Perhaps no position group on the Seattle Seahawks will undergo more changes from 2019 to 2020 than the offensive line.
Two of their five starters – left guard Mike Iupati and right tackle Germain Ifedi – are set to hit free agency, along with backup tackle George Fant.
Center Justin Britt is a potential cut candidate, considering his hefty salary, and backup center Joey Hunt is a restricted free agent.
It sure looks like plenty of changes are coming up front for Seattle, and a lot will be determined by how they approach the draft.
Seattle has used early round picks on linemen a fair amount in recent years, including Ethan Pocic in 2017 and of course Ifedi in 2016. 2020 could see more of the same, and one option the Seahawks could pursue in the second round is LSU center Lloyd Cushenberry III.
Cushenberry led LSU’s offensive line to a championship last year, and helped them win the Joe Moore award for best overall unit. He’s known as an outstanding leader with strong intangibles – which will no doubt appeal to coach Pete Carroll – as well as his functional strength, length and overall polish as a blocker, particularly in the run game.
Cushenberry has some footwork issues, most college linemen do, as well as some concerns about his mobility and overall blocking range.
However, he seems to check a lot of the boxes that Carroll, offensive line coach Mike Solari and the Seahawks front office crave in their young linemen, and perhaps reuniting Cushenberry with his former teammate in Pocic will help both players succeed at the next level.
If Britt and/or Hunt are not retained, Cushenberry could absolutely come in and compete for a role on this team right away, and he’d be a very worthwhile gamble in the second round.
[lawrence-related id=56609]