Donovan Smith was going through relatively rote answers to yet more questions at the NFL’s scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Then, suddenly, the big tackle’s dark, deep-set eyes lit up. Someone mentioned Garry Gilliam.
“I just saw him when I was training in San Diego,” Smith said of the Seahawks’ 2014 rookie tackle — and Smith’s roommate for most of their time at Penn State.
“I took an hour drive up to where he was staying at. And we just chilled, chatted it up, hung out a little bit. It was great to be reunited with him. He was my roommate for three years, so it was really good.”
In addition to catching up with a friend, might Gilliam have been recruiting for Seattle?
The Seahawks do not have a selection on Thursday in the first round of the NFL draft. They sent their 31st-overall pick to New Orleans last month in the trade for tight end Jimmy Graham.
They also sent two-time Pro Bowl center Max Unger to the Saints to get Graham and an extra pick in Saturday’s fourth round. The trade came just before free-agent left guard James Carpenter signed last month with the New York Jets.
The Seahawks also have a starting left tackle, Russell Okung, who has a recent history of injuries and is entering the final year of his contract. It is currently scheduled to count a hefty $7.28 million against their salary cap in 2015, if the Seahawks don’t ask their sixth-overall pick from 2010 to restructure that salary first.
So Seattle needs a starting center, a left guard and — eventually — a left tackle.
Rob Rang, the Tacoma-based draft guru for CBSSports.com and NFLDraftScout.com, said he thinks Oregon center Hroniss Grasu will be available at the bottom of the second round, when Seattle has its first selection at No. 63 overall. NFLDraftScout.com notes Grasu’s athleticism and sees him as being a “plug-and-play option in a zone-blocking scheme.”
He may also be available in the third round, given the soft draft market this year at center.
Asked last month if a rookie center could start this fall directing the Seahawks’ offense, head coach Pete Carroll said, “It’s a lot to ask a young guy, yes.”
That’s why the Seahawks say if the season started tomorrow they’d be comfortable with Patrick Lewis, who started four games at center last season when Unger was injured. It’s why they recently re-signed Lemuel Jeanpierre, Unger’s backup the past five seasons who started three games in 2014. It’s why they’ve hosted free-agent centers Stefen Wisniewski from Oakland and Chris Myers from Houston. Wisniewski signed with Jacksonville, Myers remains available.
Asked last week if a rookie could anchor his offensive line at center, general manager John Schneider said: “I think with (offensive line coach Tom) Cable and his staff, I think it’s viable. You have to remember, on both sides of the ball are good teaching staffs.”
As for guard, that’s the position where Smith made 31 starts at Penn State.
NFLDraftScout.com’s synopsis of the 6-foot-6, 341-pound Smith, who is leaving college after graduating in 31/2 years with a criminology degree and a year of athletic eligibility remaining at PSU: “Looks the part of a big-time NFL tackle. He has broad shoulders, long arms and evenly distributed weight to be a mainstay outside. He’s also light on his feet and effective in pass protection and run blocking. … Brings a lot to the table with size, foot quickness and highly competitive nature … Needs to improve in several areas.”
Some see his quickness and think “NFL guard.” Others think Smith could be a center in the pros.
Here’s something else that shows Smith’s versatility. “I played for three different schemes at Penn State,” he said at the combine, noting four tumultuous years of coaching turnover and turmoil at Penn State.
NFLDraftScout.com has Smith rated as the No. 11 left tackle in the draft. That means he could also be available at selection No. 63 in the second round Friday. So it’s conceivable Seattle could get its possible replacement guard in Round 2 with Smith and center with Grasu in Round 3.
Rang mentioned another versatile tackle who may be available for Seattle to take in rounds two or three: Colorado State’s Ty Sambrailo. Among other things, the 6-6, 309-pound starter for three years at both left tackle and guard was a youth freestyle skiing champion. That’s deeper athletic roots than the average offensive lineman.
Rang noted Sambrailo “has a little of that brawler mentality that Tom Cable is obviously a fan of.”
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