Seahawks Trade Up to Select OT Stone Forsythe With Pick No. 208 in 2021 NFL Draft
Long intermissions between picks has been a theme for the Seahawks in the 2021 NFL Draft. This was to be expected, given they entered the draft with just three selections in pocket and stayed put at their highest scheduled pick at No. 56. With a fairly small trade back from pick No. 129 to No. 137 with the Bucs in the fourth round, they hauled in an additional choice slotted in the latter half of the sixth round, No. 217.
However, that's not where they ended up picking next. Instead, despite their limited draft capital, they traded up with the Bears to pick No. 208. In return, Chicago received the Seahawks' two remaining picks in the draft at No. 217 and 250.
With the pick, Seattle took Florida offensive tackle Stone Forsythe—a mammoth of a human who fell well below the day two projections he received from many draft outlets.
Measuring in at 6-foot-8, 307 pounds, Forsythe's towering stature cannot be understated. He overshadows opposing defensive lineman, often physically dominating them in both pass protection and run blocking.
While he can play stiff at times and has occasionally struggled handling faster edge rushers, there's no denying the level of success he had against some of the best competition in the nation as a member of the SEC.
In the SEC championship game, he put up the best pass-blocking grade of any offensive lineman against the daunting Alabama defense in 2020, with Pro Football Focus giving him a mark of 90.1 with zero pressures allowed for the matchup. In total, he surrendered just a pair of sacks in 513 pass-blocking snaps that year.
Forsythe may not play for the Seahawks right away, but he could potentially become veteran Duane Brown's heir apparent at left tackle. It's long been speculated Seattle could select a tackle with Brown entering the last year of his current contract, set to play at the age of 36.
However, scouts have also indicated Forsythe may be better suited on the right side. Brandon Shell, who started 11 games for the Seahawks in 2020, is also set to hit free agency next March. So the massive Florida tackle may factor in at either tackle position in the future, mostly depending on Brown's willingness to continue playing.
For now, he offers the Seahawks excellent depth at tackle along with Cedric Ogbuehi, who they re-signed on March 24 to a one-year contract.
As for the rest of the draft, Seattle doesn't have another pick at the moment. However, they could still use a 2022 selection to hop back into the seventh round if there's a player they like available. But as general manager John Schneider alluded to following the events of the second and third rounds, the Seahawks may hold off and prepare for an expectedly busy undrafted free agency period.
