Seahawks 7-round 2021 mock draft: Seattle goes running back first
By Lee Vowell
Round 5 – Guard Robert Hainsey, Notre Dame
Robert Hainsey was a right tackle at Notre Dame but I think Seattle takes him and moves him inside. Taking an offensive lineman in the fifth round doesn’t mean a team thinks that player should start right away but mostly intends for the draftee to be a developmental player and that is exactly what Hainsey is.
Hainsey is fairly athletic but will need to gain weight either as a tackle or a guard in the NFL and this will limit his athletic ability some. That is OK because moving a player inside to be a guard doesn’t really mean that player needs to be all that athletic.
Hainsey is 6’4″ and 295 pounds but because of his frame could add 20 more pounds easily. As a tackle at Notre Dame he lacked lower-body strength as a tackle but once involved in an NFL weight-lifting regime, Hainsey can build strength. This is what could make Hainsey a good guard at the next level.
He is a smart player and would easily be able to adapt technically to the NFL, but the question would be, much like Ethan Pocic, if Hainsey will be strong enough to play on the interior of the line. I think he can.