DK Metcalf on the chase down, his former roomie, and educating during Black History Month

Yahoo Sports’ Matt Harmon goes 1-on-1 with the Seahawks’ dominant wide receiver. DK dishes on his growth from year one to two in the NFL. He takes us back through one of the most remarkable plays of the 2020 season. Metcalf is raising awareness through social media… and describes his competitive relationship with another explosive young wide receiver. DK joined Yahoo Sports thanks to BOLT24. BOLT24 is an off-the-field hydrator, with functional ingredients like antioxidants and caffeine, that helps keep athletes prepared for the next game. To learn more about BOLT24, visit drinkbolt24.com.

Video transcript

MATT HARMON: Hyped to be joined now by Seattle Seahawks' stud wide receiver DK Metcalf. Talk to me a little bit about the transition from year one to year two, and what you're working on to get better here coming into year three.

DK METCALF: The transition from year one year two, in my opinion, was just a confidence switcher, in my opinion. After the Philly game, I really just, you know, just started to find myself on the football field. And then year two was just filled with me just studying film and learning the game more and more every week, and right now, I'm just continuing to work on, continuing to work on, just learning the game and watching film from last year, and just seeing what other ways I can get better.

MATT HARMON: Well, one of the most memorable moments, I think, in the entire 2020 NFL season and specifically your season wasn't so much about you being a wide receiver, man, it was you chasing down Budda Baker against the Arizona Cardinals.

- With six different receivers, and this time he [INAUDIBLE] kicked off at the goal line. That's Budda Baker. Budda Baker out in front.

- [INAUDIBLE] Metcalf track him down? Can he chase him down? And he does to save a touchdown.

MATT HARMON: Talk to me a little bit about what was going through your head. Like, did you really think you were going to catch up to this guy?

DK METCALF: I mean, yeah, absolutely. He caught the pig. Only thing on my mind was I got to get him, and I know when I passed the last Cardinals defender who was trying to block Russ, I just really just turned on the gears and just went and went and got him, in my opinion, but I tell people all the time, it was just something that I felt I had to do. It wasn't just a miraculous play in my opinion. It was just me just playing football.

MATT HARMON: You, actually, just the last couple of days, you've been tweeting out about Emmett Till, Black History Month, and just telling Emmett's story. Tell me a little bit about why you felt compelled to do that, and what's really just gotten you so drawn to this story?

DK METCALF: Well, I learned about him when I was younger and I moved back to Mississippi in the fifth grade. You know, for Black History Month, every day, we would talk about a new person. You know, Emmett Till, everybody who doesn't know the story, you can follow me on Twitter. I'm just laying out his whole timeline of his life, but it was just, in my opinion, a modern-- back then, a modern day George Floyd and how somebody just got brutally beaten, you know, just for no apparent reason. Just bringing awareness to the world and my followers, because I know many people don't know him or don't know his story, so just bringing awareness during Black History Month and for the rest of the year.

MATT HARMON: You are really supportive of your guy AJ Brown. You know, fellow Ole Miss wide receiver, another guy from that same draft class. I mean, you two are just both tearing up the league at this point. What's your relationship with him like, and do you guys kind of, does just how good both of you are, does that push each other to get better?

DK METCALF: Right. That's like my big brother, man. We went to college together. He was my roommate for a year while we were at college, so I mean, I just, I just want to see everybody make it, everybody succeed that's very close to me, so you know, just being in his corner and seeing all his accolades and all his stats, you know, is very, very heartwarming to me, but at the same time, you know, we both have that competitive spirit where we're not going to get outdone done by each other. So he's another player that pushes me, and you know, he just wants to see me do good. So we got that love hate relationship.

MATT HARMON: You're joining us on behalf of Bolt24 and Gatorade. Talk to me a little bit about what you're doing with Gatorade and how you're kind of incorporating it into your off-season training.

DK METCALF: Well, this is a newborn partnership that I'm excited for the future. They have a new drink called Bolt24. It's an off the field drink that I've been drinking this off season. No artificial sweeteners or flavors. It has watermelon water, and it just has 24/7 hydration, so you can drink it any time.

MATT HARMON: Thanks so much for spending some time with me, DK. I really appreciate it.

DK METCALF: Yes, sir. Thank you.