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Seahawks Draft Profile: Trevor Penning

A mauler in the trenches with plus-athleticism and immense untapped potential, Penning looks the part of a surefire first-round pick. Could he emerge as the successor for Duane Brown in Seattle?

Corbin K. Smith

With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks will have a chance to kickstart a new era for the franchise with eight selections, including a top-10 pick and four picks total in the first three rounds.

Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the AllSeahawks writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board.

Next up in the series, the Seahawks have gaping holes at both tackle spots with only three players currently rostered at the position. Could the team buck trends by using a high pick on a small school standout in Northern Iowa's Trevor Penning?

Background

A three-sport standout at Newman Catholic High School, Penning only received two Division I offers despite being a First-Team All-District selection. He enrolled at Northern Iowa and redshirted as a freshman before finding his way into the starting lineup as a redshirt sophomore in 2019. After a COVID-19 shortened 2020 season in which he started five games, he earned honorable mention All-MVC recognition and landed on Bruce Feldman's College Football Freaks list. Making a major leap as a senior, he earned multiple All-American awards and an invite to the Reese's Senior Bowl where he turned heads against college football's best in Mobile.

Strengths

Playing with an old school mentality while possessing new school athletic traits, Penning jumps out on film as a bullying presence who battles until the whistle. He finished countless plays at Northern Iowa with the defender across from him winding up with his backside on the ground and when he's squared up and lands an accurate strike into the opponent's chest with his powerful hands, it's game over as his physicality, powerful lower body, and nastiness take over from there.

While he isn't the most fleet of foot compared to other top tackles in this year's draft class from a lateral quickness perspective, the 6-foot-7 Penning uses his 34 1/4-inch arms with great effectiveness to mitigate opposing speed rushes and makes it difficult for opposing defenders to turn the corner against him. When he exhibits good posture and avoids getting too upright, he's also a challenge to move with bull rushes and sets a heavy anchor.

As a run blocker, Penning is proficient working off combo blocks to the second level and racked up a bunch of pancakes on linebackers and safeties. At times, his feistiness nearly crosses the line with him tossing undersized defenders to the ground after the whistle has blown.

Entering the league, Penning is further along from an instincts standout than most of his peers, particularly in pass protection. He rarely gets fooled by twists and stunts, doing an excellent job keeping his head on a swivel and passing off rushers to the guard alongside him. He also has shown a propensity for picking up blitzes, particularly from linebackers shooting through the B-gap.

Weaknesses

While Penning dominated the competition at the FCS level and didn't have any trouble getting his hands on opposing defensive linemen, he endured his share of struggles in a matchup against Iowa State last year. His average lateral mobility showed up when he tried to get to the perimeter on sweeps and toss plays and his angles executing blocks at the line of scrimmage weren't crisp, causing him to fall off of blocks and misfire with hand placement more than usual.

Contrary to his general excellence blocking against outside speed rushers, Penning can get himself into trouble working against inside moves, particularly from edge defenders with an explosive first step. He doesn't mirror as well as anticipated for an athlete of his skill and his body control suffers as a result, leaving him vulnerable to counters such as swim and swipe moves and prone to holding calls.

The problems weren't as apparent at the Senior Bowl, but leverage and balance issues plagued Penning at times throughout his college career. With above-average height for a tackle, he's a hip bender and can get caught leaning in a compromised position in the run game and in pass protection.

Fit in Seattle

Like any prospect making the giant leap from the FCS level to the NFL, Penning will have to fight through growing pains upon his entrance to the league regardless of who drafts him. As a result, he may not be ready to play early in his rookie season, which may scare some teams away from picking him in the first round.

At the same time, however, Penning's rare athletic profile screams top-20 selection. Players of his size rarely run sub-4.90 second 40-yard dash times or post a 7.25-second 3-cone drill. Capable of playing either tackle position in gap or zone-centric schemes, he may have the highest ceiling of any tackle in this draft class with proper coaching.

Given his tenacity and playing style as an aggressive run blocker, the Seahawks would seem like a perfect fit for Penning and the team has a clear and obvious need at tackle with Duane Brown and Brandon Shell still unsigned. As things stand, he could vie for a starting job right away at either spot against the likes of Stone Forsythe and Jake Curhan with a chance to emerge as the franchise's next blind side protector.

Previous Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles

Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State | Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati | Tariq Woolen, CB, UTSA | Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State

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Corbin K. Smith
CORBIN K. SMITH

Graduating from Manchester College in 2012, Smith began his professional career as a high school Economics teacher in Indianapolis and launched his own NFL website covering the Seahawks as a hobby. After teaching and coaching high school football for five years, he transitioned to a full-time sports reporter in 2017, writing for USA Today's Seahawks Wire while continuing to produce the Legion of 12 podcast. He joined the Arena Group in August 2018 and also currently hosts the daily Locked On Seahawks podcast with Rob Rang and Nick Lee. Away from his coverage of the Seahawks and the NFL, Smith dabbles in standup comedy, is a heavy metal enthusiast and previously performed as lead vocalist for a metal band, and enjoys distance running and weight lifting. A habitual commuter, he resides with his wife Natalia in Colorado and spends extensive time reporting from his second residence in the Pacific Northwest.

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