Jimmy Graham makes the Seahawks the team to beat

What about if I told you the Seattle Seahawks acquired Jimmy Graham? Would you believe me? Probably not. The first wave of free agency is over and the Seahawks made one of the biggest splashes no one could have expected. They traded their first round selection and Max Unger for the Saints fourth round selection and one of the best tight ends in the game today, Jimmy Graham.

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So, what now? What does this mean for Seattle? I’ll tell you what it means; It means that the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC could very well go through Seattle for the third consecutive season. The Seahawks finally got that target they have been lacking for some time now.

Jimmy Graham is your typical 6ft 7in, 265 pound athlete who played basketball for the Miami Hurricanes basketball team. With one season of football experience, he was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 2010 season. Graham started his NFL career playing behind Jeremy Shockey, finishing that season with 31 catches for 356 yards and 5 touchdowns.

His sophomore year was a year that he started to flourish, the year people were saying, this guy could be the next Tony Gonzalez, who also played basketball. Graham had 99 receptions for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns and made his first Pro Bowl, breaking records while doing so.

The Seahawks now have a player that has the most receiving yards in his first five seasons by a tight end in NFL history with 4,752.

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You would be lying to yourself if you don’t think Jimmy Graham doesn’t possess tremendous potential. Graham has an outstanding combination of size and speed for the tight end position and shows strength when going for the ball in a crowd, which the Seahawks lack in. Jermaine Kearse can go up and get it, but the inconsistency is what hurts their vertical game.

I stated in my recent article, adding a vertical presence to the perimeter passing game would make an already Super Bowl-caliber team that much scarier. That was me talking about Andre Johnson who has decided to sign with the Indianapolis Colts. Now we’re talking about Jimmy Graham, who is younger, playing alongside Russell Wilson who can beat you with his arms or legs and Marshawn Lynch, who can make a grown man think twice when trying to bring him down.

Jimmy Graham is that playmaker the Seahawks have been looking for, who can create mismatches, but acquiring such talent takes sacrifices. I’m not going to lie, trading away Max Unger, who is arguably the best center in the league, was tough for me. For you who know me know that I’m a big fan of the offensive line position. Offensive linemen aren’t praised as much as any other skill position is, which is understandable, they’re not playmakers. But do people really understand that offensive linemen are arguably the most important position in the game? Without these barbarians, there’s no 2,000 rushers or quarterbacks winning league MVP’s. They make football like Tango makes Cash.

We only notice these guys if plays aren’t being executed properly. We’re quick to judge them if your quarterback doesn’t make the first down or is being sacked. “Let’s not blame it on the players we wear on our back, let’s blame it on the unappreciated fat guy.” See how easy that was? People don’t realize how difficult playing this position really is. I for one don’t, but studying the game on a daily basis, I do know it takes size(obviously), intelligence, strength and quickness.

Oct 19, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) is sacked by St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) during the first half of a football game at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams won 28-26. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kane-USA TODAY Sports

The Seahawks pass protection rankings in the last three years according to football outsiders:

2014: 24th

2013: 32nd

2012: 20th

The inconsistency from the offensive line has led Russell Wilson to be sacked 86 times in the last two years, that’s the second most in that span behind Ryan Tannehill (104.)

Statistically, the Seahawks rushing numbers are much better when Unger is in the lineup, he was their best linemen by far. In 2015 alone, including playoffs, the Seahawks averaged 186.6 yards rushing with Unger in the game and 153.9 yards without.

Not only did the Seahawks lose Max Unger, but they lost their first round selection back in 2011, James Carpenter who I thought was coming around as of late but is now signed with the New York Jets. The Seahawks will be without two of their starting linemen from 2014, which means rebuilding their interior offensive line now becomes a priority.

Do I think Jimmy Graham makes the Seahawks the team to beat yet again? Absolutely. But the Seahawks must keep Russell Wilson healthy and to do so they might have to rely on guys like Patrick Lewis and Alvin Bailey Jr., who were both undrafted, and 2015 draft picks in order to do so.

Next: The worst 10 Free Agent contracts of 2015

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