Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Two athletic guards from the old Pac-12

With a glaring need to improve their interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks are widely expected to address that area in the NFL Draft later this month.

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And with a slew of draft capital, general manager John Schneider likely will have plenty of opportunities to do so. The Seahawks currently hold 10 picks, including five top-100 selections at No. 18, No. 50, No. 52, No. 82 and No. 92.

Who are some potential interior offensive linemen Seattle could target?

Earlier this week, as part of his annual Seahawks Draft Profile series on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, FOX college football analyst Brock Huard already identified a potential mid-round center in USC’s Jonah Monheim.

And on Friday, Huard continued his draft series by focusing on two more interior O-line prospects: Arizona guard/tackle Jonah Savaiinaea and Oregon State guard Joshua Gray. Huard said both players have the type of athleticism and quickness that would make them a great fit for new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s wide-zone blocking scheme.

“These are two really nice interior offensive linemen,” Huard said . “… These guys are athletic and move and have great strength and the things that you would love in this kind of system.”

Jonah Savaiinaea, OG/OT, Arizona

Savaiinaea has a massive 6-foot-4, 324-pound frame, along with impressive quickness for his size.

He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.95 seconds at the NFL scouting combine, which ranked third out of 29 offensive linemen. He also had a 10-yard split of 1.72 seconds, which was tied for second among offensive linemen.

During his three-year career at Arizona, Savaiinaea started 36 games at three different positions – with 16 starts at right tackle, 15 at right guard and five at left tackle.

At the NFL level, most prognosticators see him as a guard who also has the flexibility to fill in at tackle. ESPN ranks him as the third-best guard in the draft class, behind only Alabama’s Tyler Booker and North Dakota State’s Grey Zabel.

Among mock drafts, there’s a somewhat wide range of projections on where Savaiinaea could land. NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter has him being selected in the first round at No. 28 overall, while ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller has him going in the latter half of the third round at No. 91 overall.

“He is a massive guy,” Huard said. “He looks (even) bigger than 6-4, 324. He’s one of those that just looks like he blocks out the whole door, because proportionally, he’s exactly what you want. There just are not many guys that, … and he ran 4.95 at the combine at that kind of size. He also was a (team) captain and beloved by his teammates. They all call him ‘Big Jonah.’

“He’s a phenomenal athlete… and he’s got tackle-guard versatility,” Huard added. “He has length. He has 34-inch arms. It’s just some of the mirror and the footwork and maybe the finishing ability that’s a question.”

Joshua Gray, OG, Oregon State

Gray brings a wealth of college experience, having made a program-record 56 starts over his five seasons at Oregon State. As a three-time second-team All-Pac-12 selection, he started 44 games at left tackle over his first four seasons before sliding inside and starting all 12 games at left guard last year.

The 6-foot-5, 299-pound Gray continued to excel after the position change. He allowed only one sack last season and ranked 39th out of 563 FBS guards in run block grading, according to Pro Football Focus. Gray also moves well, having posted the sixth-fastest 10-yard split among offensive linemen at the NFL combine.

PFF ranks Gray as the 11th-best guard in this year’s class, while ESPN ranks him as the 14th-best guard. ESPN’s Miller projects him to be drafted in the latter half of the fourth round at No. 126 overall.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah also mentioned Gray during his appearance on Brock and Salk earlier this week, highlighting his “excellent quickness.” Jeremiah said Gray’s below-average arm length is a concern for some, but that he’d make for a good fourth-round pick.

Huard agrees.

“He’s just a good football player,” Huard said. “You know what I want? I want a good football player. (He started) 56 games at a three-time all-conference level – year after year after year. Joshua Gray is that kind of guy. … An absolute stud in the conference forever.”

Listen to the full conversation 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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