Weaver has strong finish in his bid to land roster spot as undrafted rookie

SEATTLE – If Leonard Weaver needed confirmation that an undrafted rookie fullback could make the Seattle Seahawks’ roster, he needed look no further than his own locker room.

Seahawks starter Mack Strong, a Pro Bowl alternate last season, made the team after going unselected in the 1993 NFL draft. And Strong has been around for more than 12 years.

Based on what Weaver did during the preseason, and most notably in Friday night’s 23-21 oss to Minnesota, he could join Strong on the Seahawks’ final roster.

In his final audition, Weaver rushed for 59 yards, scored on a 31-yard run, and paved the way for Marquis Weeks’s go-ahead, 1-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. If Weaver needed a big showing to make Seattle’s roster, he delivered.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” the Carson-Newman product said. “Coming out here, knowing that the pressure’s on to make the team and knowing that this could be your last time playing, you’ve got to step up to the plate. That’s what I felt tonight, that I had to come out and show the coaches that I was worthy of making this team.”

Weaver, whose main competition to be Strong’s backup, rookie Tony Jackson, has bee sidelined by a shoulder injury, has won the respect of Strong.

“He’s done a great job,” Strong said. “He’s come in here very focused.”