DY #81

Dareke Young

Wide Receiver · Lenoir Rhyne

A Division II product turned special-teams playmaker whose muffed-punt recovery helped send Seattle to the Super Bowl.

Dareke Young carved out an NFL career less through volume touches than through impact plays, becoming a core special teamer for the Seattle Seahawks after arriving as a seventh-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne. His signature moment came in the NFC Championship Game, and he heads into a new chapter of his career after four seasons in Seattle.

★ Recovered game-changing muffed punt in NFC Championship Game

★ 32.2 yards per kick return average (2025)

★ Seventh-round pick, 2022 NFL Draft

Path to the league

Young starred at Division II Lenoir-Rhyne, racking up 73 receptions for 1,176 yards and 16 touchdowns along with 658 rushing yards and eight rushing scores. The Seattle Seahawks selected him in the seventh round, 233rd overall, in the 2022 NFL Draft via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Career highlights

Young never developed into a major part of Seattle's passing game, catching just four passes over four seasons, but he became a valuable special teams contributor, including work as a kick returner. His biggest moment came when he recovered a muffed punt in the Seahawks' NFC Championship win over the Los Angeles Rams.

2025 season recap

Young served as Seattle's kick returner in 2025, averaging 32.2 yards per return across 42 games played over his four-year tenure with the club, before signing with a new team as an unrestricted free agent.