Seahawks take WSU right tackle Abraham Lucas with the No. 72 pick in the 2022 NFL draft

RENTON — The Seahawks concluded their second day of the NFL draft the way they began it the day before — by taking an offensive tackle.

And they got one from close to home, taking Washington State University offensive tackle Abraham Lucas, a native of Everett who played at Archbishop Murphy High School.

Lucas made all of his 42 starts at WSU at right tackle where he will now get a chance to play with the Seahawks across from Cross, who was chosen number nine overall on Thursday to take over on the left side.

Lucas told Seattle reporters shortly after his selection that he could barely find the words to describe what it was like to be picked by the Seahawks after growing up in the state.

“I’m speechless, to be honest,” Lucas said. “… It’s surreal, I’ll tell you. I have a lot of emotions right now, I’m not really sure where to place all of them.” 

The selection of Lucas also means the Seahawks declined to take a quarterback with any of their top four picks among the top 72 overall. Only one had been taken by the team Seattle selected Lucas — Kenny Pickett of Pitt, taken 20^th by the Steelers on Thursday.

Lucas becomes the first WSU player selected by the Seahawks since cornerback Marcus Trufant in the first round in 2003 at number 11 overall.

Seattle entered the draft with just three tackles — Jake Curhan, Stone Forsythe and Greg Eiland, all second-year players.

Now Cross and Lucas join that trio to give the Seahawks a young, but they think talented, group to protect the right and left sides of whoever emerges as the team’s new quarterback in the post-Russell Wilson era.

Lucas was named a first team All-Pac-12 pick last year and was the first Cougar offensive lineman in program history to earn All-Pac-12 Conference honors four times and was a three-time Outland Trophy Watch List selection. 

Lucas is also the fourth Cougar offensive lineman drafted in the last seven seasons and is the highest Cougar draft pick since offensive lineman Andre Dillard was selected No. 22 overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL draft. 

He also shined at the combine when he ran a 4.92 40.

Lucas said at the combine he had met with the Seahawks, and he said he also talked to the Seahawks at the Senior Bowl and had a workout with a Seahawks offensive line coach.

Despite that, Lucas said he had no real inkling that the Seahawks were about to draft him.

“I didn’t know,” he said. “I didn’t really have any expectations on anything. As more people kept getting pulled off of the board, I just said, ‘All in God’s timing.’ Low and behold, pick No. 72 — and 72 was my number in college, so it’s a little ironic.”

Via Pro Football Focus, Lucas did not allow a sack in 477 pass-block snaps in 2021 and only four over the last three seasons.

But like Cross, Lucas played in a non-pro style offense — with each playing two of their college seasons for Mike Leach, who recruited Lucas to WSU and then left for Mississippi State where he coached Cross the last two years.

Some draft analysts have questioned how easily both players will be able to adapt to playing in the NFL, where they will more often have to line up in a three-point stance, something Lucas said he began working on at the Senior Bowl and throughout the draft process.

“It will certainly be a challenge,” Lucas said. “But everything is a challenge on this level and in the game of football. It’ll be something that I can excel at as much as I did with the Air Raid stuff in college so I’m excited about the opportunity.”

But Lucas said he is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed with the Seahawks.

“I’m just a guy that likes to show up and do his job the best he can,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. Don’t try and do anything super spectacular, just do what you’re coached to do and everything else will follow.”