MINNEAPOLIS — As a senior at Notre Dame, John Carlson earned an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as one of 15 national finalists for the prestigious Draddy Award, which recognizes athletic and academic achievement.

The Litchfield, Minn., native is proud of the honor, but admits he won’t mind if he ultimately doesn’t use the money.
“I’d like to keep playing football as long as I can,” he said, laughing.
That shouldn’t be a problem, judging by the start to his NFL career. Carlson set several Seattle Seahawks receiving records as a rookie last season and has established himself as one of the league’s top young tight ends.
A second-round draft pick, Carlson established team records for tight ends in receptions (55) and receiving yards (627), and he also tied the record for touchdown catches (five).
He became only the fourth rookie tight end in NFL history to lead his team in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in a season.
“We think he’s a really good player, and we want to get him the ball every week,” Seattle coach Jim Mora said. “We’re in his first year and a half in the league now and he’s been a dependable tight end. He’s going to develop as time goes by into a really good tight end in this league.”
Already one of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck’s favorite targets, Carlson no doubt wants to have a big game Sunday when the Seahawks play the Vikings at the Metrodome. The former two-sport Litchfield star is expected to have a large cheering section at his homecoming. The Vikings sold more than 260 tickets to the game through Litchfield High School.
Carlson described it as a “business trip,” but admits he’s excited to have dinner with family members on Saturday and meet his 3-month-old niece, Elise, for the first time.
“Growing up and going to school in Litchfield, a small town, I always felt like I was supported well,” he said.
Carlson never made it to state in football, but he helped Litchfield win three state championships in basketball. He even considered attending St. Cloud State in order to play basketball with older brother Alex, a standout guard for the Huskies.
Carlson ultimately picked Notre Dame and hung up his basketball shoes.
“I’m pretty sure I never would have made the NBA,” he said. “Pretty positive about that.”
Carlson started 31 career games at Notre Dame and developed into one of college football’s top tight ends. The Seahawks rated Carlson as their top tight end prospect last year and were willing to trade their third-round pick to Baltimore to move from No. 55 in the second round to No. 38 to draft him.
That naturally brought big expectations.
“It’s tough making that jump from college to the professional level, and there was a certain amount of doubt going into it,” Carlson said. “I didn’t know how things would work exactly. Just being able to compete and play in every game and make it through the season and make some plays was good for my confidence. It showed me that I could do it. But it also showed me that I have a long ways to go, and I still do.”
The Seahawks really had no choice but to rely on Carlson as a rookie because injuries decimated their receiving corps. He basically was the last guy standing.
“I was fortunate in that I managed to stay healthy,” he said. “With all the injuries we had at the receiver position, I was kind of the guy that was able to be out there the most, which resulted in me getting the most opportunity.”
The Seahawks are in much better shape at receiver this season, in part because of the arrival of free agent T.J. Houshmandzadeh, but Carlson still ranks third on the team with 34 catches for 403 yards and three touchdowns.
At 6-5 and 250 pounds (he hasn’t grown an inch since he was a freshman in high school), Carlson is a big, athletic target for Hasselbeck. Carlson credits the veteran quarterback for “showing me the ropes.”
“He’s been around a long time and is a smart player,” he said. “You look at a play on paper and think, ’OK, this is how I need to run it.’ But he tells me the truth. He’s like, ’No, don’t run it like that. Run it like this.’ It’s nice to have a guy like that who if I have questions, I can go to him and he’ll give me a straight answer.”
Carlson said he feels more comfortable with everything in his second season. He understands his offense and opposing defenses better and how to survive the grind of an NFL season.
He’s also settled into his home in Seattle with his wife, Danielle, a former volleyball player at Notre Dame whom he married last July.
“I really like it here,” he said. “It’s a good fit.”