Huard: 3 most intriguing Seahawks after first week of camp

We’re officially a week into Seahawks training camp and while all eyes have been glued to the quarterback battle and DK Metcalf beginning practice after inking his contract extension, there are three young players who former NFL quarterback Brock Huard is keeping a close eye on.

Seahawks’ 3 draftees picked around DK in 2019 can make their marks on D

Here’s what Huard told Mike Salk during the latest Brock and Salk Podcast when asked about the most intriguing Seahawks players after the first week of camp.

CB Coby Bryant

The Seahawks drafted one of the best cornerbacks in the country in Cincinnati’s Coby Bryant, who earned the Jim Thorpe Award in 2021 for being the best cornerback in college football.

If Bryant can prove to be a capable NFL starter, that means a lot for the Seahawks, Huard said.

“If you’re right and you find that corner in the fourth round, it’s a game-changer. It’s a difference-maker,” he said. “You did in the fifth with Richard (Sherman in 2011) and you were right, and that paid enormous dividends. And you were able to kind of fill with some other pieces on the other side of Richard (at cornerback) for some years. … And he won’t be a Pro Bowler in Year One. He’s got to face … brutal guys in this division, the Cooper Kupps and others and the difficult offenses. He’s going to take a few lumps, just as Richard did and every corner does their rookie year. But he is certainly atop that list as the most intriguing guy one week into camp.”

OT Abe Lucas

Bryant wasn’t the only rookie on Huard’s list as he’s very intrigued by what’s going on with Abe Lucas, the Seahawks’ third-round selection out of Washington State.

The big tackle was tabbed by many, including Huard, to be Seattle’s Week 1 starter at right tackle opposite first-round pick Charles Cross, but Lucas has been working with the second team at the start of camp.

“A week in and he’s not (with the first-team). It’s been (2021 undrafted free agent) Jake Curhan and (2021 sixth-round pick) Stone Forsythe even got a little bit of work,” Huard said.

So what should we make of that information?

“That’s telling me that Abe’s learning curve is steep and that he’s climbing it,” Huard said.

Lucas comes to the Seahawks from WSU, where the Cougs ran an air-raid offense throughout his college career. The jump to an NFL offense is much different, even if he has all the tools to be successful.

“Smart guy, but just not super well-versed in a lot of the things that they want to do. As is athletic and big and powerful as he is, harnessing that and understanding it’s not about that in the NFL — it’s much more about technique and experience,” Huard said. ” …. I kind of penciled in (Lucas as the Seahawks’ starting right tackle). Maybe some of that was just simply OTAs where you did see the two rookie tackles (playing with each other). That sure would be nice if you could do that. But at least a week into camp from an intrigue standpoint, it’s not been that way.”

DB Marquise Blair

Huard’s also been intrigued by 2019 second-round pick Marquise Blair who, after a number of injuries in his first three NFL seasons, has started camp healthy.

“The other one that goes back three or four years that I was excited about when he came out of the draft – very excited about it – and that’s Marquise Blair,” Huard said. “And to finally be out there to not be on PUP to begin it is positive. To be out there when (safety Jamal Adams) was down in the mix out there at safety was positive.”

The Seahawks have a Pro Bowl safety tandem in Adams and Quandre Diggs, but Huard wants to see Blair in the mix there, as well. He also doesn’t think Blair is a nickel cornerback, despite Seattle playing him there the last two seasons.

“If he’s going to have a 10-year NFL career, I think he’s going to have to kind of get back to the sweet spot of his game, which is safety,” Huard said. “We know that Jamal with his finger is gonna be limited at times. I would like to see maybe Jamal be some (sort of) hybrid nickel linebacker at times in certain packages to see if Blair can get on the field.”

Blair’s skillset also caught the eye of new Seahawks defensive assistants Sean Desai and Karl Scott.

“He was the one piece I know that there was a lot of intrigue with the new staff that came in. Desai and Scott looked at him and said, ‘Wow, this this guy’s unique,'” Huard said. “And the fact that he’s been able to be on the field for a week. That’s intriguing, and that’s a positive sign as well.”

Listen to the entire Brock and Salk Podcast at this link or in the player below.

Rost: Seahawks questions that will and won’t be answered when camp ends

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