf had shown in attempting to make up for a mistake made by a teammate.

Metcalf sees himself as an all-around weapon. “Bad man. Big, fast, physical,” he said. “I can run, I can make the catch, I can block. So I can just do a variety of different things.

“And that’s what I like about my game is you can’t pigeonhole me into just being a possession receiver or a speed receiver. God blessed me to be able to do it all too.”

‘A voice to inspire’

Since then, Metcalf has developed into one of the most consistent receivers in the NFL.

He has totaled over 1,000 receiving yards in three of his six seasons in the league so far and has 46 touchdowns to his name. Before the 2024 season began, Metcalf had the best receiving start in Seahawks franchise history through five seasons with 372 receptions and 5,332 yards.

He’s also grown to have a close affinity with Seattle, getting the city’s skyline tattooed on his back and describing it as his “second home.”

But more than that, Metcalf is a voice for others.

He once again went viral on social media after scoring a 73-yard touchdown last season against the Dallas Cowboys when he used sign language to celebrate his score, signing out: “Standing on business.”

Metcalf explained how, since taking an American Sign Language (ASL) course back in college, it’s been a cause close to his heart and something he’s proud to represent.

“Well, for speaking on the deaf community, the traction or the eyes that I’ve been able to bring to their community was unbelievable. I got a lot of positive feedback from not only my teacher, but also from the whole deaf community around the US.”

And during the NFL’s “My Cause My Cleats” campaign this year – where players can customize their cleats to promote their passions or an initiative which is important to them – Metcalf will represent the Sound Organization as well as Prison Fellowship, an organization focused on justice reform.

He also partnered with a coffee company to sell his own brand of “Decaf Metcalf” – coined after a commentator mistakenly called him that – with half of the proceeds going to Prison Fellowship.

And Metcalf said that using his voice for change is just who he is.

“I just come from a small town in Mississippi. Small college town. For me to make it to the NFL was a huge opportunity for me,” he said. “So any way I can just represent anybody … I just feel like I can be a voice of reason or a voice to inspire them to keep going and chasing their dreams, no matter what they’re going through.

“Because there was a time where I was sitting in college with a broken neck not knowing if I was going to play football again. So just for me to have another opportunity to play this game was a big blessing.”