Andy Dickerson Details Why He's Optimistic Charles Cross, Abraham Lucas Will Excel in Seahawks' Pro-Style Scheme

Though Dickerson has yet to see either Cross or Lucas attempt to block an NFL defensive linemen and much of his evaluation is projection-based, he saw obvious traits and skills on film that indicated to him that both players could succeed in Seattle's offense as pass protectors and run blockers.

RENTON, WA - Starting as redshirt freshmen and never looking back, few tackles enjoyed more productive college careers than tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas did at Mississippi State and Washington State respectively.

A highly touted prospect heralding from Laurel, Mississippi, Cross chose to stay in state to play for the Bulldogs and quickly emerged as one of the best pass protecting left tackles in the country. In 2020, he earned Freshman All-SEC honors, only to follow up by receiving First-Team All-American distinction from ESPN and the Sporting News along with First-Team All-SEC honors last season. In total, on more than 700 pass blocking snaps, he yielded only a pair of sacks.

As for Lucas, the Everett, Washington native also stayed close to home, taking his talents to Pullman and getting off to a fast start by earning First-Team Freshman All-American honors in 2018. He followed up with three consecutive seasons as an All-Pac 12 selection, including receiving First-Team designation after yielding no sacks as a senior in 2021.

Naturally, Seahawks offensive line coach Andy Dickerson couldn't have been more thrilled when the team invested two of their first four selections on Cross and Lucas, landing two of the premier pass blocking tackles with plus-athleticism in the draft as potential long-term bookends in the trenches.

“Very, very excited for all the picks, for all the guys, just to have all the guys in the room," Dickerson said to reporters after Tuesday's OTA session. "We talked to Charles, very intelligent young man. Ability to communicate and just watching him play in the SEC as much as he did and how well he played. Same for Abe, just great career in college, and then just getting the interview process and being able to talk to those guys and really get a feel for how they are and how they understand and process football. So really excited about all the picks and all the guys we got.”

Of course, heralding from pass-happy Air Raid and Run N' Shoot offensive schemes where they never played with a hand in the dirt and rarely were asked to run block, Cross and Lucas enter the NFL with plenty of question marks. How will they hold up at the point of attack in the run game? Will they be comfortable working out of a three-point stance? Can they play with the physicality Seattle desires up front?

But while Dickerson can understand why analysts and fans may jump to conclusions considering the offenses both Cross and Lucas played in at the college level, he's not concerned about the two players getting acclimated to a pro-style scheme. In fact, he's been encouraged by what he's seen from both players during their initial offseason program, praising them for their mindset and attention to detail.

“They both come in with great attitude. They ask great questions in meetings. They understand the information," Dickerson stated. "Again, Air Raid, they still run and they still throw. There's more passes, but they both ran, had the run game. When you're evaluating those guys, you see them move and see how their bodies move so you try to project how that would cover, show up in the NFL in our different schemes. At the end of the day, you're still blocking a guy in either protection or the run game, but they've been great, asking good questions."

As Dickerson noted, and this can be said to an extent drafting any player at any position, the Seahawks have the utmost confidence in Cross and Lucas being successful transitioning to the NFL in part due to projection.

In terms of reps, neither player had many opportunities to showcase what they could do in the run game. However, as Dickerson explained, it didn't take long for him and the rest of Seattle's coaching staff to watch film and see the traits they covet at the tackle spots from both prospects, including plus-movement skills and hand technique exhibited as both pass protectors and run blockers.

As for their lack of experience firing out of a three-point stance, Dickerson doesn't "think it's that big of a deal" because the Seahawks ask their linemen to play out of a two-point stance as well and they mix and match the two stances to ensure opponents aren't tipped on whether they are running or passing the ball on a given play. Both players will be drilled accordingly.

“I think it's just when you watch the film, it's okay and you're taking a set and you're blocking in a pass game or you're blocking a defensive end, how your body moves, what your hand positions are, your timing of your punch," Dickerson elaborated. "Then in the run game, are you front side or backside, can you unlock your hips, can you move? Just how they move and is it a backside three-cutoff or frontside with a defensive end? So just seeing how their bodies move, can you project them or see like ‘Oh, I've seen somebody like that before. Oh, I can envision that.’

For example, Dickerson specifically cited watching Lucas play in the Apple Cup rivalry game against Washington, a program that has produced several quality NFL defensive prospects in recent years. Impressed by everything he saw on tape from movement to punch accuracy, he started to visualize big No. 72 wearing a Seahawks uniform and saw him as a great fit.

"Coach talks about just keep watching till you find it," Dickerson continued. "Watching that Washington game, it's like you see the body move certain ways and certain things. You're like okay, I can see, I can envision him. I have a vision for him if he were to be here and doing our drills in this offense.”

At the end of the day, Dickerson hasn't had a chance to see how Cross or Lucas will perform in a padded practice or an actual game setting. To this point, he's been focusing on coaching up the tandem in the mental game learning the offense and developing camaraderie with their new line mates during non-contact OTA and minicamp practices in t-shirts and shorts. There's little to evaluate from a football standpoint, so he will have to continue to project for the time being.

But come August, Dickerson will finally have a chance to see what both rookies can do facing NFL competition in the trenches for the first time. While there will undoubtedly be growing pains for each like every other rookie experiences, he doesn't expect their struggles to be a result of playing out of a three-point stance and given their smarts and athletic ability, he remains confident they will adjust quickly and be positioned for early success in the process.