The Seattle Seahawks added some talent to the middle of their offensive line this offseason, but one draft pick could find a difficult time finding a spot on the final roster.
Justin Melo of USA Today’s Seahawks Wire broke down the team’s rookie additions to the offensive line, predicting that seventh-round draft pick Mason Richman faces an “uphill battle” to earn a spot on the final depth chart. Richman came to the Seahawks after an accomplished college career where he started 52 total games, including 42 in a row.
Seahawks Face Tough Competition at Offensive Line
As Melo reported, the Seahawks have plenty of young talent on their offensive line with several players still on their rookie contract expected to take on big roles.
“Rookie first-round pick Grey Zabel will start at left guard. Olu Oluwatimi and Jalen Sundell are competing at center, whereas Anthony Bradford and Christian Haynes are battling at right guard,” Melo wrote. “All five players mentioned remain on their rookie contracts.”
The Seahawks also addressed the interior of the line in the draft, landing Byrce Cabeldue in the sixth round and Richman in the seventh. Melo predicted that the logjam at offensive line will lead the team to part ways with Richman, who could be a candidate to return to the practice squad if another team doesn’t pick him up off waivers.
Rookie Lineman Comes With Track Record of Success
NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein shared some praise for Richman, who was predicted to grow into a bottom-of-the-roster caliber player. Zierlein noted that Richman initially started his college career at tackle before moving inside.
“Richman was a starting tackle at Iowa, but he might need to move inside to guard because of his lack of length,” Zierlein wrote. “He will need to add mass and more power to prepare for battles against NFL defensive linemen. He’s capable as a move blocker and he’s technically sound, but he might have trouble redirecting or neutralizing opponents at a satisfactory clip.”
The Seahawks overhauled their offense in the offseason, parting ways with veteran quarterback Geno Smith and signing Sam Darnold after his career-best season with the Minnesota Vikings. Though Darnold led the Vikings to a 14-3 record and a wild-card berth, he struggled with taking sacks at times, taking nine sacks in the team’s playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
ESPN Seahawks insider Brady Henderson noted that the team made some big upgrades to the line with the idea of keeping Darnold protected as he leads the offense.
“The most fretted-over position group among Seahawks fans received the upgrade it needed when GM John Schneider took guard Grey Zabel with the No. 18 pick. Seattle added another guard (Bryce Cabeldue) in the sixth round and a tackle (Mason Richman) in the seventh,” Henderson wrote. “Zabel looks like a potential difference-maker, but he’s the only one the Seahawks have added to what was a questionable interior.”
“Barring the addition of a veteran cap casualty, they’re prepared to let their in-house options battle it out at center and the other guard spot with the hope that new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme can help the entire line in ways that previous OC Ryan Grubb’s did not,” Henderson added.
