'Smart & Nasty': Christian Haynes Brings Punishing Presence to Seattle Seahawks O-Line

A technician who also plays with an edge, Christian Haynes earned All-American honors twice at UConn and now will take his talents to the Seattle, where the Seahawks hope he adds much needed punch in the trenches.

RENTON, Wash. - In his first NFL Draft as coach of the Seattle Seahawks working in conjunction with general manager John Schneider, Mike Macdonald's first two selections painted a message loud and clear.

When Seattle takes the field next fall, starting in the trenches, opponents better be prepared for a different level of physicality and toughness with the goal of domination at the line of scrimmage. One night after selecting Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II in the first round, Schneider and Macdonald doubled down on those two important traits on the offensive line, selecting UConn guard Christian Haynes with the 81st selection in the third round.

Speaking with reporters moments after making the Seahawks lone selection of the day, Macdonald was asked what style he preferred from offensive linemen and didn't waste words explaining what he loved about Haynes' domineering makeup checking off the aforementioned boxes.

"I like the guys that knock them off the ball, that's me, you know?" Macdonald smiled. "So, we kinda figure out the rest later. But I think Christian brings that to the table, so, that's the first thing I'm looking for."

Offering more than 3,000 snaps of experience and a well-developed all-around skill set, Christian Haynes will have a chance to be a plug-and-play starter for the Seahawks.

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In a departure from recent drafts, Seattle has backed up Macdonald's words from earlier in the offseason emphasizing the desire to build a "physical unit" on both sides of the football. Along with Murphy packing a punch with heavy hands and a violent as a versatile defender who can play up and down the line, Haynes has his own punishing style as a mauler who relishes the opportunity to drive defenders downfield.

Built with a thick lower body and possessing good length for the position, Haynes possesses the strength to do what Macdonald craves knocking opponents off the line of scrimmage. Per Pro Football Focus, he graded out as a top-10 run blocker each of the previous two seasons, including finishing fifth (84.6) out of 228 qualified guards in 2022.

And yet, while Haynes has no shortage of plays on film demonstrating his ferocity and brute strength in the run game as Macdonald's "type of guy," his athleticism and football acumen shine just as brightly.

"I'm somebody that is smart and nasty at the same time," Haynes said in a post-draft conference call. "Somebody that's very athletic, somebody that is able to run and also dominate at the point of attack."

Light on his feet at 317 pounds, Haynes consistently worked his way to the second level to get hands on blockers. Whether being asked to pull outside on traps, power, or sweep plays or get out in front of the pack on screens, he thrived in space while utilizing sticky, powerful hands to sustain difficult one-on-one blocks on linebackers, safeties, and cornerbacks.

While also having the heavy anchor to withstand bull rushes, Haynes' movement skills also played a vital role in his success as a pass protector, where he allowed a grand total of 15 pressures and one sack on over 700 pass blocking snaps over the previous two seasons with the Huskies. At the Senior Bowl, he showed off his proficiency against a variety of different interior rushers in team drills as well as one-on-ones, which helped boost his stock after starring at a non-Power 5 program.

From an Xs and Os standpoint, Haynes started 49 consecutive games to close out his career in Storrs, logging more than 3,300 combined snaps in five seasons. This ample experience stood out communicating his football intelligence with new Seahawks line coach Scott Huff, who built a strong connection with the player during a pre-draft visit via Zoom.

"We talked ball and we had a great conversation," Haynes commented. "I knew I was on their board and I was just happy they had me with the call."

That meeting between Haynes and Huff undoubtedly paved the way for him to be a target on day two for the Seahawks, but the team had to sweat things out before finally selecting him on Friday. Moments before going on the clock after sitting out the second round, the Texans and Colts leap-frogged them, creating "a bit of panic" in the draft room that one of those teams would pick him before they had a chance.

Luckily, for a second straight night, good fortune was bestowed on Schneider, Macdonald, and the rest of Seattle's brain trust. Indianapolis and Houston took guard Matt Goncalves and safety Calen Bullock after sliding up, allowing them to turn in Haynes' name on the draft card as hoped after waiting more than three hours for their first chance to make a selection.

"That was a long, long wait, but we were trying to think of Leonard Williams the whole time," Schneider joked, referencing last year's trade deadline deal that cost them their second round pick. "Smart, tough, reliable... He plays with some nasty. Obviously, we're really excited."

Thanks to his extensive experience at UConn, the Seahawks expect Haynes to jump right into the fight for a starting job as a pro-ready rookie with both starters from a year ago no longer on the team, including Damien Lewis. Playing exclusively right guard in college, that likely means he will compete against second-year lineman Anthony Bradford, who started 10 games as a rookie a year ago, while veteran Laken Tomlinson will slide into the lineup on the left side and free agent signing Nick Harris could also be in the mix on either side as well as center.

But when asked whether or not he could play elsewhere, Schneider didn't rule out the possibility of Haynes being given a chance at left guard thanks to his skill set and football IQ. As for the player, he didn't bat an eye when asked about potentially playing away from his most comfortable position, making sure to drop the keyword that has been the central theme establishing a new mindset in Macdonald's tenure thus far.

"I can play anything they need me to play. I'm going to dominate regardless. I played a lot of right guard in college, but I can play any position they need to play."