Huard: Seahawks O-line most surprising improvement this offseason

The offensive line has been the most heavily-critiqued position group for the Seahawks over the last few years. The unit ranked 31st in run blocking and 27th-overall last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and was dead-last in 2016. And it’s exactly why the O-line was the most surprising part of minicamp. for 710 ESPN Seattle’s Brock Huard.

“To have a bonafide Justin Britt, Ethan Pocic, and Duane Brown (is great news),” Huard said. Huard had earlier been asked about the most impressive player at Seattle’s minicamp, to which he replied that left guard Pocic stood out the most after putting on nearly 20 pounds this offseason.

For the first time in two years, said Huard, quarterback Russell Wilson could be playing behind one of the more consistent offensive lines he’s had – at least on the left side. It’s a thought boosted by the presence of Pro Bowl left tackle Duane Brown, who will get his first full offseason with Seattle since being acquired by the team in an October 2017 trade.

“Duane Brown came to us midseason, has the ankle injury right away, and you just never get to see him come into form,” Huard said. “He doesn’t get to practice during the week. And guess here he was (this offseason)? He was out at practice for every one of these suckers. He did not miss an OTA, he was right in there, and you had Ethan Pocic next to him.

“So really, I guess the most surprising takeaways was that at least one side of the line is solidified. The worst thing for Russell was that last year the line was leaky everywhere. ‘I don’t trust Rees Odhiambo on the left side, and (Germain) Ifedi’s the most penalized right tackle.’ It was just a mess. And now for Russell, if you give him one side of that line that he doesn’t have to worry about and he’s just sort of feeling the front of that line, to me that’s a huge, very pleasant surprise.”

Sims: Seahawks will see ‘immediate difference’ with Solari

Follow @stacyrost