Mock Draft: Chris Collinsworth project Seattle selecting center
By Keith Myers
In a mock draft, Chris Collinsworth projects the Seahawks will take a center in the first round of the draft.
In his first-ever Mock Draft, Chris Collinsworth from Monday Night Football has the Seattle Seahawks going in a somewhat unexpected direction. Collinsworth believes the Seahawks will take Ryan Kelly, the offensive center from Alabama.
At this point, most people believe the Seahawks will go offensive tackle in the first round of the draft. They currently lack a starting LT, so it is an obvious position of need.
It is important to note that the top offensive tackles were all off the board before the Seahawks had a chance to pick. That likely influenced Collinsworth’s selection of Kelly for the Seahawks.
"26. Seattle Seahawks: Ryan Kelly, C, AlabamaThe more football I watch, the more I’m convinced that center is a very underrated position. The other thing I’ve noticed is that edge rushers are almost entirely dependent on the interior rushers getting a push that keeps the QB from stepping up in the pocket. I like Kelly’s size. He should be able to hold his ground in the passing game to allow Russell Wilson to step up, get some movement on tough double teams, and still have the quickness get to the second level when needed. So many teams put a premium on the center’s ability to get to the second level that they sign smaller centers that can move. I would put the premium on strength and size that could hold the point and allow my quarterback to step up. The Seahawks need help along that offensive line, and losing Max Unger in the Jimmy Graham trade last offseason hurt, but combining a talented young center like Kelly with Russell Wilson would give the Seahawks a communication tandem that would last a decade."
Collinsworth has a very valid point in his reasoning for this pick. It should also be noted that the Seahawks do need an upgrade at OC, even if their needs at LT and LG are bigger.
The Seahawks had a turnstile at center for the first half of the season (Nowak) and an athletically-limited career backup (Lewis) there in the second half of the season. Those same two guys are the top two on the depth chart right now.
As you likely saw in his recent Mock Draft, my parter here on 12thMR will love seeing this. Dan is driving the Ryan Kelly hype train, and with good reason.
Kelly is a good player, and appears to be smart leader that’ll make Seattle’s line better the moment he takes the field. He’ll remind many fans of Max Unger, and that isn’t a bad thing.
On the other hand, the Seahawks dumped Unger for one simple reason; they didn’t believe he was athletic enough. Kelly is a good center, but he isn’t the type of player that Tom Cable likes.
Like it or not, but Cable seems more likely get Schneider to wait until late the in the draft and then select Jake Brendel out of UCLA. Brendel is a technically inferior, but highly athletic player, which likely won’t have much of an NFL career, but is more in-line with Tom Cable’s profile.
My skepticism of Cable aside, Collinsworth’s project of Ryan Kelly to the Seahawks is one that I can get behind.