Putting an emphasis on the trenches in their first draft entering the Mike Macdonald era, the Seattle Seahawks invested three of their eight picks on offensive linemen, including snagging UConn guard Christian Haynes in the third round as a potential day one starter.
Considering Seattle lost all three of its interior starters from last season in free agency, starting with four-year starting left guard Damien Lewis, the shift towards the line of scrimmage shouldn't have come as a surprise. Luckily for general manager John Schneider, he has an asset at his disposal that most NFL teams can't rival in Hall of Famer Steve Hutchinson, who serves as a football consultant for the front office and actively takes part in pro scouting.
Having witnessed Hutchinson's fantastic NFL career and building a strong relationship with him dating back to his time as a scout for the Seahawks, Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy believes his presence gives the organization a tremendous advantage evaluating the offensive line, which unfortunately wasn't a strong suit for the scouting department during most of Pete Carroll's tenure as head coach.
"They're lucky to have Hutch as part of that scouting department now, that is an unbelievable resource for them." Nagy said during an interview on the Locked On Seahawks podcast. "Not all players who scout are great scouts. But just talking offensive linemen over the years with Hutch, he knows exactly what he's looking at. He's really dialed into the makeup of these players."
Since Hutchinson, who earned All-Pro honors seven times in his illustrious career, joined the scouting department prior to the 2020 season, Seattle has found more success selecting quality offensive linemen via the draft. In his first year back with the organization, Lewis arrived as a third-round pick out of LSU and immediately earned a spot in the starting lineup at left guard. Prior to bolting for Carolina in March, he started 61 games in four seasons with the franchise.
With only three picks in the 2021 draft, Hutchinson carried a strong voice in Seattle's decision to select of Stone Forsythe in the sixth round. Thrust into action for eight starts at right tackle in 2023, the former Florida standout has developed into a solid reserve swing tackle as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, providing good value for a late day three pick.
Two years ago, the Seahawks reinvented their offensive line by selecting tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, installing them as Week 1 starters and only the third pair of rookie tackles to open a season starting for an NFL team since 1970. Though injuries marred Lucas' second season, both players remain foundational pieces for the offensive line moving forward, while center Olu Oluwatimi and guard Anthony Bradford, who were drafted in 2023, will have a chance to carve out long-term starting roles this summer.
As Nagy noted, Hutchinson has continued to swing a big stick for Seattle's scouting department, spending extensive time visiting with line prospects this past fall as well as at the Senior Bowl.
"When you get a Steve Hutchinson coming to your school, you're not going to treat him like every other scout on the road right?" Nagy said. "I'm surprised more teams haven't done that with legendary players because these schools roll out the red carpet for Hutch when he goes in. Not only does he get to watch the guy practice and watch tape like all the other scouts, I'm sure he sits there for however long as he wants to sit there and watch tape and talk football with them. So you know it's a great resource for John [Schneider]."
Having done his homework on the road meeting and speaking with numerous prospects, Schneider leaned heavily on Hutchinson's expertise and opinion throughout draft weekend. As everyone in the room sweated out the process waiting to pick at 81 overall, per Seahawks.com, the esteemed general manager turned to Hutchinson and asked him what he thought of Haynes.
In response, Hutchinson told Schneider he thought Haynes was going to be a "really good [expletive] player," and moments later, the Seahawks turned his name in as the selection. With the Hall of Famer actively involved throughout the process entering a busy day three of the draft, the team later added Utah guard Sataoa Laumea and Findlay tackle Michael Jerrell in the sixth round, adding more depth and upside to the offensive line.
Per Nagy, who reached out to Hutchinson after the draft concluded, the consultant couldn't have been happier with the trio of linemen Seattle landed despite not having a second round pick due to the Leonard Williams trade from last October.
"I know he liked Christian Haynes," Nagy said, again referencing Hutchinson's presence as an underrated move for the Seahawks front office. "He was fired up after the draft after those three guys. I texted him and he was excited about all of the offensive linemen they took."
Looking towards the 2024 season and beyond, the Seahawks have plenty of questions left to address along the offensive line with a new coach in Scott Huff taking over. After missing 11 games last season, Lucas underwent offseason knee surgery and likely won't be back on the field until the start of training camp at the earliest, while Cross has yet to take the jump towards becoming a top-10 left tackle as the organization envisioned when they drafted him ninth overall two years ago.
In the interior, with three starting jobs left to fill, Oluwatimi has just one career start under his belt and Bradford endured a rocky stretch of play starting 10 games as a rookie last season. It remains to be seen whether either of them will emerge as a viable long-term option, but veteran center Nick Harris and Haynes will be ready to push them for a starting spot right away, while Laken Tomlinson should provide a steady stop gap at left guard for Seattle with Laumea developing behind him.
Given the youth and lack of experience overall up front, time will tell if the Seahawks can finally assemble a cohesive offensive line that becomes a strength for the team. But unlike most of the 2010s where the franchise struggled to draft and develop linemen, with Hutchinson leaving a major imprint on the construction of the group and Huff ready to make his mark, there's no shortage of optimism and excitement about what the unit can potentially become.
