Seahawks rookie Coby Bryant will wear No. 8 to honor Kobe Bryant

The rookie cornerback was named after the Lakers star.

The Seattle Seahawks picked a famous name early in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. The Seahawks selected Coby Bryant, a cornerback out of Cincinnati, with the No. 109 overall pick after a standout year with the Bearcats that saw him team with No. 3 overall pick Sauce Gardner to form one of the most intimidating secondaries in college football.

Yes, Coby Bryant is named after Kobe Bryant even if he has no relation. His parents wanted to honor the former Lakers star while still giving their son a unique spelling so he could carve out his own legacy. Now Bryant is continuing to honor Kobe Bean by announcing he’ll rock No. 8 with the Seahawks.

Bryant posted this image on his Instagram account to show he’ll be wearing No. 8 in the NFL.

Bryant wore No. 7 throughout his college career with Cincinnati, but he changed to No. 8 just before the Bearcats played in the College Football Playoff this year.

“I just try to represent him as well as I can,” Coby Bryant said late last year. “The best way is to put the number 8 on. I took it back to vintage Kobe.”

Here he is going from No. 7 to No. 8 in college.

Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Will Bryant’s No. 8 Seahawks jersey be a hot seller with fans of The Black Mamba? I could see it happening.

Bryant will have a hard time separating himself from Kobe Bean regardless of what he does in the NFL, but he’s certainly embracing his namesake with this number selection. The Seahawks secondary now needs him to live up to the billing.