Lance Mason

After the NFL Draft concluded, the Seattle Seahawks had very little room left to add undrafted free agents. Even so, the Seahawks chose to bring in tight end Lance Mason. At first glance, that decision seems difficult to justify. Seattle’s tight end room is already crowded. AJ Barner emerged as a legitimate contributor following a strong second season. Elijah Arroyo remains one of the organization’s most significant recent investments at the position. Eric Saubert received a somewhat surprising extension during the middle of last year , while Harrison Bryant , Nick Kallerup , and even Brady Russell continue fighting for specialized roles throughout the roster. On paper, there simply doesn’t appear to be much room available. Then again, that’s true for most undrafted free agents who ultimately make NFL rosters. They enter crowded rooms by definition. And Seattle, perhaps more than most organizations, has built a long history of finding contributors where other teams saw camp bodies. Growing up in Rockwall, Texas, he spent much of his high school career playing on both sides of the ball at Rockwall-Heath High School, lining up as both a linebacker and a tight end. He never developed the prototypical frame of a dominant inline tight end, but he did carry over many of the traits associated with defensive football: physicality, spatial awareness, and a natural comfort operating near traffic. Despite that versatility, he barely registered on the recruiting landscape. Mason finished high school as an unranked prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle and ultimately landed at Missouri State in the FCS. His first two seasons were relatively quiet from a production standpoint. He functioned primarily as a complementary piece within the offense, rotating snaps and serving as a security blanket in underneath situations. The breakthrough came in 2024. With a larger role in the Bears’ offense, Mason posted 34 receptions, 590 yards, and six touchdowns, emerging as one of the more productive tight ends in the conference. That season opened the door to a much bigger opportunity. In 2025, he transferred to Wisconsin. Many FCS tight ends produce because they overwhelm inferior competition physically. Mason’s transition is notable because he did the opposite. He jumped up a level and remained productive despite playing within an offense that struggled to consistently generate explosive plays through the air. Leading Wisconsin in receiving yards with 398 may not immediately jump off the stat sheet, but context matters. The Badgers’ passing game was inconsistent throughout much of the season. Protection issues, limited vertical efficiency, and an overall lack of explosiveness frequently constrained the offense. Yet Mason kept finding ways to contribute. And that’s one of the more interesting aspects of his NFL projection. The tape consistently shows a player capable of remaining useful regardless of the offensive environment around him. The Seahawks aren’t building a tight end room based solely on athletic mismatches. There is a clear preference for players who can align in multiple locations, execute a variety of assignments, and help preserve offensive flexibility without telegraphing tendencies. Mason checks several of those boxes. The first thing that stands out on film is his understanding of spacing against zone coverage. Many college tight ends simply run through zones at a constant speed, making life easier for linebackers and safeties. Mason operates differently. He shows a natural feel for changing tempo within routes, subtly throttling down without disrupting timing with the quarterback. Small head fakes, slight variations in pace, and an understanding of defensive leverage allow him to settle into voids rather than carry defenders directly into throwing windows. On stick concepts, spacing routes, and shallow sits, he consistently presents clean targets. Several of his most important receptions at Wisconsin came from his [... truncated ...]

Lance Mason

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Why the Seahawks took a chance on Lance Mason despite a crowded tight end room