Seahawks rookie Abe Lucas might have pancake-blocked his way into a starting job

While there’s been a lot of attention on rookie left tackle Charles Cross, one of the other bright spots in preseason for the Seattle Seahawks has been third-round rookie right tackle Abraham Lucas.

The former Washington State Cougar has been competing with Jake Curhan for the starting right tackle position, and he has made a strong case for Seattle book-ending their retooled offensive line with rookie tackles. One of Lucas’ themes this preseason has been pancake-blocking defenders on running plays, including this one Friday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

Or this one against the Chicago Bears.

Or his debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But blocking ain’t all about pancaking another dude, and so far Lucas and Charles Cross have both been up to the challenge.

“In general, I’m really pleased with him,” Carroll said of Lucas on Friday night after the Dallas Cowboys game. “He did a fantastic job for a first [year] guy. But both guys, coming out of the same system, different parts of the country, have made the transition to be run guys. They come off the rock, they’re both physical, athletic. Finishing well, that’s the stuff I’m looking for.

Jake Curhan has been playing a fair bit at right guard, and with the injury to Damien Lewis he may end up being more depth at the position alongside Phil Haynes while Lewis recovers from his ankle injury. Nothing’s set in stone with Lucas getting the job, but he has seen his first-team reps in practice increase and his on-field performances may have tipped the scales in his favor.

We don’t want to get too excited yet because the regular season is a different beast, but there might be at long last reason to be optimistic about the young talent on the Seahawks offensive line.