Daniel Jeremiah: How Seahawks should address their O-line

The Seattle Seahawks have a glaring need to improve the interior of their offensive line.

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Veteran left guard Laken Tomlinson had a rough 2024 season and is set to become a free agent. Second-year pro Anthony Bradford and rookie Sataoa Laumea both struggled at right guard. And while second-year pro Olu Oluwatimi steadied the center position after Connor Williams’ abrupt midseason retirement, that could also be a spot Seattle looks to upgrade.

How best should the Seahawks go about addressing their interior O-line offseason? NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah dived into the topic Wednesday during his weekly appearance on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk.

“Your goal every year should be to bring in two offensive linemen that can eventually get on the field and play,” said Jeremiah, a former NFL scout. “And this draft, with the way it’s set up and with free agency, to me, I’m splitting it. I’m getting one veteran free agent and I’m getting one draft pick.”

Fortunately for the Seahawks, there appear to be plenty of good options.

In a recent ESPN ranking of potential free agents who could be on the market this offseason, seven of the top 50 players were guards. Kansas City guard Trey Smith is ranked No. 2, followed by Indianapolis’ Will Fries at No. 19, Dallas’ Zack Martin at No. 21, Philadelphia’s Mekhi Becton at No. 30, Detroit’s Kevin Zeitler at No. 35, Pittsburgh’s James Daniels at No. 38 and Chicago’s Teven Jenkins at No. 41.

And on Jeremiah’s recent ranking of his top-50 draft prospects, there are four strong interior O-line options. Alabama’s Tyler Booker is No. 14 on Jeremiah’s big board, Missouri’s Armand Membou is No. 17, Ohio State’s Donovan Jackson is No. 31 and North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel is No. 48.

“All those guys are gonna be outstanding – Day 1 starters, plug and play,” Jeremiah said. “You’re not gonna have to worry about those guys at all.”

A closer look at the draft prospects

Jeremiah’s top interior O-line draft prospect is the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Booker, who was an All-American guard at Alabama this past season. According to Jeremiah, Booker was viewed at Alabama as the offensive equivalent of former Crimson Tide outside linebacker Will Anderson, who was drafted No. 3 overall by the Houston Texans in 2023.

“He’s almost 6-5, 320 pounds, but can move,” Jeremiah said. “He’s really, really smart. They tell you he’s the Will Anderson of his offense there in terms of intelligence, leadership, intangibles – off the charts. The tape’s really good.”

The 6-foot-3, 325-pound Membou played right tackle for Missouri, but Jeremiah is among the many who project him to slide inside to guard at the NFL level. Jeremiah said Membou is “very close” to Booker in his evaluations.

The 6-foot-4, 320-pound Jackson also showed versatility in college, moving from guard to tackle for Ohio State’s national championship run due to injuries on the Buckeyes’ O-line. Jeremiah projects Jackson as a guard in the NFL and described him as a “steady” presence.

If the Seahawks want to draft a center, Jeremiah tabbed Zabel as the best option. The 6-foot-6, 305-pound Zabel played guard, tackle and center this past season for FCS national champion North Dakota State and was a standout at last week’s Senior Bowl.

“He was dominant at the Senior Bowl,” Jeremiah said. “I think he’s got a chance to go in the 20s when this is all said and done. Like, that’s kind of the range of where it could start. He probably goes 20 to 40, in that mix there. He’s the one center for sure that just jumps off.”

Listen to the full conversation with NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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