Off to Fast Start, Damien Lewis Strengthening Grip on Seahawks' Right Guard Spot

Once unwanted as a high school recruit and forced to go the JUCO route, Lewis eventually became a staple on college football's best offensive line at LSU. Now, he's making waves at his first NFL training camp in Seattle.

RENTON, WA - In an offseason unlike any other in NFL history, several themes arose for the Seahawks as they constructed their roster for an uncertain 2020 season.

During free agency, Seattle largely prioritized affordable veteran depth on both sides of the football rather than spending big bucks to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney. During the draft, general manager John Schneider placed extra emphasis on selecting experienced, mature players with giant chips on their shoulders who have overcome incredible adversity to make it to the league.

It's also apparent Seahawks coach Pete Carroll has leaned heavily on his connection with LSU coach Ed Orgeron, who previously served as an assistant on his staff at USC during the early 2000s. Two of Orgeron's players off the Tigers' national title team were selected by the Seahawks in April's draft and safety Jamal Adams, who played his final season for Orgeron, was acquired via trade in late July.

One of those two players drafted by Seattle, Damien Lewis, has started off his first NFL training camp as the clear front-runner to succeed D.J. Fluker at right guard. Based on his conversations with "Coach O," Carroll is not surprised the young lineman has hit the ground running since reporting to his first camp.

"You know, Eddie [Orgeron] had told me that you can really count on this guy to come in and make an impression early that he's in it, he's in the competition. Exactly the truth," Carroll stated.

Coming out of a tiny high school in Canton, Mississippi, Lewis didn't receive a single offer from a Division I program despite being rated a three-star recruit by 247 Sports. Undeterred, however, he chose to go the junior college route, enrolling at Northwest Mississippi Community College.

Graduating in 18 months, Lewis excelled in the classroom and on the field at the JUCO level, earning back-to-back All-American selections. It was at that time that Orgeron and LSU came calling, offering him a scholarship to his dream school.

Immediately thrust into the starting lineup for the Tigers, Lewis didn't miss a single game in two seasons with the storied SEC program. As a senior, he received First-Team All-American accolades from The Athletic and earned Second-Team All-SEC recognition while helping the program capture a national championship.

While Carroll acknowledged it's still way too early to name the Lewis a starter - Seattle has only had one padded practice to evaluate the offensive line thus far - the third-round pick has already exhibited many of the traits he loved on Lewis' college tape on the practice field.

Weighing 332 pounds, Lewis served as a Grade A mauler in the trenches for LSU, making him a natural fit at the guard spots in Seattle's scheme. As the team ramps up physicality on the practice field in coming days, he will have a chance to show off his incredible power as a run blocker.

"He’s a special football player. He’s got a tremendous body for the position, got a great body mass load, and he’s really, really powerful," Carroll said. "You can see him in positions already, torquing and all. It shows that he can return to balance really well, which is a real good trait for offensive linemen."

To go along with his size and punishing run blocking style, Carroll has also been impressed by the young lineman's smarts and movement skills during the initial stages of camp.

"The guys can already sense that you can count on him to know what's going on, so he's off to a really good start," Carroll added. "He moves well on the second level and he's done a nice job already just showing us that he can pull and get on the edge, so he's done nothing but good stuff so far." 

According to Carroll, he sat down with Lewis a few days ago to revisit expectations and what the rookie looks to accomplish this season. Once again, he was blown away by "how squared away he is" in regard to his preparation and mindset, proving Orgeron's assessment to be spot on.

With only five training camp practices in the books, Lewis will have to continue battling against the likes of Jordan Simmons and Jamarco Jones for the starting gig. Competition is the name of the game in Seattle and the right guard role simply won't be handed to him.

But if early signs are any indication, just as he did when he stepped on campus at LSU, Lewis looks poised to break into the lineup right away and give an overhauled offensive line a shot in the arm from Week 1 on.