Mason Richman, has he gone too far, do we know it won't matter anyway?

Seahawks tackle set a record at Iowa for a position he had to learn on the job

As a seventh round pick, the last of the Seattle Seahawks 11 selections, Mason Richman entered the NFL in a similar fashion to how he started his college career: Overlooked and underappreciated by most teams, but not by the team that wanted him the most.

Although we don’t know yet if Richman will overcome the odds to eventually start games in the league, it wouldn’t be the first time that Iowa’s starting left tackle for the past four seasons accomplished more than expected:

Richman committed to Iowa to play tackle despite not playing offensive line since middle school. And today, no offensive lineman has started more games for head coach Kirk Ferentz during his 26-year tenure at the school than Richman’s 52.

That’s a list that includes Marshal Yanda, Brandon Scherff, Riley Reiff, Robert Gallery, Tristan Wirfs, Tyler Linderbaum, Bryan Bulaga, A.J. Jackson, and over 20 other linemen who reached the NFL.

Richman isn’t the most athletic or technically sound of any offensive lineman to come out of Iowa, and there was a sense at the time that Seattle would move him to guard because he’s just 307 lbs with 32” arms. But John Schneider immediately set the record straight by telling the media that the Seahawks plan to keep him at tackle for now and that offensive line coach John Benton was elated to get him, even as a seventh rounder.

Seahawks veteran Grey Zabel was the one to call Richman to let him know he was going to be picked by Seattle.

If Richman does overcome the odds, potentially backing up Abe Lucas at right tackle which right now feels just the same as starting at right tackle, he wouldn’t be the first Iowa product at the position to do far more than expected.

In 2021, Richman replaced Alaric Jackson, an undrafted free agent who signed with the Rams despite a resume that most assumed would get him drafted early-to-mid day three. Jackson spent one year as a backup and flirted with a move to guard in year two, but has since been L.A.’s starter at left tackle in the last two seasons. Jackson signed a three-year, $58 million contract in the offseason, meaning he’s a far richer man than most of the tackles who were actually DRAFTED in 2021.

That includes a player like Alex Leatherwood, the 17th overall pick in the draft by the Raiders and someone who washed out of the league in less than two years.

And can you guess who the 248th pick of the 2021 draft was?

Will Fries.

The very last offensive lineman drafted in 2021, Fries signed a five-year, $88 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings this year. And the 226th player drafted in 2021 was Trey Smith, who is currently regarded as the best guard in the entire league by many people right now.

We don’t have a reason as of yet to expect Richman — or sixth rounder Bryce “a cab will do” — to become the next Jackson, Fries, or Trey. They could also become the next Michal Menet, William Sherman, or Deonte Brown. “Who?” Right.

But Brock Purdys don’t exclusively grow at quarterback. They can also come in the form of a defensive-end-turned-tackle-turned-Seahawk.

Other colleges wanted him to stick on defense

Most recruits choose the school that believes in their potential where they already are, but Richman actually chose Iowa because they were the one program that saw a path for him to increase his stock if he was willing to change everything. A three-star recruit out of Blue Valley High School in Leawood, Kansas, Richman nearly won the state’s defensive player of the year award as a senior.

He had offers from Kansas, Air Force, and others to come play defense for them, but Iowa — a school known for their tight ends and offensive linemen — had no doubts about his potential at tackle despite not playing offensive line since middle school.

"Since like seventh grade or something like that," Richman said. "You've got to start from square one right when you get here."

"Just the confidence I have in (head coach Kirk) Ferentz and what he's done here the past 23 years now, helping guys get to where they want to be — offensive linemen especially — I'm truly grateful for," Richman said Tuesday in his weekday media debut. "I'm happy to take advantage of every opportunity I've gotten."

Although he was in the 2020 class, Richman enrolled at Iowa in 2019 to get a head start on his new position. This also exposed him to some of Iowa’s highly rated tackles, including Wirfs, the 13th overall pick of the 2020 draft and a player currently ranked as the second-best tackle in the NFL by PFF.

(Charles Cross is 13th, A.J. Jackson is 19th, and Abe Lucas was probably too injured to qualify.)

That early exposure to Iowa’s players and coaches helped Richman become ready to start at left tackle in 2021, replacing Jackson less than two years after he began the process of learning how to even play the position. Richman started 12 games at tackle as a redshirt freshman, earning an honorable mention on the All-Big Ten team but perhaps more importantly winning the “coaches appreciation award” for the offensive side of the ball.

Richman repeated the award, again being named as the winner of the “coaches appreciation” honor in 2022 as a sophomore.

I went back to see who won the award in 2020…A.J. Jackson.

Early in his career at Iowa, Ferentz noted that it was his perseverance that made Richman stand out in a crowded field of offensive line hopefuls:

"One thing about Mason — and this is important for every player — goes back to camp," Ferentz recalled Tuesday. "(LB Zach) VanValkenberg really worked him — I think it was on a Monday — maybe the second week or whatever. The next day Mason came back, he stood right up to it, and did a really nice job. He had some scar tissue, but he didn't carry it with him.

"That's what you're looking for in players, a guy to come back and take the challenge and try to learn from what might have gone wrong. That's kind of how he's wired, does a lot of really good things out there. He's coming along."

Current Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum was another veteran who spent a lot of time with Richman early in his career, including and perhaps most importantly with teaching him the importance of watching film.

"Mason works extremely hard, and that starts in the film room," said tight end Luke Lachey, another 2020 prospect who first knew Richman as that transitional lineman. "He came in playing defensive line in high school, and I've been really impressed with the transition to (offensive) tackle. He knows what he's doing. Tyler Linderbaum helps him out a lot, and so Mason has really progressed a lot. I'm proud of him."

Richman, who was also frequently on Academic honor lists throughout his college career, started 14 games as a junior and 13 more as a senior. In his final season, Richman spent some time as the highest-graded offensive lineman in the country by PFF:

The success is evident as well. So far this season, Mason Richman is the highest-graded pass-blocking offensive lineman in all of college football per Pro Football Focus.

Despite what was working in his favor:

• 52 starts at left tackle for a major college program

• Consistent

• Punching above his weight class as a player who had to learn offensive tackle when he was 18

• Iowa

Richman lacks the ideal size and athleticism that the NFL looks for in tackles and can only barely take at guard.

Dane Brugler was willing to give him a slight bump from “camp body” to “practice squad with some upside as a backup” based on his senior season:

“Richman positions himself well to sustain in pass pro and shows good lateral quickness off the snap to reach, seal or cut off speed, although he overshoots his landmarks at times. Though he needs to show better control in space, he gets low in the run game and washes on down blocks. Overall, Richman graded as an NFL camp body last summer, but he worked himself into the conversation as a draftable prospect with his play in 2024 and offers valuable experience for the next level.” — Dane Brugler, The Ringer.

For the Seahawks to go against the grain by keeping him at tackle — five years after Ferentz went against the grain by moving Richman to tackle — it shows how impressed they are with his tape and probably from the conversations that they’ve had with people who know what he’s like in a practice and film room setting.

Although Cabeldue is frequently cited as the late round OL selection who could pan out for Seattle because of his athleticism, we saw how a similar situation played out when the Seahawks picked cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James in 2024: James was the player who had “all the athleticism” to warrant an even higher selection, but Pritchett is the one who has thus far lasted on the team.

The Seahawks could use help at both guard and tackle, so they’re looking to retain and develop Cabeldue, Richman, and anyone else who wants to prove he’s far better than any draft grades or prospect reports.

If Mason Richman wants to get the attention of Seattle’s coaches, all he has to change is…nothing.

Seaside Joe 2315