The Seattle Seahawks’ 2017 NFL draft class is not shaping up to be one of their best.
Pro Bowl corner Shaquill Griffin was a strong pick in the third round, and the team used their second seventh round pick on Chris Carson, but outside of those two picks the class as a whole has disappointed.
Malik McDowell, Amara Darboh, Nazair Jones, and Tedric Thompson are among the early round picks who either never suited up for Seattle, or are no longer with the club thanks to poor performances.
David Moore, Lano Hill, and Ethan Pocic are still with the team, but all three of them could be roster casualties if they don’t prove they deserve another chance during the 2020 season.
Pocic was the first one selected of the group, coming to the Seahawks as a late second round pick. The versatile offensive lineman only played in four games last year, starting one and appearing in 91 total offensive snaps before suffering a season-ending knee injury.
All told, Pocic has appeared in 30 games for the Seahawks, playing every position on the line except left tackle. That versatility is what made him appealing to Seattle in the first place, but his performance thus far has not been enough for him to earn a starting role.
Heading into year four, the door may look more open after the team’s release of D.J. Fluker and Justin Britt, two starters from last year’s line, but the addition of free agents B.J. Finney and Chance Warmack and the selection of hulking guard Damien Lewis in the draft seem to indicate the team is going in a different direction.
Lewis, Finney and Warmack will compete with a host of other interior offensive linemen, including Jordan Simmons, Mike Iupati, Phil Haynes, Joey Hunt and Jordan Roos, for spots on the offensive line in 2020.
Pocic’s best chance of making the roster is at backup center, where Finney is expected to start. He’ll be in direct competition with Hunt, the team’s backup center since 2016, and could face competition from Kyle Fuller and Haynes, who played some center in practice last year.
Pocic could theoretically challenge for a backup spot at tackle as well, where there is considerably less depth, but considering his best performances (which still aren’t great) have been on the interior, it’s unlikely he’d have what it takes to make it at that spot either.
The big question is if Seattle is willing to move on from a second round pick this quickly into his career, but considering the recent move to release both Jones (third round) and Thompson (fourth round) it might be time to cut bait on Pocic and admit that, outside of Griffin, Moore, and Carson, the 2017 draft just didn’t get the job done in the Emerald City.
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