With his tenth pick in the 2025 NFL draft – number 234 overall – John Schneider continued a significant overhaul of the entire offense with the selection of Iowa tackle Mason Richman. The pick suggests what all Seattle Seahawks fans knew coming into the draft – that the offensive line needs a rebirth. But it may speak directly to last year’s sixth-round pick, Michael Jerrell, more than anyone.
Nine of Schneider’s first eleven picks were on the offensive side of the ball, and three, including first-round selection Grey Zabel, were linemen. This is the second straight year that Schneider has invested three picks in offensive linemen. The results in 2024 were not encouraging.
All three of this year’s group played tackle in college, but both Zabel and sixth-rounder Bryce Cabeldue are expected to move inside. That may also be true of Richman, whose arms are short of the ideal tackle length. But the message for Jerrell is clear. He needs to show growth in his second season, or his roster spot is far from certain.
Seahawk draftee Mason Richman is one more dice roll for John Schneider
Richman is not the physical specimen that teams look for in a dominant lineman. But he has a ton of experience and has shown steady improvement throughout his college career. He enters as a developmental player, just as Jerrell did in 2024.
Jerrell may have only made the team last year because of the injury to projected right tackle Abe Lucas, but he did enough to earn a few starts in the middle of the season. He even showed some genuine promise early on.
Sadly, he could not build on that and was demoted once Lucas was healthy enough to play. Not much was heard from Jerrell in the second half of the season.
Seattle has allowed two of last year’s depth pieces – George Fant and Stone Forsythe – to leave. Josh Jones looks to serve as the primary swing tackle behind Lucas and Charles Cross. That probably leaves Jerrell battling it out with whichever new edge protectors show up. That group will include Richman.
Richman is going to offer versatility and, despite his rookie status, a good level of experience. Those are very valuable traits in a deep backup. Jerrell has more physical tools – longer arms, quicker feet, and solid core strength. But after that brief flicker last year, he looked overmatched against quality NFL linemen.
Richman won’t be expected to jump right into the fray either. Seventh-round picks rarely do that. But his presence, and the fact that John Schneider spent a draft pick on him, let everyone know that the Seahawks are not satisfied with what they got from their line last year.
Richman may be headed for the practice squad come September, but his mere presence should light a fire under every single lineman, and especially under fellow backups like Michael Jerrell.
