Seahawks Draft Strategy May Dictate Damien Lewis' Future
Installed as a starter on day one for the Seahawks, right guard Damien Lewis turned in one of the finest seasons by any rookie from the NFL's 2020 draft class.
Immediately stepping into the lineup in Seattle's first training camp practice and never looking back, Lewis started all 16 regular season games as well as a wild card loss to the Los Angeles Rams. The third-round pick out of LSU was named to the Pro Football Writers Association's All-Rookie Team and also recognized as an All-Rookie team selection by Pro Football Focus.
As expected from any rookie, Lewis dealt with plenty of growing pains during his first season with the Seahawks. He led all NFL guards with 12 penalties, including being flagged for holding six times. While his overall numbers weren't awful on 633 pass protection snaps, he did allow 28 pressures and three sacks against Russell Wilson, receiving a dismal 48.4 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
However, the 6-foot-3, 332-pound Lewis also wasted little time establishing himself as one of the premier run blockers at his position. Bullying defenders and creating consistent movement off the line of scrimmage, he earned PFF's second-highest overall run blocking grade (81.5) among qualified guards, finishing behind only Colts All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson.
"Damien had a terrific season to play... almost every snap of the year," coach Pete Carroll said in January. "He's going to be a fantastic football player. He's a great championship kid, too. Tough as hell. Really smart. You can truly count on the guy. Awesome."
Based on Lewis' immediate success and growth potential, the Seahawks would appear to be set at the right guard position for years to come. But as the team works towards retooling the offensive line in front of Wilson, they could have other plans for him.
Thus far this offseason, Seattle has only made one notable addition to the offensive line, sending a fifth round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for veteran guard Gabe Jackson. Otherwise, the organization has mostly retained players, re-signing center Ethan Pocic, tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, and guard Jordan Simmons to one-year contracts.
While Pocic may very well be the Seahawks opening day starter in September, his new contract hardly pays out starter money, as he's set to earn a maximum of $3 million in 2021. With this year's incoming draft class loaded with offensive line talent, even while only having three draft choices, the team could potentially find an upgrade at the pivot position later this month.
Set to pick at No. 56 overall in the second round, Seattle may have a shot at selecting Alabama's Landon Dickerson, Wisconsin-Whitewater's Quinn Meinerz, or Ohio State's Josh Myers. Just as Lewis did last August, all three of those players could compete for a starting job against Pocic right away. Even in the fourth round, Kentucky's Drake Jackson, Georgia's Trey Hill, and Stanford's Drew Dalmar could be viable early starting options.
But thanks in part to a one-game audition by Lewis last November, it's not out of the realm of possibility the Seahawks could choose to go a different direction altogether.
Facing the Cardinals in a pivotal second half home contest in Week 11, Pocic was still recovering from a concussion suffered two weeks earlier and had yet to pass protocols. His backup, Kyle Fuller, was nursing a high ankle sprain he played through one week earlier, leaving the team short-handed at center.
Fuller dressed and reserve guard Phil Haynes was available as an emergency option if needed, but the Seahawks surprised everyone by opting to start Lewis at center, a position he had never played previously at any level.
The game could have started better for Lewis, as he was beaten badly after his first snap and Wilson was brought down for the quick sack. But while he was far from perfect and uncorked a couple of errant snaps along the way, he played all 66 offensive snaps and got the job done as Seattle held on for a 28-21 victory.
Following the game, coach Pete Carroll raved about Lewis' clutch performance stepping up when his team needed him. Considering he had only been working at the position for three practices, it was a remarkable accomplishment.
“It was a marvelous job by him to pull that off," Carroll stated. "He started working on it last week. He had been taking snaps during the early season and stuff, but he really, because of the injuries last week, he had to get ready to maybe be the back up and so now he's forced into action and he pulled it off.”
Wilson was also blown away by how Lewis handled the adverse situation, applauding the rookie for how he approaches the game.
"He adjusted throughout the game. He made great calls. We were on the same page, me and him," Wilson said. "There was a couple plays here and there, but I thought that to be a rookie, to play, be such a great guard, and then have to move to center this game and not knowing what's going to happen here and I thought he did a tremendous job. I thought he did a tremendous job."
Though it's a small sample size, Lewis' gutsy showing may have opened the door for him to eventually transition to center full time and Carroll hinted at such a possibility in his end-of-season press conference. Like the center position, the incoming draft class features plenty of depth at the guard position as well, creating much-needed flexibility for Seahawks general manager John Schneider.
Among potential targets who could be available in the second round, Tennessee's Trey Smith, Georgia's Ben Cleveland, and Notre Dame's Aaron Banks stand out as players capable of playing right away. Kendrick Green of Illinois and Deonte Brown of Alabama could also be options at pick No. 56 or whenever the team picks first. Banks and Green have prior backgrounds as centers, adding further intrigue.
With the draft quickly approaching, there are a number of different paths Schneider and the Seahawks could choose to take and no matter what happens, Lewis will be entrenched as a starter in the trenches for years to come. But how the next few weeks unfold could play a decisive factor in determining which position he winds up playing long-term.
