Hawkscanner
New member
Yesterday I was struck by an intriguing thought and rather than have it simply vanish in to the ether of an already established thread, I thought I would throw this idea out there in a new thread and see what other people think about it.
As we’ve been discussing the upcoming draft, many of us (myself probably at the front of the line on this one) have been focusing on LT when it comes to the Offensive Line. However, what happens in the event that a good LT option (in the eyes of Schneider and Carroll) simply isn't available at #26? What then? And is that even the place to start? Where do good offensive lines start from?
A couple of weeks ago, Rob shared something on this blog from Chris Collinsworth that was really quite intriguing …
https://www.profootballfocus.com/bl...cris-collinsworths-first-2016-nfl-mock-draft/
Collinsworth’s comments are interesting because he endorses a philosophy that I have had for years, but guess just never really fully articulated. And that is – is it possible that good offensive lines are NOT built from the OUTSIDE-IN … but rather from the INSIDE-OUT?
I think so. As I’ve mentioned many times throughout the offseason, the way that teams like the Rams and the Panthers were able to shut down our offense … was that they have very athletic active linemen (Aaron Donald, Star Lotulelei, and Kawaan Short) who blow up things right up the middle. And once they did that, the offense was pretty effectively nullified until adjustments were made.
And the more that I’ve thought about that, that was one big key to how we were successful in 2012 when Brandon Mebane was on the top of his game.
Getting stronger, more athletic, and overall more talented players right up the middle would seem to be the obvious solution.
So, if a good Left Tackle prospect simply isn’t available at #26 when the Seahawks draft, maybe the question to ask is – why fight it? Why go that route at all? Why not look to solidify the INTERIOR of that offensive line, possibly look for a potentially dominant RIGHT tackle in the draft, and hope that Gary Gilliam can become that LT of the future?
If that scenario presents itself (where there are no viable LT options at #26), the Hawks could look to possibly TRADE DOWN … pick up a Ryan Kelly or Nick Martin at the top of the 2nd … draft themselves the SPARQy interior linemen I believe they are already targeting (i.e. Connor McGovern, Graham Glasgow, etc.) AND perhaps net themselves an additional 3rd or 4th rounder in the process that they could use to get themselves someone who could be a dominant Right Tackle down the line (a Joe Haeg for example)?
They could end up walking away with THREE or FOUR fairly SPARQy linemen from this draft (some combination of) ...
Center -- Ryan Kelly, Nick Martin, and/or Graham Glasgow
Guards -- Connor McGovern, Graham Glasgow, Joe Dahl, Joshua Garnett, etc.
Tackles -- Germain Ifedi, Joe Haeg, etc.
If the Gary Gilliam LT experiment doesn’t work out this year … they would be in a position to possibly trade up next year, as they would have already laid the foundations of a solid offensive line through this year’s draft.
Thoughts?
As we’ve been discussing the upcoming draft, many of us (myself probably at the front of the line on this one) have been focusing on LT when it comes to the Offensive Line. However, what happens in the event that a good LT option (in the eyes of Schneider and Carroll) simply isn't available at #26? What then? And is that even the place to start? Where do good offensive lines start from?
A couple of weeks ago, Rob shared something on this blog from Chris Collinsworth that was really quite intriguing …
Source:The more football I watch, the more I’m convinced that center is a very underrated position. The other thing I’ve noticed is that edge rushers are almost entirely dependent on the interior rushers getting a push that keeps the QB from stepping up in the pocket.
So many teams put a premium on the center’s ability to get to the second level that they sign smaller centers that can move. I would put the premium on strength and size that could hold the point and allow my quarterback to step up. The Seahawks need help along that offensive line, and losing Max Unger in the Jimmy Graham trade last offseason hurt, but combining a talented young center like Kelly with Russell Wilson would give the Seahawks a communication tandem that would last a decade.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/bl...cris-collinsworths-first-2016-nfl-mock-draft/
Collinsworth’s comments are interesting because he endorses a philosophy that I have had for years, but guess just never really fully articulated. And that is – is it possible that good offensive lines are NOT built from the OUTSIDE-IN … but rather from the INSIDE-OUT?
I think so. As I’ve mentioned many times throughout the offseason, the way that teams like the Rams and the Panthers were able to shut down our offense … was that they have very athletic active linemen (Aaron Donald, Star Lotulelei, and Kawaan Short) who blow up things right up the middle. And once they did that, the offense was pretty effectively nullified until adjustments were made.
And the more that I’ve thought about that, that was one big key to how we were successful in 2012 when Brandon Mebane was on the top of his game.
Getting stronger, more athletic, and overall more talented players right up the middle would seem to be the obvious solution.
So, if a good Left Tackle prospect simply isn’t available at #26 when the Seahawks draft, maybe the question to ask is – why fight it? Why go that route at all? Why not look to solidify the INTERIOR of that offensive line, possibly look for a potentially dominant RIGHT tackle in the draft, and hope that Gary Gilliam can become that LT of the future?
If that scenario presents itself (where there are no viable LT options at #26), the Hawks could look to possibly TRADE DOWN … pick up a Ryan Kelly or Nick Martin at the top of the 2nd … draft themselves the SPARQy interior linemen I believe they are already targeting (i.e. Connor McGovern, Graham Glasgow, etc.) AND perhaps net themselves an additional 3rd or 4th rounder in the process that they could use to get themselves someone who could be a dominant Right Tackle down the line (a Joe Haeg for example)?
They could end up walking away with THREE or FOUR fairly SPARQy linemen from this draft (some combination of) ...
Center -- Ryan Kelly, Nick Martin, and/or Graham Glasgow
Guards -- Connor McGovern, Graham Glasgow, Joe Dahl, Joshua Garnett, etc.
Tackles -- Germain Ifedi, Joe Haeg, etc.
If the Gary Gilliam LT experiment doesn’t work out this year … they would be in a position to possibly trade up next year, as they would have already laid the foundations of a solid offensive line through this year’s draft.
Thoughts?