Stanford Football, 2016 NFL Draft: Josh Garnett To The Seattle Seahawks?

I have been singing the praises of OG Josh Garnett for a few month now. He appears to be an obvious must-have guard for any team looking to bolster their offensive line. Winner of the Outland Trophy, he clearly has captured the attention of NFL scouts nationwide.

Taking these things into consideration, it’s a bit surprising that there isn't more of a buzz surrounding him at this point. I recently read a mock draft published on SI.com that has him going to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round, 58th overall. That seems like a fair assessment and safe guess, but I see him being selected slightly earlier than pick 58. There are teams who have obvious holes to patch up on their O-line, and the team that stands out most to me is the Seattle Seahawks.

Now let me be fair here, and declare publicly my loyalty to the Seahawks, as I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest. With that said, trying to place Garnett with a team built for his talents has not been easy. The reason I feel Seattle would be a perfect fit for him is simple; He’s an athletic and shockingly quick lineman that would be blocking for a QB who loves to work outside of the pocket. When Russell Wilson is forced to scramble, he needs at least two lineman agile enough to adjust to the situation and place themselves in spots best suited for his protection, rather than giving up on the play and hoping Wilson can Houdini his way out of danger. Seattle’s best guard, J.R. Sweezy, is capable of doing this, however he is prone to getting caught for offensive holding. Sweezy is also a free agent this year, and we all know that there is never a guarantee that a player will return if another club offers them a larger paycheck.

How Seattle uses their second round pick, I believe, greatly hinges on who decides to leave for other teams via free agency (LT Russell Okung is also due to hit the market.) I doubt that the ‘Hawks will take anyone in the first round, as they are notorious for trading early picks away in exchange for multiple late round selections.

If I had to reach a little for more reasons Seattle should be interested in Garnett, I’d play the hometown hero card. He was born in Auburn, Washington, and went to high school in Puyallup. Usually guys have a bit more of a drive to perform well when it’s in front of their friends and family. Besides, the Seahawks have recently struck gold twice with Stanford alum. Maybe they feel Garnett can be their third big Cardinal asset.