Taking the next steps Seahawks offensive linemen ready for second NFL season

OTHELLO — The 2016 season was a baptism of fire for two rookies on the Seattle Seahawks offensive line. But they are hoping that experience will develop moving forward.

Germain Ifedi, the 2016 No. 1 pick out of Texas A&M, and undrafted George Fant are expected to make a significant impact in their second season in the NFL.

A year ago, Ifedi played more snaps than any other rookie, starting 15 games at right guard. Ifedi, who was originally drafted to play right tackle, made it clear why he was drafted No. 1 even though his 2016 season began with an ankle injury.

Fant had barely played any football since the eighth grade and was thrown into an impossible situation when Bradley Sowell went down with an injury. The Seahawks staff moved the undrafted, untested free agent into the left tackle spot, essentially throwing him into fire.

Ifedi started 15 games and took 889 snaps, while Fant started 12 games and was on the field for 761 snaps.

They head into their second year a little more seasoned and playing with more confidence.

“OTA’s (organized team activities) were different this year because of the confidence that you have going into the second year,” said Ifedi, taking a break from the 12 Tour in Othello on Sunday. “When you step onto the field with another year of experience and a better idea of the terminology, let’s just say I have that swagger now and it’s cool.”

Ifedi and Fant played more than any other rookies on the team and that experience and exposure will go a long ways to securing better play as a unit moving forward.

“I had never played left tackle before (last season). You kind have to learn on the fly and trust in your athletic abilities,” Fant said. “I would say the main difference between this year and last year is the confidence level. I put a whole lot of work in this off season and our offensive line is working together.”

The Seahawks finished the season last year with an offensive line that consisted of Fant at left tackle, Mark Glowinski at left guard and Justin Britt at center. On the right side, they went with Ifedi at right guard and Garry Gilliam at right tackle. The Seahawks did draft two more linemen in this year's draft: LSU's Ethan Pocic in the second round and Mississippi State's Justin Senior in the sixth. But barring sweeping changes, they could have the same line in place this season.

“Our coaches have done a great job in not letting us stay stagnant. We have guys that are never satisfied with their play,” Ifedi said. “Last season we had some ups and downs, but we’re coming together pretty well and I expect better things this year.”

The sky's the limit for Fant, who has a ton of room for growth. He spent his college career playing basketball at Western Kentucky, before switching to football for one year.

“We have a lot of guys that are really hungry and ready to get better,” Fant said. “We’re ready for training camp. We know, and our coaching staff knows, what we’re capable of. I know each one of us is busting our butt and get better. I think we’re going to be OK and we’re going to work our butts off to get better.

“We have some veterans that we’ve brought in and we’re definitely growing as a unit.”

The Seahawks signed veteran running back Eddie Lacy during the offseason and are hoping to get back to the hard running attack left vacant when Marshawn Lynch retired. Lacy joins a backfield that includes Thomas Rawls, who led the NFL in rushing yards per carry as a rookie in 2015, C.J. Prosise and Alex Collins, who came on strong late in his rookie season.

The addition of Lacy has the buzz, but Fant said he likes the running game and believes it has the potential to give the Seahawks offense better balance.

“We have a lot of good runners with Thomas, C.J. and Alex and now we’ve added to that with Eddie,” Fant said. “We’re ready to get back to power football and running the ball hard and competing.”

Rodney Harwood is a sports writer for the Columbia Basin Herald and can be reached at rharwood@columbiabasinherald.com.