5 Seahawk players who’s jobs are on the line

With the Seattle Seahawks adding 10 draft picks and a bevy of talented UDFA’s to their roster, a number of veteran players find themselves in a battle for their jobs.

The 2016 NFL draft has a different feel for the Seahawks. The 2013 – 15 drafts only produced a couple potential stars in WR Tyler Lockett and DE/OLB Frank Clark. The rest of the list is full of depth players and flat-out misses.

Going into this year’s event, the Seahawks absolutely had to walk away with a new, young, dynamic group of players at key positions. In other words, the next core to build around. The offensive line needed an overhaul, as did the backfield in the wake of Marshawn Lynch’s retirement.

Check and check.

But the Hawks didn’t stop there, they added a couple of impact players to their defensive line and a few more in free agency that appear talented enough to push for jobs. The overall talent level of the new rookie class is so solid that it’s conceivable all 10 draft picks could make the roster, with another 2 or 3 UDFA’s joining them, at least on the practice squad.

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Sound crazy? Don’t tell that to Pete Carroll and John Schneider. They aren’t shy about handing jobs over to young guys, and they understand that it’s a necessity given the amount of salary cap space being eaten up by young stars Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman and others.

But there are only 53 roster spots to go around, which means a number of veteran backups, and even starters in some cases, find themselves fighting for their jobs.

Who’s being put on notice?

Here’s our list of 5 Seahawk players who’s jobs are on the line:

PATRICK LEWS, C

On the surface, Lewis’ job would appear to be safe. First, he helped solidify the offensive line after a dreadful start. Once he was inserted for opening day starter Drew Nowak, that unit took a huge step forward. Lewis is only 25 and his best football would seem to be ahead of him.

But the Seahawks selected Joey Hunt out of TCU in the 6th round last week, and he’s been referred to by Carroll and Schneider as one player they “had to have” in this draft. He’s the kind of tough, experienced center who could prove to be a leader on that line for years to come, and in fact has been compared to former Hawk Robbie Tobeck in that regard.

The Seahawks cleared one potential challenger to Lewis’ job by releasing Nowak today, but they have another young prospect they like in Will Pericak, and they’ve toyed with moving 2015 draftee Kristjan Sokoli to center as well. The bottom line for Lews is; if Hunt shows up and establishes himself as capable of starting from day one, Lewis could be on the outside looking in. I certainly expect him to make the roster, but his days as a starter might be over sooner rather than later.

Next: More battles on the offensive line