To be clear, I'm not arguing against drafting a center. We could get a top center prospect well into the draft
because they have lower importance than the other positions. If you're deciding between WR7, CB8 and your top center prospect then the difference in talent can outweigh the positional value.
It's just bonkers to think that of all of our shortcomings from 2015-2022, play at center position has been what has held us back. Take the 2018 WC loss to Dallas as a completely random example. If you had the chance to improve that roster, would one of your first 10 moves really be to upgrade Justin Britt?
Just on offense we needed a third WR better than Jaron Brown and David Moore. TEs better than Dickson and Vannett. G upgrades for Fluker and Sweezy. RT better than Ifedi. RB depth behind Carson way better than McKissic and Davis. Then on defense we couldn't stop Zeke, only had 1 sack and Dak had a passer rating over 100 when targeting any of Shaq Griffin, Akeem King or Justin Coleman.
That doesn't even get to our biggest problem, which was having Kam, Earl, Dissly, Prosise, and Maxwell on the IR list. Our centers have actually been available on gamedays over the years which is one of the best characteristics to have.
Overall, the line did run block well, but if this team is to convert 3rd and 1 or 2 yards via the run it cannot allow penetration right up the gut. Same with pressure in the face of the QB.
Many ways to fix the problem, and I do not want the team to underestimate the importance.
An outside zone scheme repeatedly running an open field back like Walker into the A gap is probably not a recipe for success no matter who our interior OL is. PFF grades certainly aren't everything, but Blythe was their second highest graded player on offense during that wildcard loss to the 49ers. Replacing him with a better center wouldn't have changed the outcome.
As you say, there are other ways to fix the lack of an interior running game. For starters, we ran gap 30% of the time last year and had success pulling Lewis and Cross over to the right side. The offense gets an enormous advantage in that they choose where the ball is going, so you can move your blockers to gain an advantage, maximize your best players and hide your weak players. That's a fundamental advantage over defense where if you have a weak link, you can't hide it because the offense is obviously going to chose to go there over and over.
A short yardage back would also improve the issue. Walker did fine in that game for only getting 16 carries, but Dallas had 6 uninspiring carries and both have way too much variance in their styles to be comfortable options if you need one yard.
We could also use an upgrade at RG. Jackson had to play the entire wildcard game and was the worst run blocker on the line by a large margin. I'm less sold on Haynes than Brown, Haynes is at the more important position, and yet there's more discussion about center than guard from many Seahawk fans.
We could also add possession receivers that keep the defense honest on short yardage. That could be a flex tight end or slot receiver who can move the chains over the middle of the field, or a third down back with good hands. Or adding a huge TE like Darnell Washington would upgrade the run blocking more than a replacement center would.
