Seahawks 2013 offensive line draft thoughts

My plan is to write a series of short blurbs on the Seahawks' Draft, and to keep them bite-size, I will publish them by position group. Look to see a few of these blurbs pop out in the next few days and weeks.

Offensive line:

I was surprised the Seahawks did not draft an offensive lineman in the early part of the draft, but after listening to Tom Cable on ESPN 710 (Bob & Groz) and Ian Furness (KJR 950) this last week, the outcome made sense to me. 2013 was a Draft with a ton of line of scrimmage players taken high, and a shortage of elite skill position talent. The O-line players the Seahawks had targeted in Round 2 went in Round 1, and the O-line players they targeted in Round 3 went in Round 2.

Schneider also said, post-draft, that there was a "big shelf" from the middle of the 2nd round (aound Menelik Watson territory to Oakland) down to the 4th/5th round. Once that early ship had sailed, the board never fell just right for the Seahawks until the 7th round, where they selected three players on the offensive line.

The Seahawks didn't "get out ahead" of the O-Line situation, but they are also not "behind." They still have Breno Giacomini and Paul McQuistan locked up through 2013 and could probably re-sign either of them if they chose to spend their cap dollars in that manner. Personally, I think they will be looking to save some cap room on the right side of the O-line over the next few years as Percy's contract begins to take over (jumps from $4.9M in 2013 to $13.4M in 2014). By 2015, you will probably want to lock up Boy Wonder Wilson, so it would be wise to have your Right Tackle and your Swing Tackle on rookie contracts, if possible.

When you listen to Tom Cable talk, it is clear that he views Giacomini as a "high effort, tough guy" type player (my words, not his) and not the ideal athletic fit at Right Tackle. Right Tackle is becoming more important in the NFL, and interestingly - all the Tackles taken high in the 2013 are actually starting out at Right Tackle! This list includes Luke Joeckel, Lane Johnson, Eric Fisher and others such as D.J. Fluker. (!!!)

I think the Right Tackle position is pretty important to Seattle as they are a run-first team with one key "bread and butter" play:

The Outside Stretch Zone

This one key play targets the Right Tackle or Left Tackle at the Point of Attack, and then the running back, depending on how much the defense has over-pursued or under-pursued toward the sideline (stretched), chooses a crease and 'runs downhill'. The outside zone stretch also helps set up Seattle's play action attack.

Giacomini is getting paid $4.25M in cap dollars in 2013 because he can run block. If the Seahawks could find a young player who could lead in the run game, as well as be an upgrade in the passing game - I think it would be a worthy pick anywhere from the bottom of Round 1 to the bottom of Round 2 in 2014.

It would also be prudent, mid-to-late in the 2014 Draft to find another depth Tackle in my opinion. The "Home Run" option would be if Michael (I always want to type "David") Bowie develops, but at this point, I would consider it a win, and not a long-shot, that he makes the 2013 53-man roster as the 9th/10th O-Line player, not as a starter in 2013.

On the Guard side, Seattle has numbers, but no stars have yet emerged - James Carpenter, J.R. Sweezy, John Moffitt, Rishaw Johnson, and now Ryan Seymour may challenge for Lemuel Jeanpierre's spot. I consider Jared Smith, aka "Fat Rabbit," more a practice squad type player for 2013.