Seahawks position battles: Olu Oluwatimi, Nick Harris compete for starting center

Ever since Max Unger was traded, the Seattle Seahawks’ center position has been a bit of an uphill battle. We had some good years with Justin Britt, but his injury ended any hope of a long-term solution.

After that, we moved on to Ethan Pocic which was always contested (unfairly at times) and then we went to a year in which Pocic and Kyle Fuller (yes, a legend who had not just one, but TWO games with a ZERO pass blocking grade via PFF) alternating in the role. Then we went on to an overpriced contract for Austin Blythe, who also didn’t solve the problem, and he retired the following year.

Going to 2023 we have improved on previous years. The team brought in Evan Brown, who had two solid seasons with the Detroit Lions, and drafted Olusegun Oluwatimi from Michigan in the fifth round, who was considered a steal by many analysts.

It looked like we were going to have a great battle between the two. But unfortunately, Olu Olu suffered a minor injury in camp that slowed him down enough to leave Evan Brown as a somewhat regular starter.

In 2024, Seattle let Brown leave in free agency for the Arizona Cardinals. In return, the team brought in Nick Harris as the only real candidate to compete with the second-year player.

Olu started the training camp as the starter, but will he be the center in Week 1?

The case for Olu Oluwatimi

Oluwatimi was ranked 30th out of 32 centers by PFF. He was ahead of only Luke Wattenberg of the Denver Broncos and Brock Hoffman of the Dallas Cowboys. He was behind names with little experience in the role such as Ryan Bates of the Chicago Bears and HJalte Froholdt of the Arizona Cardinals, as well as rookies Graham Barton of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Zach Frazier of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

NOTE: Ethan Pocic is seventh on this list.

It’s common to see players who were already in the group having an advantage over newcomers. However, it’s worth remembering that Olu didn’t receive this gift. Nearly the entire coaching staff left (the only one remaining was Karl Scott, DB and Defensive Pass Game Coordinator coach), bringing in new names who had “no information” about him. Oluwatimi’s sample size is small, having been a backup for his entire rookie year. The former Michigan center’s 128 snaps were distributed as follows:

• Lions (6);
• Giants (38);
• Cardinals (59), in his only start;
• Steelers (25);

Of those snaps, 70 were on passing plays and he only drew one pressure and committed only one foul (which was not accepted against the Steelers). Thus, he received an average of 75.5 from PFF in pass protection. On the other hand, he finished the year with a grade of 50.5 in run blocking.

Where can Olu win the job?

Even in a small sample, as previously mentioned, it is in pass protection that Olu Olu shines. His processing ability and technique in this phase of the game could be the factor that guarantees him a starting spot.

Usually the center doesn’t have a player lined up in front of him, making 1v1s less frequent. In this play, he lines up against nose tackle Leki Fotu and shows off his entire arsenal in pass protection. Note that Olu’s hand positioning isn’t ideal at first. But he quickly makes the adjustment and controls the defender during the snap. He does this as he smoothly repositions his base with his feet.

Here we have a snap that is more common for centers. With no one in front of him, he needs to help his teammates. He starts by checking if his Left Guard needs help, but he identifies that Anthony Bradford on his right side would lose the 1v1 and he prevents the defender from having a clear path to the QB.

Where can Olu lose the job?

Just as the numbers, even if in small quantities, showed Olu’s strength, they also show his weakness, the running game.

He’s not a guy who’s going to move people. That lack of “physicality” on the line was a problem for our OL last year, especially in the red zone.

Here, the Seahawks have called a run known as Duo. The idea here is for the OL to dominate physically with the two double teams and, after that, it’s time to advance to the second level. But, notice that he can’t even dominate at first and has a bad angle to get to the linebacker at the second level.

This is a snap that concerns me when we look at what is projected in the scheme of Ryan Grubb, the new OC. We will talk more about this later, but this athletic ability is necessary for what is required in the running game. He cannot get to the second level and the unmarked LB is able to get to the RB and end the play.

The case for Nick Harris

Harris, also a fifth-round pick, spent his early years with the Cleveland Browns. Even though he is entering his fifth year in the league, he is only 25 years old (he will turn 26 during the season). He has made just four starts in four seasons with the Browns (522 total snaps, 2 sacks, 5 hurries, 7 pressures), serving as a backup for most of that time to JC Tretter. Harris missed the 2022 season due to a knee injury, which hampered his chance to start after the veteran left and, ironically, lost the spot to Ethan Pocic, who has flourished with the Ohio team.

With no chance at center, the Browns used him as a fullback/sixth OL during the season.

Where can Harris win the job?

Developing under Scott Huff, Harris has become one of the top centers in the country for Washington, earning First-Team All-Pac 12 honors in 2018 and 2019. He has the profile of the center Seattle would expect under this new management. Shorter and more athletic, like Parker Brailsford, who played at UW and transferred to Alabama and will be one of the top centers next season.

He runs a play very similar to the ones Grubb called in Washington. He pulls from his position and has the athletic ability to block outside.

He lines up 1-on-1 with Kenny Clark, he resets the base with the intention of absorbing all of the DT’s strength.

Where can Harris lose the job?

He’s a smaller center than you’d expect. In the NFL, you’re going to face a lot more physical competition than you do in college. That requires you to play at a higher technical level. Here, he’s going to put his head down and lose his momentum.

Ryan Grubb/Scott Huff Scheme

Parker Brailsford, who’s 6’2 and 275lbs (remember that these numbers are provided by Universities and are usually higher than reality), was the starting center for Washington in the last year. This undersized size and weight are offset by the athleticism that Grubb required in his running plays. Most of his runs required some type of pull, and the center was used in that role frequently.

Final Thoughts

Although we are ranked 30th among centers according to PFF, I am a little more relaxed than in recent years. This time, we have two centers at a very similar level of play. This is different from years when the level between the starter and the backup was an abyss (cough cough Kyle Fuller cough cough). Therefore, we will be in good hands with either Oluwatimi or Harris.