The Seattle Seahawks haven’t exactly had a ton of success drafting offensive linemen over the last decade or so. In fact, their best OL pick came at No. 6 overall back in the 2010 NFL draft when they took Russell Okung. He went on to be their No. 1 left tackle the next six years, establishing a solid starter at a critical position during their peak championship run.
While it’s never very exciting to see your team pick an offensive lineman first, doing so was the safest choice that Seattle could make this year at No. 9 overall given their OL history.
By taking Mississippi State’s Charles Cross, they landed one of the top OT prospects in a deep class of them. While not as highly-touted as Alabama’s Evan Neal or NC State’s Ikem Ekwonu (both of whom were already taken), Cross is supposed to be among the best pass protectors in this group. That should be a strong selling point for a fanbase that just watched Russell Wilson get beat up for 10 years.
At worst, this pick gives Seattle flexibility at left tackle in case they can’t re-sign veteran Duane Brown. Assuming that’s the case, Cross should project as their starter Week 1, backed up by 2021 sixth-round pick Stone Forsythe.
