How he Fits: Terry Poole, the first 4th rounder

With the 30^th (130th overall) pick in the 4^th round of the NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected: Terry Poole, a tackle from San Diego State. A player that they’ve liked for some time during the process, according to Greg Bell, from Seattle PI, they’ve “been in contact with the team during the pre-draft process.” How does he help the Hawks?

What he brings to a battered o-line:

Poole played tackle in college, but most people see him transitioning to guard. Poole isn’t athletic enough to handle the edge duties that the glory position of left tackle requires, he “does not have the quick feet or athleticism to play left tackle” according to Bo Marchionte (he did play some right tackle in college also); there also isn’t a need for a tackle this year.

However, it is nice knowing that this guy is the Swish Army knife of linemen – he can theoretically play all 5 positions. Greg Bell reported that during Poole’s conference call with the local media that Poole stated he’s “going to be versatile player — play tackle, guard and center — just play it all.”

Jan 17, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; East defensive lineman Jermauria Rasco (59), of LSU, rushes as West offensive lineman Terry Poole (79), of San Diego State, blocks during the second quarter at the East-West Shrine Game at Tropicana Field . Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

But what Poole brings to this table, aside from being an extremely powerful lineman (showcased by a respectable amount of 25 reps at 225lbs at the bench press portion of the Combine), is that his addition sparks instant competition at the center position from LMJ and Patrick Lewis; he also forces Alvin Bailey—the current starter today at the left guard position—to look over his shoulder, and hopefully force him to lose some weight (something that Pete Carroll has publically called him out on during his radio show on 710 ESPN after the AZ Cardinals game).

I think Poole ultimately wins the starting center job, I think he’s perfect for the position.

What are his Traits?

He’s a strong man, with powerful hands. According to two draft analysts, Bo Marchionte and Lance Zierlein, they’ve stated that Poole posses a natural knack for run blocking. Lance Zierlein wrote that he has “good hand placement in run game” and Marchionte phrases that “Poole has the power and speed to get movement in his run blocks.” The fact that he’s a rather good run blocking linemen sings sweet music to our O-line coach, Tom Cable, known for his nasty attitude and deadly zone-blocking scheme.

Another thing Poole has shown that the job is never too high for him, “[Poole] proved himself capable of learning and adapting with success to both a new position and offensive scheme,” according to Marchionte. This is just wonderful to hear that he’s an intelligent lineman, with no concerns of him having a difficult time grasping Tom’s zone-blocking schemes.

He still has some work to do on his pass blocking but this offensive line was built to run the ball, which is something he does extremely well!

Final Thoughts

While some believe that he was a reach for being taken in the 4^th (many had him as a 6^th or 7^th rounder) round, all his traits show that’s he a very “seahawk-y” like offensive linemen and Seattle didn’t wanna take the chance of him being taken. Poole is extremely versatile and could ultimately become a key part of this offense for years to come (probably in the center position when it’s all said and done). I’m excited about this pick and every Seahawk fan should be too!

Next: Mark Glowinowski: How he fits

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