The Seahawks made their second trade of the day, moving back five picks from the end of the second round to Pick No. 69, and they used that pick to add even more competition to an already deep interior line, selecting LSU guard Damien Lewis.
The Seahawks added a fifth-round pick for sending the 64th overall pick to Carolina, getting Pick No. 148 in return.
And for Lewis, hearing his name called in the third round of the draft is something he definitely won't take for granted. After playing on a Canton (Mississippi) High School team with only 35 or so players on the roster, he received zero Division I offers, but still believing in his ability, he continued his career at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
"I've been overlooked my whole life, I had to take the long route in everything," he said. "Since Day 1, I always had big dreams. I felt like high school wasn't my final destination… I had to find way to get me where I wanted to go, so I took the JuCo route."
At Northwest Mississippi, Lewis was a second-team JC All-American and the big-school offers finally came, with Lewis jumping at the chance to play at LSU, which he called, "my dream school since Day 1." He was a two-year starter at right guard for the Tigers, earning second-team All-SEC honors as the Tigers won the national championship last year. Lewis was part of an offensive line that won the Joe Moore Award as the country's top O-line. While Lewis was a starter at right guard throughout his LSU time, he said he practiced at left guard and center to make himself more versatile and feels comfortable at all three interior spots.
Lewis was hardly surprised to end up in Seattle given his strengths as a physical guard who loves to run block. A friend even predicted that Lewis would end up in Seattle last week when the two were playing Madden 20 with Lewis playing as the Seahawks, "because they're my favorite team."
With the No. 69 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks selected Damien Lewis, a guard out of LSU.
LSU quarterback Joe Burrow (9) hugs guard Damien Lewis after the team's NCAA college football game against Texas A&M in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019. LSU won 50-7. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Football vs Georgia Photo by Gus Stark
LSU guard Damien Lewis (68) readies for a play against Mississippi State defensive tackle Kendell Jones (92) during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. LSU won 36-13. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Football vs Arkansas Photo by Gus Stark
Football vs Auburn Photo by Beau Brune
LSU guard Damien Lewis (68) readies for a play against Mississippi State defensive tackle Kendell Jones (92) during the first half of their NCAA college football game in Starkville, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2019. LSU won 36-13. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
LSU guard Damien Lewis runs a drill during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020 in Indianapolis. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
LSU offensive lineman Damien Lewis sits on the bench during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
LSU offensive lineman Damien Lewis sits on the bench during the NFL football scouting combine, Friday, Feb. 28, 2020, in Indianapolis. (Aaron M. Sprecher via AP)
In addition to returning both starting guards, D.J. Fluker and Mike Iupati, the Seahawks have also added multiple interior linemen in free agency, signing B.J. Finney and Chance Warmack.
Here is the Seahawks' eight-player 2020 draft class:
- Round 1, No. 27 overall: LB Jordyn Brooks, Texas Tech
- Round 2, No. 48 overall: DE Darrell Taylor, Tennessee
- Round 3, No. 69 overall: G Damien Lewis, LSU
- Round 4, No. 133 overall: TE Colby Parkinson, Stanford
- Round 4, No. 144 overall: RB DeeJay Dallas, Miami
- Round 5, No. 148 overall: DE Alton Robinson, Syracuse
- Round 6, No. 214 overall: WR Freddie Swain, Florida
- Round 7, No. 251 overall: WR Stephen Sullivan, LSU
