Has Unger seen his last days hiking the
ball from under center?
Read anything about new Seahawks OL Max Unger and the same word will pop up every time: versatility.
In him, the 'Hawks landed the draft's best center on some boards, but there are no guarantees center is his position in Seattle.
For the past three seasons, Chris Spencer has manned the middle, and despite some criticisms of his play, the former first-round pick has steadily improved at a position dominated by veterans.
To continue...
When looking at the starting centers teams entered the 2008 season with, there seems to be a common theme. Most have spent plenty of time in the NFL learning their respective systems and adjusting to the many nuances defenses bring in their rush packages.
Wasn't Robbie Tobeck 35 when he made his first and only Pro Bowl?
In 2008, the average age of a starting center in the NFL was 28.8 and the median was 29.
That's an average of six years experience playing at the pro level. At 27, Spencer is still a year shy from that average. Unger is of course six years away.
When looking at the average age of Pro Bowl centers in the last 10 years, the number goes even higher: 29.4 years old. The youngest Pro Bowlers came at the age of 24, Olin Kreutz for the Bears in 2001 and Matt Birk for the Vikings in 2000.
Though Spencer struggled early on in his career making line calls, it is a struggle common of almost all young centers. He has shown improvement in this regard and should not be discounted so hastily. He was, after all, a first rounder for a reason.
Unger the left tackle of the future?
Unger, meanwhile, has tremendous versatility, and yes, there's that word again. He began his college career as a starter at left tackle, and he has the size at 6-foot-5 and the agility to play that position in the NFL.
In 2006, Unger played his final year at the left tackle position and earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors along with being voted the team's best blocker, all as a sophomore.
The switch to center came due to Oregon's glaring hole there and the team's depth at tackle. In Seattle's zone-blocking scheme, Unger's lack of great bulk and driving power shouldn't relegate him to playing strictly on the inside like it would for most teams.
No one knows for sure how much longer LT Walter Jones has in this league, and for the moment, Sean Locklear will almost certainly be the heir apparent. But given a couple more years, Unger may emerge in that role.
The here and now
In the meantime, he should be capable of starting at either guard position, and failing that, he would add tremendous depth with his ability to back up any position on the line.
One thing is for sure, 'Hawks fans should be hearing his name for many years to come, and perhaps he is that special player to come along and excel at center right from the outset. Spencer would make a terrific guard.
Reach Jeff Richards at nextseasonsports@gmail.com
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