‘Blessed!’ Bubba Bolden going way west to join Seattle Seahawks as undrafted free agent
University of Miami’s big-bodied, hard-hitting safety Bubba Bolden was never picked in the 2022 NFL Draft, but he is heading to the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.
“Blessed! Big things comin,’’ Bolden posted on social media just before 9 p.m. Saturday. “TRUSSSS.”
Defensive tackle Jonathan Ford was the only Cane drafted, the 13th pick in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers — 234th overall.
The 6-2, 209-pound Bolden, 22, is from Las Vegas, site of this year’s draft. He told reporters March 30 on UM’s Pro Day that he believed he was “the best safety in the draft — by far,” but that “injury kind of messed some things up.” He had season-ending surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder after seven games. He finished the year with 42 tackles, 3 1/2 tackles for loss, a sack, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry, but was criticized by analysts for often taking bad angles while pursuing ball carriers.
“After the North Carolina game, I was playing basically with one arm,’’ he said on Pro Day. “Coming off surgery, it’s been a long journey. I showed people I put that work in and I’m getting back right. Coming out here and doing the drills, one of the biggest things was ‘Is Bubba’s hips fluid? Can he move well?’ I feel I came out here and showed I can move well.’’
Bolden had his best season in 2020, when he was named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award that honors the nation’s top defensive back. He started nine of his 11 games and had a team-best 74 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception and team-high four forced fumbles. His success came despite a 2019 season-ending, surgery-requiring ankle injury on Nov. 2 during an awkward chest-bump celebration after his first UM interception.
At the NFL Pro Scouting Combine, Bolden ran an impressive 4.47-second 40-yard dash. On Pro Day he bench-pressed 15 reps of 225 pounds, which would have been tied for ninth-best at the combine, according to The Athletic.
Parade All-American
Bolden, a former first-team Parade All-American out of Las Vegas Bishop Gorman High, played at Southern Cal and transferred to UM before the 2019 season. He was rated the nation’s seventh best safety by Rivals for the recruiting class of 2017, but left there after playing one season, saying on a former Instagram post that he faced a 28-month suspension for an incident “pertaining to underage drinking at an off-campus party in February 2018 wherein I participated in mutual trash-talking with party-goers.’’
At UM, Bolden was considered a mature leader who was fiercely loyal to the Hurricanes.
Pro Football Network called Bolden “a tough, run-defending safety who is best making plays downhill. [He] effectively diagnoses the action, remains disciplined with assignments... and gives effort to defend running plays or screen passes. Squares into ball handlers and wraps up tackling.
“Bolden is an aggressive run-defending safety who acts like a quarterback in the secondary with his leadership.”
Earlier this week, Bolden told the Miami Herald he refused to listen to the so-called experts, most of whom didn’t include him in their mock drafts. “I don’t worry about none of that,’’ he said. “I know I’m going to get drafted. You already know Miami Hurricanes are the best in the League.”
But at 3:04 p.m. Saturday, Bolden posted on Twitter: “Just call me,’’ accompanied by a praying hands emoji right after cornerback DaRon Bland went to Dallas with the 167th pick in the fifth round.k
He said that whoever drafted him would appreciate his “leadership, work ethic and passion for the game.
“I’ve been playing football since I was 5,’’ Bolden said. “It’s what I love to do. I know I put the work in and it’s in God’s hands.’’
