After saying earlier Germain Ifedi would play right tackle, coach Pete Carroll on Monday said the first-round pick will start out at right guard.
A few minutes after drafting offensive lineman Germain Ifedi with the 31st overall pick in the first round Thursday night, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said the Texas A&M product would start his career at right tackle.
‘He played a lot of right tackle and the fact that he has played some guard helps out with flexibility,’’ Carroll said. “But we see him being a right tackle candidate. We’ll see how it works out.’’
By Monday, though, the plans for Ifedi had changed, with Carroll telling Pat Kirwan on SiriusXM NFL Radio that Ifedi will start out at right guard.
“He’s a really exciting kid,’’ Carroll said in a clip made available by Sirius. “…. We thought he played really well at right tackle. But if you go back and watch him as a right guard earlier in his career, he was really good there, too. We are going to bring him in here and put him at right guard and get (free agent signee) J’Marcus Webb at right tackle and get as big as you can get in football and see what those guys can do together.’’
Ifedi was the fifth listed tackle taken in the draft. As a guard, he would have been the second one taken after Josh Garnett by the 49ers at pick No. 28 (intriguingly, some analysts who didn’t like the pick of Ifedi noted that he was better as a run blocker than pass blocking, which might fit with a move inside to begin his career).
Ifedi started all 13 games for Texas A&M in 2013 before moving to right tackle.
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Webb was signed to a two-year contract worth a total of $5.75 million with $2.45 million guaranteed.
Webb, who has been in the NFL since 2010, was primarily a guard for the Raiders last year but started the final two games at right tackle. He also began his career with the Bears at right tackle (starting there against the Seahawks in a divisional playoff game in 2011).
Webb is listed at 6-7, 331 pounds while Ifedi is listed at 6-5, 325, which would indeed give the Seahawks a more imposing right side of the line than last season.
Seattle last year had Garry Gilliam — listed at 6-5, 306 (though he recently said he was more like 318) — at right tackle and J.R. Sweezy (6-5, 298) at right guard.
The Seahawks have also been planning to use second-year man Mark Glowinski, a fourth-round pick last season, at right guard. Glowinski, listed at 6-4, 310, started a late-season win at Arizona but otherwise played sparingly a year ago. Intriguingly, Glowinski could be seen playing left guard in a picture of a Monday workout published by the Seahawks.
Seattle returns Patrick Lewis at center and Justin Britt at left guard with a plan of moving Gilliam to left tackle.
The Seahawks also took guard Rees Odhiambo in the third round with Carroll saying on Friday that he would begin his career at guard.
“He played tackle (at Boise State) and he really fits the formula for being a guard that we’re going to give him a shot right there,’’ Carroll said.
Asked if Odhiambo would begin on the right or left side, Carroll said “we’ll find out.’’ Seahawks GM John Schneider, though, said during an appearance on ESPN 710 Seattle Monday that Odhiambo would start out at left guard.
Ifedi has played only on the right side in his career while Odhiambo played left tackle the last two years at Boise State, so for now the Seahawks appear to be leaving each of their rookies on the side where they have the most experience.
Seattle also drafted center Joey Hunt of TCU in the seventh round.
Oh the intrigue for an offensive line that figures to undergo all kinds of different looks between now and when the season begins.
Carroll said Saturday to expect lots of tinkering.
“We’ll have some flexibility and we’ll have to figure it out,’’ Carroll said. “…. We’re going to take the time to make those decisions and see how it goes.’’