Seahawks 2021 draft target: Tight end Hunter Long
By Lee Vowell
The Seahawks need to replenish its tight end group for the 2021 season. Will Dissly is solid but Seattle needs more. Maybe Hunter Long in the 2021 draft would help Seattle have a duo at tight end it could rely on for several seasons. Dissly will be a free agent after 2020 as well and Long could replace him.
But before we get that far I should say I hope that Dissly is a Seahawk for lots of seasons because he can catch and block and is the answer to the question, Does Seattle have a good tight end? Yes, they do. It’s Will Dissly.
But Hunter Long can be as good as Dissly and does the same kind of things well and he might be an even better receiver. Long is strong at the point of attack as a blocker, just like Dissly. He uses his 83″ wingspan to the best of his ability and this allows him to keep edge rushers away from his quarterback.
Long is nearly 6’6″ and could add weight to his frame. Coming into college he was just 235 pounds but added 20 pounds and with a season being in an NFL weight program he could add 5-10 pounds more without losing any athleticism.
What Hunter Long would offer the Seahawks
That said, Long isn’t the most athletic tight end in the 2021 tight end. That title would likely go to Florida’s Kyle Pitts. But if Pitts fell to the Seahawks in the second round I might still rather have Long anyway. Long offers exactly what Seattle would need. A solid blocker who can do so whether it’s a running back trying to find his way through the line or Russell Wilson dropping back to pass.
But if the Seahawks need a tight end to throw at to pick up first downs, Long can be the guy. In 2020 at Boston College (not an overly imaginative offense), Long caught 57 passes for 685 yards and 5 touchdowns. He is big enough, too, to be a red-zone threat.
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Maybe Seattle doesn’t go tight end first, but Long would fix two issues. He would make the offensive line better through his ability to block but also enhances the receiving group with his ability to catch passes when Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf are covered. He would be a worthy second-round choice.