Seahawks’ draft signals lunch-pail mentality, owning the trenches

Eric Williams

NFC West Writer

John Schneider and Mike Macdonald wore gas station attendant shirts on the final day of the draft over the weekend. The Seattle Seahawks general manager told reporters the shirts were a nod to the team’s blue-collar approach to Day 3, when they added six new players to the team’s roster.

“This is like we’re going to work,” Schneider said. “Getting up and this is the day. This is the day we just get after it and hey, we’re not going to outsmart you, we’re going to outwork you.”

The shirts also are emblematic of the team’s larger approach under a new head coach in Macdonald. A team built on physicality and swagger during Pete Carroll’s zenith and the Legion of Boom, the Seahawks had lost their edge at the line of scrimmage recently.

Once known for running the football and stopping the run, Seattle had become woefully inadequate at doing both, allowing a league-worst 144.3 rushing yards a contest over the past two years and rushing for just 106.5 yards per game during that same time, No. 24 in the NFL.

Schneider and Macdonald’s first draft together showed that Seattle is focused on getting back to the fundamentals of blocking and tackling as the Seahawks chase the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West. Four of Seattle’s eight draft picks are guys who play on the line of scrimmage.

“We want to be physical,” Macdonald told reporters. “We want to be imposing. We want to create new lines of scrimmage, and I think you’re seeing an investment in that.”

Seattle’s first-round pick, Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II, represents that return to building from inside to the perimeter. At 6-foot-1, 300 pounds and with an ability to rush the passer and play physically against the run, Murphy was considered one of the best defensive players in the draft.

The Seahawks waited patiently as a record 14 straight offensive players were selected at the top of the draft and got their guy as the second defensive player taken. Seattle picked Murphy at No. 16 after the Indianapolis Colts selected UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu at No. 15.

“He just plays our style of football really,” Macdonald said about Murphy. “He’s so talented. Versatility along the front. He’s such an aggressive player, plays violently. Heavy hands for a guy of shorter stature. Pass-rush flexibility. You name it — just really excited to have him.”

Byron Murphy II highlights

In the third round, the Seahawks grabbed UConn offensive lineman Christian Haynes, who should compete for time at guard. Then on Day 3, Seattle selected two more offensive linemen in the sixth round: Utah guard Sataoa Laumea and tackle Michael Jerrell out of the University of Findlay.

All told, six of Seattle’s draft picks will play on the line of scrimmage or in the box if you add Michigan tight end AJ Barner and UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight, both selected in the fourth round.

While Macdonald works to create a new identity for the team, he addressed reports that the team had taken down a collage of team photos highlighting the Carroll era, along with the basketball hoop in the auditorium and the “I’m in” sign players touched as they took the field at the practice facility.

“We’re trying to get back to Super Bowls and playing elite defense and smashing people up front,” Macdonald told reporters. “These are the things we’re chasing. We have a huge amount of respect for the coaches that have been here, the history. What we’re trying to do with the players in terms of messaging is we want to create our own message and our rallying cries and stuff that’s ours for this team. So that’s how it was.”

As for Schneider, even though the Seahawks finished out of the playoffs last season, Seattle is not looking at the fresh start with Macdonald as a rebuilding effort. The team’s approach this offseason has been to put together a squad that’s capable of competing for the postseason in 2024.

“We’re never going to be like this is rebuilding or whatever term you want to use,” Schneider said. “We’re not that. The standard is the standard. Nothing’s changed in that regard. We’re always going to be pushing the envelope.

“Now, just because we got through this draft doesn’t mean we’re not going to stop, either. We’re evaluating these guys when they walk in the door. We’re going to be helping them out as much as we possibly can. We have all the tools in this building to help everybody. … It’s a full year process. It just doesn’t stop. It hasn’t stopped, quite honestly, since 2010.”

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on Twitter at @eric_d_williams.

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