Offensive Tackle Heavy Draft for the Seahawks?

Per DraftInsider.net:

Last week sources told me they expect an offensive tackle heavy draft from the Seattle Seahawks next month. The hope is to select a versatile edge blocker as protection in case the team cannot resign Russell Okung when his contract is up in two years.

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http://blogs.seattletimes.com/seahawks/ ... e-tackles/

I'm still a bit unsure which position the team views is Bowie's and Bailey's best, but it makes sense to add tackle depth/competition. I feel it's as big of need as wide receiver personally and worth a first round selection. Bowie showed improvement at right tackle but was continually abused against tough competition. I'd be concerned to pencil him in as starter. And I know Bailey payed well in preseason, but he's way to unproven and is he a guard or LT? Did he even play any RT in preseason last year?

I mentioned it in another thread, but I really hope Seattle drafts a pure swing tackle who can play both sides instead of the James Carpenter-types who is the RT or LG type.
Let the rookie and Bowie compete at RT and keep carpenter at LG as the starter. If the rookie wins out against Bowie in pre-season then you have a solid backup at RT/LG. Heck, maybe even Bowie can beat out Carp at LG (he did start against the Saints playoff game).

In terms of prospects, I'll be watching tackles when I get the time, but I've got my eye on Morgan Moses who has a lot of starting experience and great size and length. He played 3 years at RT then his senior year at LT, so he's got that swing capability.

I know Joel Bitonio is getting a lot of talk with Seattle fans, but he's come out and said himself that about half the NFL clubs he's talked to view him as a guard/center at the next level with the other half willing to try him at tackle first and move him if he can't handle it. I like the versatility, but personally I want an anchor at the RT, not a guy who's best position is guard and is a maybe at tackle.

I'm beginning to think we avoid OL with our first two picks, unless Bitonio makes it to our second.

I think there's a good chance he, Matt Patchan or Laurent Duvernay Tardif will be a Seahawk come May.

Austin Wentworth out of Fresno State is another guy to keep an eye on. Not much tape but has the measurable we seem to look for.

I don't doubt their yearning for an OT by any means, but the real question is, who will be available that would make sense at 32? I'm not sure I'm seeing it, especially when there will likely be a superior prospect at WR (or Shazier or Hageman/Tuitt).

What I don't want to see is us overdraft an OL at 32, that turns out to be a dude we are complaining about upgrading in the next few years. If the right guy is there, pull the trigger. Otherwise, I'm more inclined to find athletic but raw OL who need some time to develop and settle for a superior prospect at 32 & 64, even if they may not be as big as an immediate need as OL.

We lost the starting RT, and starting WR. It is rather obvious those will be addressed at some point in the draft. Since we are at 32, we are going to have to sit out all the moves in front and see who is there. My guess is they will use all 10 minutes to figure it out. That is unless they move back.

I can see the Hawks targeting OT and WR with our first two picks, depending on how the draft flows.

With one pick I could see us going after an OT that could compete for the starting RT spot his rookie season with the ability to slide over to the left side if Okung leaves the following season. Candidates, in no particular order:

Kouandjio
Moses
Bitonio
James
Richardson

Then with the other pick, snagging an impact WR:
Lee
Benjamin
Robinson
Adams
Bryant
Moncrief
Landry
Matthews

Personally, I see Bowie as a condidate for the RT position, with Bailey competing with Carpenter at LG.

Just my 2 cents.

Recon_Hawk":1k1kx3ex said:

I know Joel Bitonio is getting a lot of talk with Seattle fans, but he's come out and said himself that about half the NFL clubs he's talked to view him as a guard/center at the next level with the other half willing to try him at tackle first and move him if he can't handle it. I like the versatility, but personally I want an anchor at the RT, not a guy who's best position is guard and is a maybe at tackle.

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He said some teams see him as a guard, some a tackle. He did some center drills. Let's be right here. I'm not sure why some teams seeing him as a guard makes any difference what so ever. He played left tackle in college and excelled against top opponents.

And yes, he can play right tackle.

"SDC: Has your feedback from NFL teams led you to believe you’re probably going to be a guard or center on the next level?

JB: Yeah, I would say probably 60 percent of the teams I have talked to are saying guard or center for me. Some have said, ‘Oh, you could play tackle in a pinch.’ You can only have about seven or eight [lineman] active on game days, so they want someone who can be versatile and play multiple positions.

Forty percent of the teams are saying they would start me at tackle and see what happens. They said they only would move me inside if it didn’t work out at tackle. It has been mixed reviews in that aspect, but I would say I am being viewed as more of an inside guy right now."
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/shutdown- ... 55259.html

Like I said, "about half the NFL clubs he's talked to view him as a guard/center at the next level with the other half willing to try him at tackle first and move him if he can't handle it."

It makes a difference if Seattle is looking for a tackle and not a guard. The fact that over 60% of NFL scouts and GMs he's talked to think he's an inside offensive lineman and NOT a tackle suggest he might not fit Cable's system at RT as easy as some people think, despite who he played against.

It makes no difference if the Seahawks are one of the teams saying he could play tackle in a pinch.

It would make a difference if Seattle is looking for a tackle and not a guard.

(I feel like I'm repeating myself a lot in this thread.)

If you have more to say, please, explain it.

If we can make a 7th rd DT a starting NFL RG we can take a 4th or 5th Rd OT and make him a starting RT. Not sure we need to spend a 1st or 2nd but I'm always down with protecting Wilson.