Interior offensive linemen the Seahawks should target in the 2020 NFL Draft
By Geoff Shull
The Seahawks interior offensive line could look much different next season. With injuries, regressing players and expiring contracts, Seattle has some big decisions to make during the offseason.
The Seahawks interior offensive line has been hunkered down most of the season by Mike Iupati, Joey Hunt and DJ Fluker. Iupati is set to be a free agent and with him quickly approaching his age 33 campaign one has to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Joey Hunt has filled in admirably for Justin Britt at center. However, he is undersized as was taken advantage on some plays by bigger defensive linemen.
DJ Fluker has a team option on his contract for the 2020 season. While players and coaches alike love the energy Fluker brings to the table, he has regressed significantly from the prior year’s production.
Below is a chart of how many snaps each offensive lineman had, how many penalties/sacks allowed and how many snaps per penalty and sack.
Snaps Penalties/ Snaps per
Name Played Sacks Penalty/sack
Justin Britt 504 3 168
Joey Hunt 613 6 102
Mike Iupati 1015 13 78
DJ Fluker 863 13 66
Jamarco Jones 317 3 106
Duane Brown 793 3 264
Germain Ifedi 1107 19 58
George Fant 462 3 154
What this breaks down to is that both guards, Mike Iupati and DJ Fluker, struggled mightily this year. Fluker was just marginally better than Ifedi in this regard, which is very concerning. At the center position, both Joey Hunt and Justin Britt were among the best on our team. However, for the marginal difference that Justin Britt brought over Joey Hunt, is it really worthwhile to pay Britt the 4th highest cap hit for the center position next year? Especially with him coming off a torn ACL.
The interior offensive line is likely to have some major overhaul this offseason. If Seattle has any chance at protecting the investment that was made in Russell Wilson, the team will need to make some big changes going forward. Fortunately, this years offensive line class is looking very good. Seattle would be wise to dip into the draft, to give the roster an infusion of young and hungry prospects.
Over the next few slides, I will highlight a few players that have the potential to shore up the interior offensive line for years to come.
Editors note, all the pictures in the following slides are of the pro comparison and not of the actual prospect.