Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Kole Musgrove

Steve Hutchinson helped convince Seahawks to pick Christian Haynes

Here is story that is a pleasant little blast from the past, of sorts.

The Seattle Seahawks focused their draft almost exclusively on building up both their offensive and defensive fronts. Their first pick was defensive tackle Byron Murphy, and essentially their second round pick was Leonard Williams. When it came time for their third round pick, they decided to beef up their interior offensive line.

Seattle managed to get one of the best guards available in Christian Haynes, but it was a bit of a process. Having such a long wait between picks can be an eternity in the NFL. It takes patience and a little bit of luck, but it also takes some consulting.

When it came to Haynes, general manager John Schneider got some key advice from an old friend in the form of Steve Hutchinson, per John Boyle at Seahawks.com:

“The Cowboys take Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe with the 73rd pick, one of the two interior linemen still high on Seattle’s board, meaning it’s going to be a long, nervous wait to see if the Seahawks are going to get Christian Haynes. In the back of the room, Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson, who works for the team as a football consultant, a role that consists largely of helping evaluate offensive linemen, quietly chats with Schneider. In particular, Schneider wants Hutch’s opinion on Haynes. I think he’s going to be a really good (expletive) player,” Hutchinson tells Schneider…”

Hutchinson was originally a first round draft choice by the Seahawks all the way back in 2001, and was a stalwart along their offensive line for years. Paired with Walter Jones, Hutchinson helped create the best offensive line Seattle has ever seen, and it paved the way for Shaun Alexander’s 2005 MVP campaign.

Hutchinson would go on to play with the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans, before retiring in 2013 and eventually being elevated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, he is back in the fold with the Seahawks.

More Seahawks Wire stories

Rams wanted to trade up with Seahawks for Byron Murphy II

Ranking the league’s top 50 quarterbacks after 2024 NFL draft

Ranking the top 64 wide receivers after the 2024 NFL draft 

Ranking the top 32 running backs in the league after the draft

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.