“Men win wars. Not magic tricks.”
Bronn’s point applies to modern football as well as the Game of Thrones. Specifically, the men who determine who wins and who loses are the very large ones in the trenches who often get overlooked despite their size. Even the cleverest offensive playcallers and most talented quarterbacks find it difficult to overcome a ragged offensive line. On defense, no amount of manufactured pressure can best having multiple pass rush threats and stopping the run can be pretty close to impossible without the right pieces.
The Seahawks can attest to all of that, coming off a season where they exceeded expectations but hit a hard and painful ceiling whenever they faced opponents with superior offensive and defensive line units. Back-to-back losses against the Super Bowl contender Chiefs and 49ers illustrated that much, as did the season-ending loss to San Francisco.
In order to catch up with the Niners – who are making their third NFC Championship appearance in four years this weekend – Seattle has to get bigger, meaner and better on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
With that in mind, we went into our latest 2023 seven-round mock draft with a simple idea: all linemen, every pick. Observe.