Seahawks Ethan Pocic in battle for roster spot in 2019

Seahawks guard Ethan Pocic once showed some promise with Seattle. But in 2019 there is a decent chance he doesn’t even make the team.

The Seahawks must have had an “uh oh” moment about Ethan Pocic in 2017. He started 11 games in his rookie year but seemed to digress as the season went on. He started four games in 2018. Pocic was drafted in the second round in 2017. This was when Seattle’s offensive line was coached by the inferior Tom Cable. Had Mike Solari been the offensive line coach in 2017, Pocic probably would not have been drafted by Seattle.

Pocic is probably a decent human being. I hope he becomes an All-Pro player in Seattle just as I hope every Seahawk becomes a Pro Bowler. Pocic, however, came into the NFL needing to gain strength. The thinking was that after a year of lifting weights and learning how to do that as a professional he would be stronger and be better. Pocic isn’t any better than he was as a rookie. He has flatlined.

The thing is, Pocic made Gil Brandt’s All-Rookie team in 2017. So what happened? Seattle’s offensive philosophy for one. Under Cable, Seattle used a lot more finesse zone blocking schemes. If Pocic was going to be good in the NFL, and he still might, this is the kind of scheme in which he would be productive.

Now under Solari and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, the Seahawks want to smash teams in the mouth a lot more. This means guards need to create push and drive defenders back. Pocic isn’t consistently capable of doing this. Pocic isn’t D.J. Fluker. He’s not strong enough.

The problem for Pocic is that he doesn’t seem to be 2019 draftee Phil Haynes either. Haynes has stood out in offseason camps so far as a big, strong guard. Pocic will never be Haynes as far as strength and as long as Pete Carroll gets his way offensively, Seattle will run the ball a lot. This means Haynes with his strength has a much greater opportunity to play than Pocic.

Pocic is bigger than Joey Hunt, too. Hunt also can only be a center in the NFL and Pocic has versatility. But Hunt is extremely smart when it comes to football. He knows the Seahawks offense as well as anyone. If starting center Justin Britt has to miss time, Hunt could come in and call the offensive line plays perfectly. He isn’t big and isn’t a long-term answer at the position but Hunt might make the team simply because of his value of knowing the offense.

While Pocic has versatility, Seattle needs strength that Pocic does not have. He also doesn’t have Hunt’s smarts. If Pocic makes the team, it’s because the Seahawks want to go with fewer offensive linemen and will use Pocic versatility. If he doesn’t make the team, it’s because Seattle thinks it will be better without him. And they probably would be.