Should Seahawks Trade Back To Draft Washington's Troy Fautanu as Geno Smith (And Sam Howell) Blocker?

The Seattle Seahawks need offensive line protection for Geno Smith, and they get it in the first round of the NFL Draft.

The Seattle Seahawks want to be a "physical" football team, and part of that is winning in the trenches. For the offense, getting Geno Smith time to throw in coordinator Ryan Grubb's scheme might just be Job No. 1.

With several Seahawks offensive linemen having futures in doubt, the franchise has signed former Cleveland Browns center Nick Harris along with George Fant, some cover has come in.

So much change along the offensive line is rarely a good thing, and in Mike Macdonald's first draft as a head coach, CBS Sports has the franchise trading back to No. 20 in a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and taking a mauler in the run game and also one of the most versatile linemen in the draft - Washington's Troy Fautanu.

"Seattle has not yet found a starting-worthy offensive guard in free agency so the Seahawks turn to the draft," CBS Sports writes. "Troy Fautanu could play tackle in a pinch -- and the Seahawks found themselves in that exact situation in 2023 -- but he could be a fantastic guard."

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So Smith gets either his blindside protector or better interior protection, which is a win-win for the Seattle offense.

While it might not be the flashy pick that some fans want, Fautanu could easily become a cornerstone of the offense for a decade.

With Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas, the Seahawks' offensive line has some good pieces, and if we add in Fautanu, who has superb explosiveness and the ability to get off the line of scrimmage in a flash thanks to his length and speed, Seattle will have a Day 1 starter.

The Seahawks will no doubt want to hit the ground running under Macdonald and Grubb as they look to get the franchise back to the postseason. 

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One way to do that is to protect Geno (or, eventually, Sam Howell), and with Fautanu, Seattle gets a star lineman who is equally adept at playing tackle as he is guard, and that kind of versatility will no doubt be welcomed as the season goes on.