The Seattle Seahawks missed out on the playoffs once again in 2024 despite posting a 10-7 record, though they might have made the postseason had they been able to provide better protection for Geno Smith.
Seattle's offensive line was once again a huge problem for the Seahawks, who surrendered 54 sacks in 2024, tied for the third-most in the league.
The O-Line is therefore likely to be a big area of focus for Seattle this offseason and, in his latest mock draft, A to Z Sports' Travis May has the Seahawks making a concerted effort to fix it.
Seattle is scheduled to pick 18th in the first round, and May has the Seahawks using that selection on Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons.
He writes of Simmons:
"The Seahawks offensive line was an atrocity in 2024. Between the lot of them, Seattle's offensive line surrendered over 250 pass rush pressures on the season according to multiple charting services, never giving Geno Smith a chance in most games. Josh Simmons emerged as one of the most elite offensive tackles in college football prior to going down with injury for much of last fall. He's still rising up NFL Draft boards quickly."
The Seahawks have recently invested a lot in the tackle position. However, with right tackle Abe Lucas having been limited to just 13 games across 2023 and 2024, it would make sense for Seattle to find a more reliable option across from Charles Cross on the left side.
Arguably a more significant problem than the tackle spot is the interior offensive line. The Seahawks landed a steal in acquiring guard Christian Haynes in the third round last year but, between Laken Tomlinson, Anthony Bradford, Sataoa Laumea and Haynes, Seattle had some of the worst guard play in the league in 2024.
In May's mock, the Seahawks make a move to remedy that, taking Tate Ratledge out of Georgia 50th overall.
May writes:
"Tate Ratledge was injured for a significant portion of last season, but he posted his third consecutive season of 99% pass block efficiency according to Pro Football Focus. He was a top leader and team captain for the Georgia Bulldogs. He plays with great discipline and strength. Ratledge may be the best pure pass blocking interior offensive lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Seahawks need to completely revamp their offensive line and Ratledge is yet another building block in that process."
May rounds off his picks for the Seahawks by having them select UCLA linebacker Carson Schwesinger 82nd overall.
With Ernest Jones set for unrestricted free agency after a 2024 season of great turnover at linebacker for Seattle, that pick would make a lot of sense, but the success of the two picks in the trenches would define the success of the this draft for a team desperate for some consistency up front.