Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider admitted last week that need plays a major factor when setting the draft board.
The Seahawks' most glaring need going into free agency is on the offensive line -- and specifically, at offensive tackle.
But the combine confirmed what many across the league have been saying for weeks: This is shaping up as a weak group of offensive tackles.
The Seahawks take measurables into account at every position, but athletic testing has been particularly relevant in their offensive line selections in recent years. Guys such as Germain Ifedi, Mark Glowinski, Terry Poole, Kristjan Sokoli, Garry Gilliam and George Fant have all shown high degrees of athleticism.
Seattle clearly believes in taking guys who have physical tools that offensive line coach Tom Cable can work with. The problem? This class doesn't feature many offensive tackles with elite physical tools.
Zach Whitman has calculated the SPARQ scores for this offensive line group, and only five players who tested at the combine -- Utah's Garett Bolles, Western Kentucky's Forrest Lamp, San Diego State's Nico Siragusa, Tennessee State's Jessamen Dunker and Western Michigan's Taylor Moton -- ranked at or above league average in terms of athleticism.
Among that group, Bolles might be the only tackle, and even he has question marks. Bolles is 6-foot-5, 297 pounds and will be 25 years old when next season starts.
It's worth noting that Wisconsin's Ryan Ramczyk, considered one of the top tackle prospects in the draft, did not participate in physical testing at the combine because he's recovering from a hip injury. He could still be an option for Seattle in the first round.
The Seahawks might be willing to make exceptions on some of their preferred measurables in later rounds, but they're unlikely to do so in the first -- especially at tackle, a position that they've had trouble scouting.
The bottom line is at this point, the chances of the Seahawks landing a starting-caliber tackle in the first round seem slim.
Schneider said at the combine that the Seahawks got too young on the offensive line last year. In Fant, Glowinski, Ifedi and Rees Odhiambo, Seattle has a group it believes can develop.
But if the Seahawks want to add competition at offensive tackle this offseason, they might have to make a move via trade or free agency rather than the draft.
