The Seahawks outdid themselves by many standards Thursday night when they stayed put and picked former Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross with the no.9 pick in the draft.
As expected, no one really was sure what the Seahawks would do with the pick acquired in the Russell Wilson trade. The voice murmuring from the 12s was please make the pick or the move a good one. Given the numerous holes on the Seahawks team, any pick would be a good one.
STELLAR COLLEE CAREER
Cross is a sound solid pick. The offensive line is one of those gaping holes the team needed to fill. The 6’5 310 former Bulldog was rated the best-run blocker in the draft according to many pre-draft ratings.
NFL.COM Pre-Draft Analysis
Cross is a two-year starter who is still developing as a pass blocker, but he’s a natural knee bender. His mirror-and-slide agility is outstanding, and he has the length to keep edge rushers off his frame. As a run blocker, he fits best in a zone-heavy scheme where he can use his foot speed and length to reach and seal defensive linemen.
WHAT’S GOOD ABOUT THIS PICK
As the pre-draft analyst says Cross is a solid run blocker who needs to improve his pass-bocking skills. The Seahawks are a run-first team with an offense that is evolving into a motion-dominated play-action attack. That type of offense requires a mobile, quick-footed, and smart offensive lineman. Cross checks all the boxes and should be a starter from Day one. Where he starts will be a question.
Do the Seahawks slot him into the left tackle position and part ways with Duane Brown? The Seahawks could slot Cross into the right tackle position which would be an improvement over Jake Curhan. Brandon Shell started the first ten games of the season but never saw the field after that and is an unrestricted free agent. Re-signing Brown for one more year could not only bring stability to the line but would give Cross a chance to learn from one of the games best to ever play
WHAT NOT TO LIKE ABOUT THIS PICK
The knock-on Cross is his pass blocking ability. Specifically, the placement of his hands outside his frame when pass blocking. When an offensive lineman places his hands outside of a defender’s framework, he tends to lose leverage and relies on his shoulders to rebalance. Often the overcompensation results in grabbing a fist full of jerseys which leads to holding calls. The other knock-on Cross is the number of career starts. Cross has just 20 starts to his name.
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