When the Seahawks’ rookie class gets sorted out this summer, the easy names to circle are the early-round picks. But the player with the best shot to turn heads in Seattle might be fifth-round guard Beau Stephens.
That starts with the state of the right guard spot. Anthony Bradford is back in the mix, but he’ll have to win the job again, and the Seahawks have clearly kept bringing in competition for that role. Stephens is the latest addition to that battle.
Seattle took Stephens with the eighth pick in the fifth round, No. 148 overall. He comes out of Iowa after starting 35 games across five seasons with the Hawkeyes, and he brings the kind of frame teams want inside at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds. His arm length comes in at 31 inches, which leaves a little to be desired, but the rest of the profile is built on a solid foundation.
What makes Stephens interesting is how much of his game already looks usable. The areas he needs to clean up - strength and fitting into different schemes - are the kind of things NFL coaches can work with. On top of that, he already has strong fundamentals and a ceiling that gives him a real chance to climb quickly.
The Seahawks’ guard picture is wide open beyond Grey Zabel at left guard. Christian Haynes, Bryce Cabeldue, Mason Richman and Bradford are all in the fight for snaps, including the ones at right guard. If Stephens proves to be the most technically sound of the group, he could push his way into the lineup as soon as Week 1.
That matters because the Seahawks have only two offensive line jobs truly unsettled this camp: right guard and center. Jalen Sundell is expected to handle the center spot again, which leaves right guard as the clearest opening. If Seattle finds a steadier answer there, it would be a big step toward making the offense even stronger.
And with the Seahawks having lost only Kenneth Walker III from the offense this offseason, upgrading the line would be one more way to make a title-defense season even tougher to deal with.
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Another Seahawks Assistant Is Suddenly Drawing Outside Attention
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Durde still has not drawn the kind of head coaching buzz his reputation might suggest, even after a season that has put him on the radar of evaluators around the league. Rodrigue also noted special teams coordinator Jay Harbaugh as another promising assistant with a strong coaching background and recent success in Seattle, a reminder that the Seahawks may be building more than just a good staff for the moment. [Read more 🡒]