Russell Wilson: Reasons Why Seahawks Rookie Will Shine vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Seattle Seahawks rookie quarterback Russell Wilson will get the nod to start under center against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday evening, and there is reason to believe that he will take advantage of this opportunity and prove why he should be the starter come Opening Day.

The Seahawks brought in Matt Flynn via free agency during the offseason, and it was assumed that he would be deemed the starting quarterback based on his limited time with the Green Bay Packers.

Not so fast.

Wilson has not only outshined Flynn during the preseason thus far, but now has a legitimate opportunity to run away with the starting quarterback job after this game. The Seahawks have been so impressed with Wilson that they want to see what he's capable of when working with the first-team offense.

Here's two reasons why Wilson will shine against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wilson excels at throwing on the run

The Seahawks' offense isn't the most complex and intricate system in the NFL, but it's an offense that would be better suited for Wilson due to its need for a mobile quarterback. The Seahawks run a lot of bootlegs and require a quarterback who can pass accurately while on the run.

Wilson would prefer to be a pocket passer, but he does possess the athleticism and escape ability to move the pocket and create a play.

Just watch this clip of his throw in the 2012 Rose Bowl game while at Wisconsin.

This is the type of throw that coaxed the Seahawks into taking Wilson in the third round of the 2012 NFL draft, and expect to see plenty more of these throws against the Chiefs on Friday night.

Wilson is a very accurate passer

Wilson established a reputation of being a very accurate passer during his days at Wisconsin, and that skill has translated well during his first two preseason games in the NFL.

Thus far, Wilson has completed 22 of 33 passes (66 percent) for 279 yards three touchdowns. That's a very respectable 12.7 yards per completion.

However, these stats may not tell the entire story because Wilson has been playing against the second and third units on defense during his first two games. 

This matchup against the Chiefs will be a great test to see what Wilson is made of. The Chiefs ranked sixth in the NFL in pass defense last season, and that was without their star safety in Eric Berry.

But what Wilson has shown us this preseason is not a fluke. He was an extremely underrated quarterback coming out of college and would've been drafted much higher if he wasn't so undersized—he is listed as 5'11" on ESPN.com.

Wilson is very calm and poised in the pocket, which is very uncharacteristic for a rookie quarterback in the NFL. Expect him to continue to impress against the Chiefs and walk off the field as the starting quarterback after the game.