II – Seattle Seahawks
The reputation of the Seattle Seahawks of finding dominating NFL starters deep in the NFL Draft is well earned. And with the experience of witnessing Coleman Shelton’s play for the Washington Huskies throughout his career, I have to conclude that he is the perfect candidate to emerge as one more “find” later in the draft.
The fit makes sense in many ways for the Seahawks. Their team needs to invest heavily to upgrade their running game. And from the appearance of the defense amidst trades and waivers, the offense will need to play a much larger role in team wins next season.
Lead the way
Seattle needs a running game desperately in 2018. The team allowed nearly 200 more yards rushing than they gained. And when the leading rusher for the team is the quarterback Russell Wilson, you are running an unsustainable trend. Shelton gives an out to avoid relying on Wilson to lead both the running game and passing game. He can do that by doing what he does best: pulling and leading running plays.
But he also helps Wilson much as he would help Mariota. He is an offensive lineman who can stay ahead of a speedy quarterback. And with him on the roster, offensive coordinators can call Wilson’s number on designed running plays. That keeps defenses honest, and ensures that a very valuable quarterback has protection.