THE WRECKING BALL WIDEOUT

DK METCALF pursues an old-school path to hardcore strength: PUSH. YOUR. LIMITS.

- EBENEZER SAMUEL

GET READY FOR DE Metcalf's dirty secret. You'd think a six-foot-four, 235-pound slab of muscle would eat some high-protein, everything-bad-free diet, especially when priming for the biggest season of his football life. But as Metcalf speaks on this Zoom in late April, he's...bingeing fast food. It's vacation, he says between bites, "so I'm having french fries." He goes on. "I'll describe it as this: I'm a fat-ass at heart. If I didn't play football, I would not care about my body." Not that anyone will believe him, because whenever DK (real name: DeKaylin) Metcalf takes the field for the Seattle Seahawks, he stands out, thanks to a stunning blend of Thor-level size and Black Panther athleticism. Sometimes Metcalf is all explosive strength, the kind that fueled his 73-yard catch-and-run-away from two Cowboys corners last year. Other times he's channeling mental strength, the kind that drives a man to chase down a streaking safety half his size on an interception return (Arizona's Budda Baker in a still-legendary 2020 play).

And then there's Metcalf's personal favorite show of strength, the brute force he uses to block, which was on display when he forklifted Commanders DB Kamren Curl (who's also superbly jacked) yards upon yards past the sidelines during a game last season.