ESPN insider’s potential draft cheat code for Seahawks’ O-line

Apr 15, 2025, 2:43 PM

Seattle Sports

With five picks in the top 100 of next week’s NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks have a prime opportunity to address their glaring need along the interior offensive line.

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Could that involve drafting two college teammates from one of the nation’s premier programs? That’s what one of the most well-known draft analysts is predicting.

In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller has the Seahawks using both of their second-round picks on Georgia offensive linemen. He has Seattle drafting Georgia right guard Tate Ratledge at No. 50 overall, followed by Georgia center Jared Wilson two picks later at No. 52 overall. Ratledge and Wilson started alongside each other at those same positions for the Bulldogs this past season.

During an appearance Friday on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk, Miller explained how that could give the Seahawks a unique edge.

“I’m kind of fascinated by the idea of putting teammates together, because they’re comfortable playing next to one another,” Miller said. “There’s not going to be that learning curve of, ‘OK, I’ve gotta figure out this center I’m playing next to.’ So if you draft these guys and put Wilson and Ratledge together, you’ve already got some chemistry on your offense line.”

Offensive line continuity is something the Seahawks have been sorely lacking over the past two seasons. Due to a slew of injuries and inconsistent play, they cycled through 10 different starting O-line combinations in 2023 and six different combinations in 2024.

“The data shows that continuity and chemistry on the offensive line matters a ton,” Miller said. “Teams work so hard to keep their starting five together once they get one. So you bring in two players who already have that relationship and that trust in each other, I think you’re cheating the game a little bit if you can bring in two teammates.”

The scoop on Ratledge and Wilson

Ratledge and Wilson are both widely projected to be drafted in either the second or third rounds. In his recently published draft prospect rankings, Miller ranks Ratledge as the eighth-best guard and the No. 63 overall prospect in this year’s class, and Wilson as the top center and No. 75 overall prospect.

The 6-foot-6, 308-pound Ratledge made 37 starts at right guard for Georgia, including 14 starts for the Bulldogs’ 2022 national championship team. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound Wilson began his college career as a reserve guard before changing positions and starting 12 games at center for Georgia this past season.

Both players received high grades from Pro Football Focus. Ratledge had the 13th-best overall grade out of 168 power-conference guards, while Wilson had the third-best overall grade out of 79 power-conference centers.

They both also have a level of quickness and athleticism that could be a great fit for new Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s zone-blocking scheme. At the NFL combine, Wilson ran the fastest 40-yard dash time among offensive linemen (4.84 seconds) and Ratledge had the fourth-fastest time (4.97 seconds).

“Jared Wilson is a great athlete at center,” Miller said. “He’s a one-year starter, but his athleticism and he’s ideal for zone running schemes. He’s a very good pass protector. And Tate Ratledge is just tough as heck.”

Miller then pointed to one of the Seahawks’ NFC West rivals as an example of drafting teammates who played alongside each other in college – albeit on the other side of the trenches.

Last year, the Los Angeles Rams drafted Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse with their first-round pick and defensive tackle Braden Fiske with their second-round pick. Verse and Fiske were a dynamic duo at Florida State, and they continued to excel together with the Rams this past fall. Verse was named the AP’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, while Fiske finished third in Rookie of the Year voting.

“It’s different on defense to some degree, but you see how well (Verse and Fiske) worked in tandem,” Miller said. “It’s even more important on the offensive line. So why not keep these two together?”

Listen to the full conversation with ESPN’s Matt Miller 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.