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Former college walk-on takes a leading role in Seahawks' dominant defense

It’s hard not to root for a player like Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada. A walk-on at D1-FCS Montana State, Okada was an undersized high school quarterback just looking for a chance to play. That meant moving to the defensive side of the ball, where his skills as a champion wrestler helped prepare him to do battle with opposing runners and receivers.

Okada made himself indispensable to the Bobcats as a do-everything defensive back. He played the newest craze on defense – the big nickel, a hybrid of safety and linebacker that allows defenses to better deal with multiple receiver sets without sacrificing run support.