The Seahawks have a clear offensive line plan under Klint Kubiak and John Benton. We know they’re going to run outside zone and adding players who fit the scheme will be important.

We’ve identified the prospects in the draft who graded best in zone in 2024. We also know the Saints, with Kubiak running the offense, drafted Taliese Fuaga in round one last year. He had a 91.3 grade. They also used a late round pick on Josiah Ezirim who had an 86.5 grade.

I wanted to look at the grades for the players drafted by San Francisco under Kyle Shanahan, given there is more data. It’s a mixed bag:

2024 — Dominick Puni (R3) — 68.9
2024 — Jarrett Kingston (R6) — 67.0

2022 — Spencer Burford (R4) — 79.8
2022 — Nick Zakelj (R6) — 77.3

2021 — Aaron Banks (R2) — 87.2
2021 — Jaylon Moore (R5) — 80.4

2020 — Colton McKivitz (R5) — 69.8

2019 — Justin Skule (R6) — 69.3

2018 — Mike McGlinchey (R1) — 90.0

The players drafted in the first two rounds (McGlinchey and Banks) both had very high grades. That could be important. Yet the two players drafted a year ago (Puni and Kingston) both had average zone blocking grades.

All in all, five players graded above 70, four didn’t.

I’m torn on this. On the one hand, the most physically aggressive player in the draft with the best pure guard tape since Quenton Nelson had a 65.5 grade in zone last year. Tyler Booker would be a terrific pick for the Seahawks but the grade doesn’t automatically make him a fit. I think he can play in zone but his tape is not as naturally suited to it as Grey Zabel for example.

However, as we all wait for the Seahawks to build a good offensive line for the first time in years, it would be difficult to pass on Booker — who might be long gone by #18 anyway — to only see him excel somewhere else.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks might be awkwardly positioned to take Zabel. After further tape study since the weekend, I believe he is a far better scheme fit than Kelvin Banks Jr. There might not be a better zone blocker in the class. But he is worth #18? That’s what I discussed in my video yesterday.

This is why I think it would be best for the Seahawks to solve their O-line issues in the veteran market, freeing them up to go best player available in round one. Depending on how he tests this week, that could still be Zabel. If it isn’t though, they won’t feel any pressure to force anything.

That will take some creativity though. Drew Dalman is an excellent option at center. At left guard, there are no obvious solutions in free agency. It’s why I’ve been trying to think of creative ideas. The one I keep coming back to is seeing if the Chiefs would have interest in trading Joe Thuney for Riq Woolen. Kansas City are never afraid to take on a highly athletic project and they need a cornerback. I don’t get the sense Woolen is a player Mike Macdonald particularly trusts and he might not exactly be a priority to extend on a big contract.

A deal like this, involving two players entering a contract year, might benefit both parties. The Chiefs save $16m, which could go towards trying to keep Trey Smith and/or Nick Bolton. The Seahawks get a proven left guard who graded a 79.1 in zone last season. His cap-hit would be $15.5m but that could be reduced slightly with a modest extension, similar to the Gabe Jackson deal. Losing Woolen would test Seattle’s cornerback depth but Macdonald has a track record of producing value performances at the position. Brandon Stephens, who excelled under Macdonald and struggled without him in Baltimore, is available and could be a cheap prove-it option.

I don’t think it’s likely. Thuney is beloved in Kansas City and the Chiefs can easily create cap-space using Patrick Mahomes’ contract. He might not be overly keen about moving to Seattle, given he’s spent the last few years competing for Super Bowls. You might have to make it worth his while.

I would like the Seahawks to think outside of the box though to try and address their O-line need. They’ve avoided first and second round busts in recent years with a ‘best player available’ approach. It would be best to try and retain that if they can — but that means fixing the line before the draft.

Finally, there’s some interesting news here on Quinn Ewers in the second half of this video…

Tom Pelissero reports that Ewers is working with none other than former Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy, a close friend of John Schneider. It doesn’t mean the Seahawks are going to draft him of course — but they’ll certainly be getting plenty of intel from McCarthy.

Pelissero also says Ewers played most of the 2024 season with a torn oblique. This isn’t a surprise. You could very clearly see a noticeable difference in Ewers’ mobility after the Michigan game. His play fell apart, not a shock given the injury was to his abdomen.

A reminder, in the three games before he suffered the injury, Ewers’ QBR was an 85.4. In the final five games of the season when he was healthier, he recovered his QBR to 79.7.

In the three games after returning from injury, where he rushed back to face Oklahoma and Georgia, before going to Vanderbilt, his QBR dropped dramatically to a 55.4.

This has to be taken into account when judging his performance in 2024. Admittedly it doesn’t excuse his injury history, which will be a concern. That said, I still believe some teams will see an opportunity to select Ewers in a value range, with no serious commitment to him becoming a starter, and feel like his selection is a shot to nothing.

Don’t be surprised if Schneider checks in with McCarthy for his thoughts on Ewers and considers taking him in this draft.