Seahawks: Olu Oluwatimi has the skill set to be an immediate impact player
Seahawks fifth-round draft pick Olu Oluwatimi has what it takes to be an instant impact player.
It feels drastic, but former Michigan center, Olu Oluwatimi, may have what it takes to be an instant impact player for the Seattle Seahawks.
Oluwatimi, a fifth-round selection, won a Rimington Trophy for his center play in college. And it is his tenacity and grit that have impressed the Seahawks already.
Following the draft, ESPN college football analyst Chris Low explained in a recent article that the selection of Oluwatimi was the savviest move made by any team in the fifth round, and given his measurements, he wouldn't be surprised if Oluwatimi makes a bid to be the starter.
From Low: "Centers are typically drafted lower than they should be, but seeing Michigan's Olusegun Oluwatimi slip to the fifth round was surprising — but great news for the Seahawks that they could wait that long to get their center of the future. The 6-3, 310-pound Oluwatimi will play 10 years in the NFL and be a fixture in the middle of that Seattle offensive line. He played on college football's best offensive line last season and won the Outland Trophy as the top interior lineman in college football and the Rimington Award as the top center. He has played in three different systems (Air Force, Virginia and Michigan) and will develop rapidly into a top-tier NFL center."
Where the Seahawks stand now, Evan Brown has the inside track to being the team's starter. He signed with the team in April, and Brown has started 24 games over the last two seasons.
But working in Oluwatimi's favor is the similarity to the pro-style offense he played under when he was at Michigan.
During the rookie minicamp, the fifth-round draft pick explained that he was adjusting well to the NFL because of the familiarity with the scheme.
"I was definitely prepared coming here because you had to make all the calls and all the points and things upfront and it kind of started with me at Michigan," Oluwatimi said in May. "[It is the] Same thing here, I definitely think that my background going to Michigan, and playing there definitely helped me to not have as steep of a learning curve. But it’s pretty similar. Coach [Jim] Harbaugh, he’s from the NFL so he ran practices a certain way, Coach [Pete] Carroll runs practice a certain way. It’s pretty similar.”
With the similarity in the system, and the potential that many analysts have screamed about, Oluwatimi may have just what it takes to be an instant-impact contributor for the team voted the savviest by selecting him.
Feature image via Mark Henle/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK.
