Seahawks 3rd-round pick UConn guard Christian Haynes a big Geno Smith--and 12s--fan
The Seahawks had to add to their problematic offensive line.
So why not add a huge, older, loyal, “smart and nasty” Geno Smith fan to block for Seattle’s quarterback?
They had to wait, all Friday into Friday night. Then wide receiver Tyler Lockett, with girls flag football players from Emerald Ridge High School flanking him on the main stage at the NFL draft in Detroit, announced Seattle selected Connecticut guard Christian Haynes in the third round, the 81st pick overall.
The 6-foot-3, 317-pound Haynes started 49 consecutive games, made 50 of 51 starts and was a two-year captain at UConn for coach Jim Mora, the Seahawks’ coach in 2009. Haynes was at Connecticut for six years, through a redshirt year and a lost COVID year. He turned 24 this month.
Haynes said via telephone Friday night from his hometown of Bowie, Maryland, among family, friends and his girlfriend he’s been a big fan of Smith since the Seahawks quarterback played in college at West Virginia. That was a dozen years ago.
“You don’t understand,” Haynes said, “I used to watch his highlight tapes to get hype for my games.”
Mora has called Haynes “a great human being.” Haynes started 49 consecutive games and four seasons at right guard on UConn’s offensive line. He was a two-year captain for Mora and the Huskies.
“Those are the guys you want leading your team,” new Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald said. “Those are the types of guys you want leading your team.”
Haynes said the Seahawks are getting “Someone who is smart and nasty at the same time.”
He may get his chance to play in Seattle immediately. The Seahawks let starting right guard Phil Haynes rookie contract end at the end of last season. They drafted guard Anthony Bradford in the fourth round last year. He started 10 games last season as a rookie injury fill-in for Phil Haynes.
That’s a lot of Haynes.
“This guy is going to come in and compete, now,” Schneider said. “He’s a solid dude.
“He’s played A LOT of football...He’s had 48 pressures in 1,687 snaps. The guy’s really, really experienced.”
The Seahawks signed former San Francisco 49ers Pro Bowl left guard Laken Tomlinson last month to a one-year contract. He’s penciled in as Seattle’s new left guard for 2024.
The team also signed free agent Nick Harris, the former All-Pac-12 center a few years ago at the University of Washington. Macdonald said the Seahawks consider Harris to be both a center and a guard for them.
“We are excited to add (Christian) to our O-line, and get after it and compete,” Macdonald said. “It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out in the end.”
The Seahawks are trying to get guard right. They now have drafted three of them in the last five drafts, and all of them in the top half of the draft.
Damien Lewis was Seattle’s third-round pick in 2020 and starting left guard — until he signed a $53 million free-agent contract with Carolina last month.
Tried to trade into round 2
Schneider said the Seahawks tried multiple times Friday to trade into the second round. Seattle didn’t have a second-round pick. The team traded it to the New York Giants last October to acquire veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams on an expiring contract.
The Seahawks made re-signing Williams and keeping him from free agency their top offseason priority. Last month, they did it, on a new deal worth up to $64.5 million.
So as they waited nearly 50 picks through all of round two and half of round three Friday, Schneider said: “We tried to keep thinking about Leonard Williams” as their second-round pick.
“The second round, not having a pick, we had considered going up several times. And then things just didn’t work out,” Schneider said. “People wanted to pick, and then people had their players taken.”
Christian Haynes and Seahawks coaches
Christian Haynes caught some eyes, including those of Seahawks scouts, at the Senior Bowl showcase week for NFL prospects in late January.
“I do think my experience at the Senior Bowl showed I can play at any level of competition,” Haynes said. “It showed my fellow defensive linemen respected me.”
After that, he talked with new Seahawks offensive-line coach Scott Huff.
“On on a Zoom call,” Haynes said. “We talked ball. We had a great conversation.
“The Seahawks, I knew I was on their board.”
Asked if Huff or anyone from the Seahawks has told him he will be playing right guard in Seattle, Haynes said: “I can play anything they need me to play.
“I’m going to go out there and dominate, regardless.”
Haynes is proud he started all games in four season that he stayed at the same school and was a two-time captain for a team that went 1-11, 2-10, 1-11, 6-7 and 3-9 in his time at Connecticut. He played for three head coaches in five years.
Yet he stayed, in this era of a rampant transfer portal in college football.
“Rare,” Macdonald said.
Haynes said: “Take a lot of pride. Not a lot of people can do that and stay healthy.”
As for staying through the losses, COVID, the coaching changes to get a bachelor’s degree in human development and a master’s in sports management from UConn this past year?
“I’m a real loyal person,” Haynes said.
Besides Smith, Haynes knows a lot about Seattle.
“Ah man, the fans. That 12,” he said. “Just everything, man. That culture (of winning)...”
Haynes is the second Seahawks choice in this draft. General manager John Schneider had to wait 65 selections over two days between Seattle picking Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy in the middle of round one Thursday night to Haynes in the middle of round three Friday night.
The Seahawks own five more picks in this draft: two in round four Saturday morning, two in round six and one in the seventh and final round later Saturday.
This story was originally published April 26, 2024 at 7:34 PM.
