INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 05: Olu Oluwatimi #51 of the Seattle Seahawks during warm up before the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on January 05, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

ESPN's biggest roster hole for Seahawks after 2025 NFL draft a big indictment of offseason work

Originally posted on Seattle Seahawks on SI
By Tim Weaver | Last updated May 8, 2025 9:40 AM ET

All things considered the Seattle Seahawks had a pretty strong 2025 NFL draft class and more than one analyst believes it was the best draft for any team in the NFC. That being said, it's fair to point out that they might not have done enough to address their greatest weakness.

That is of course the interior offensive line, where the Seahawks landed the number one prospect in this class in NDSU stud Grey Zabel. However, Seattle didnt make another OL pick until the sixth round and Zabel can only play one interior position - while the Seahawks arguably needed to land three new starters this offseason.

If somebody like Mason Richman becomes a surprise star in 2025 it would go a long way towards fixing this problem. As is though it appears Seattle still has one of the worst offensive lines in the league. They're particular vulnerable in the middle, where Aaron Schatz at ESPN has named the center position their weakest coming out of the draft.

ESPN names Seahawks' biggest roster hole

"The Seahawks drafted Grey Zabel in the first round to play left guard, but they still need more at center. Olu Oluwatimi is slated to start at center and was below average last season in both pass block win rate... and run block win rate... unless last year's third-round pick, Christian Haynes, can move to center, the backups are undrafted free agents Jalen Sundell and Federico Maranges."

Truth hurts. If you'll recall, our dream scenario going into Day 2 of the draft included targeting center with their first pick - specifically Georgia's Jared Wilson - who was the number one ranked center in the draft. Then, we wanted them to follow it up by taking Wilson's teammate Tate Ratledge, who's one of the top right guards.

The Seahawks did neither one, electing to trade up for South Carolina's super-athletic safety Nick Emmanwori and Miami's deep-receiving threat tight end Elijah Arroyo instead. While Emmanwori and Arroyo are both excellent prospects and filled needs, they're not premium positions in the modern NFL and you could make a case that picking practically any center or guard would have moved the needle more for this team.

It's not going to happen, but the fact that Christian Haynes is even mentioned as a potential option at center shows just how thin this particular position group is.

This article first appeared on Seattle Seahawks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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