The Seattle Seahawks have been dealing with injuries to several starters. Julian Love has been out for a while, Ernest Jones has already missed a game, Devon Witherspoon a few others games, and Derick
Hall as well. For the upcoming matchup against the Rams, the Seahawks will be without their starting center, Jalen Sundell. During the game against the Arizona Cardinals, he suffered a knee injury and, although we don’t have more specific information, he will miss at least a few games, including the Rams matchup, and going to IR is a possibility.
In his place, Olu Oluwatimi, the Seahawks’ 2023 fifth-round pick, will take overover as the starter and is expected to remain in that role next Sunday. Could this change improve or worsen our offensive line?
Let’s find out.
Jalen Sundell’s numbers
Among 38 qualified centers, according to PFF, Sundell ranks:
13th in pass-block grade at 65.5;
32nd in run-block grade at 58.6;
8th in fewest pressures allowed, with just 6.
Athletic ability
Let’s start by comparing their Relative Athletic Scores.
Sundell has an outstanding RAS. You can see it on the field, and that’s his biggest advantage over Olu Oluwatimi, making Sundell a better fit for the zone-blocking scheme.
This type of play clearly shows that. I can’t see Oluwatimi executing this kind of block, reaching the third level of the defense on the opposite side.
Oluwatimi needs to help Anthony Bradford at the first level before climbing to the second. He doesn’t have the burst to reach the linebacker (No. 50) in time, allowing the penetration.
Footwork
Olu has very heavy feet. While this helps with anchoring and moving defenders in the run game, it puts him in trouble when he needs to mirror quicker movements from opponents. In the clip above, he also commits a technical error by essentially taking two steps with his left foot, leaving himself completely vulnerable to the swim move.
The former Michigan center has a trait I like a lot: he battles through the entire snap even when he initially loses — and that’s valuable. However, in this play, we again see his lack of lateral mobility being exposed, along with feet that aren’t as active as they should be.
Angle/Strength/Awareness
This is Olu’s strongest area. He lines up against Dalvin Tomlinson, an excellent run defender. The hand battle is intense, and even without the best possible positioning, Oluwatimi keeps fighting and moves the defender, opening space for his running back.
His processing and play awareness are better than Sundell’s. He knows which angles to take to create gaps, and that allows him to “hide” his lack of athleticism at times.
Once again, his intelligence stands out. He knows exactly when to climb to the second level and manages to block Budda Baker, another excellent run defender for the Cardinals.
One of his best snaps of the game: great initial contact on the defensive lineman, making Grey Zabel’s job easier. Then he gets past the linebacker, and once again his spatial awareness puts him in a good angle to help the running back.
Good angle to reach the linebacker and he finishes the play with the defender on the ground.
Final thoughts
There aren’t massive differences between the two. It’s worth noting that the competition for the position would have been much closer if Oluwatimi hadn’t suffered an injury during the preseason, when he was the starter for a large portion of the reps. But perhaps this small difference now can help improve the run game.
A full week practicing as the starter should help correct timing errors like the one shown above. Oluwatimi played many years at center, and that experience helps him lead the offensive line. It’s also worth noting that he earned:
Outland Trophy (2022)
Rimington Trophy (2022)
Consensus All-American (2022)
Second-team All-American (2021)
First-team All-Big Ten (2022)
Second-team All-ACC (2021)
