Why Huard is big fan of Seahawks’ sixth-round OL draft pick

Apr 29, 2024, 12:37 PM | Updated: 12:58 pm

Seattle Seahawks Laumea Sataoa NFL Draft...

Sataoa Laumea of the Utah Utes blocks against Oregon in 2023. (Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

(Chris Gardner/Getty Images)

Seattle Sports

The Seattle Seahawks placed a major emphasis on their offensive line in the 2024 NFL Draft this past weekend, using three of their eight picks on the position group.

Seahawks ’24 NFL Draft Breakdown: A look at all 8 Seattle picks

One of those picks was Utah offensive lineman Sataoa Laumea, who Seattle drafted with the No. 179 overall pick in the sixth round on Saturday. The 6-foot-4, 319-pound Laumea was a four-year starter at Utah and a three-time All-Pac-12 selection who has considerable experience at both right guard and right tackle.

Former NFL quarterback and current FOX college football analyst Brock Huard covered three Utah games last season and was a big fan of the pick. During Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk on Monday, Huard explained why Laumea was one of his favorite Seahawks picks of the draft, especially since they got him in the sixth round.

“My favorite overall pick is the sixth-rounder Laumea,” Huard said. “I mean, (first-round pick Byron Murphy II) is right there. He’s going to be the most impactful. There’s no question about it. But (Laumea was) my favorite overall pick. Like, when it hit the board, I’m like, ‘Oh, that’s right, I should have previewed that freaking guy.’ I liked him. I liked him a lot.

“I know in my Utah prep this year,” he added, “I put together videos (for my colleagues) like, ‘Look at this guy. Look at this guy. We’ve gotta have our camera on this guy, because whistle to whistle, he loves putting people to the ground.'”

Huard pointed out that new Seahawks offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and new Seahawks offensive line coach Scott Huff – who joined the team this offseason after holding the same positions with the UW Huskies – have experience facing Laumea in the Pac-12.

“Laumea’s got just a nasty, nasty streak,” Huard said. “And this staff knew him. Grubb and Huff, they played Utah. Like, you get that just hand in the ground and we’re gonna maul you and we’re gonna fight you. I mean, look at the success that Utah’s group had up front the last few years. (And) he was the centerpiece of it – the most talented of that crew.”

Where will Laumea play?

At Utah, Laumea started 19 games at right guard and 25 games at right tackle. Most of his time at right guard came in 2020 and 2021, while he primarily played right tackle in 2022 and 2023.

“I loved him as a guard at Utah, and they slid him out to play tackle and he got exposed a little bit,” Huard said. “He’s not a tackle, from just lateral movement and everything else. He’s a guard. He’s a tall guard, kind of a little bit unconventional guard. … He is longer. He looks like a tackle, so I can see why they tried to play him there, but the dude is a guard and he’s been an all-conference performer year after year after year.

“They had some some depth issues at tackle at Utah and some guys that were capable, powerful guys to play guard,” Huard added. “But had he just stayed at guard and been all-conference every year and maybe not had some of that exposure at tackle, there’s no way he’s sitting there in the sixth round.”

Huard said players from longtime Utah coach Kyle Whittingham’s program often possess a certain level of maturity and toughness.

“You know what you’re getting when you’re getting a Utah guy,” Huard said. “I mean, you just do, especially at the line of scrimmage. And their O-line coach there at Utah has been there a long time. It is familial. … That O-line group there at Utah is a really fully mature, bloomed, established crew. And with it you get a lot of physicality, because they’re in pads a lot. But you kind of also get just a selfless understanding that I want to fit into this group and into the makeup of this group. I think he’ll be a pretty cool piece to watch.”

Listen to the full conversation from Monday’s Brock and Salk in the podcast at this link or in the player near the top of this post. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.