Seahawks focus on O-Line, picks for final day

No question, new Seattle assistant head coach Tom Cable is having an impact on the Seahawks' draft approach.

It's all about the offensive line so far.

After trading out of the second round to acquire more picks, the Seahawks grabbed Wisconsin guard John Moffitt with the 75th overall pick in the third round of the NFL draft on Friday night.

The selection of Moffitt came on the heels of Seattle grabbing Alabama offensive tackle James Carpenter and after Seattle took Russell Okung in last year's draft with the sixth overall pick.

Throw in the return of Max Unger after he missed all but one game last season following toe surgery, and Seattle could be looking at an offensive line in 2011 with four starters who are either rookies or have just one season of NFL experience.

"The intentions were clear what we wanted to get done these first couple of days and we're very happy with how it turned out," Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. "To get another guy who brings the attitude and toughness and competitiveness that we talked about on day one is really clear."

The revamp of Seattle's offensive line is needed after the Seahawks ranked 31st in the NFL in rushing offense and the line was a constant juggle due to injuries and ineffectiveness. The arrival of Marshawn Lynch midway through the season didn't yield the results the Seahawks had hoped because of the offensive line woes.

Enter Cable, who was hired shortly after his firing as head coach in Oakland, with the intent of committing to a zone-blocking run offense based around brutish linemen.

Cable told general manager John Schneider a week ago his preference on linemen - based on Seattle's spots in the draft - were Carpenter and Moffitt.

"The Seattle Seahawks, as we all know if you look back just a few years ago, had a tremendous offensive line, was a real strength, backbone of this football team," Cable said. "It was the reason they went to all those playoff games and ultimately the Super Bowl. If you're going to be that kind of team, you have to get back to that."

Moffitt was a first-team Associated Press all-America selection in 2010 following his senior season at Wisconsin. The 6-foot-4, 319-pound guard made 42 career starts for the Badgers, spending most of his time at left guard, but he also played center.

Moffitt didn't know where Seattle would be using him on the line, but said his interest in the Seahawks was piqued a few days ago when Seattle called asking if he was comfortable with the idea of living and playing in the Pacific Northwest.

"I think in college the amount that I did play center my sophomore year really taught me about the game and I really learned how to look at the game and be very mental in my approach," Moffitt said. "I really think that helped me become a smarter football player."

Cable said if the Seahawks started today, it'd be Carpenter at right tackle, Moffitt at right guard, Unger at center, to-be-determined at left guard and Okung at left tackle.

"He's just like you'd picture a Madison offensive lineman," Schneider said.

Seattle held the 57th pick in the second round but traded the pick at the last minute to Detroit, gaining a pick in the third round the Seahawks eventually used on Moffitt, and an extra fourth-round pick. Seattle also moved up slightly in the fifth and seventh rounds.

Schneider said the trade was made to grab more picks, and Moffitt being available when No. 75 came around was a bonus.

Seattle now has seven picks on the final day of the draft, including two picks each in the fourth, fifth and seventh rounds. Before the draft, Schneider said he would like to come away with at least one defensive lineman, but selecting a quarterback could be on the Seahawks agenda as well.

"We take a lot of pride and spend a lot of time working from the fifth round through the free agents," Schneider said. "That's where the core of your team can come from. It's pretty exciting to talk about the first rounders ... but the teams that are the most successful consistently in this league do well in the bottom half of the draft."