Seahawks Analysis: 5 Fullback Options to Consider in 2025 NFL Draft
Turning back the clock a bit, the Seattle Seahawks will be taking a page out of the past under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, who made it clear during his introductory press conference that the team will bring back the fullback as part of their offensive identity.
Though he never coached under legendary former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, Kubiak’s father Gary worked as Denver’s offensive coordinator for a decade alongside Shanahan after previously being a backup quarterback for the franchise. Learning from his father, Klint Kubiak has developed his own iteration of the Shanahan offense, which is predicated on a zone-centric approach to the run game and features extensive two-back and multi-tight end personnel groupings.
At one time, the Seahawks championed the fullback position as much as any team in the NFL, including Mack Strong lead blocking for a trio of 1,000-yard backs in Chris Warren, Ricky Watters, and Shaun Alexander during 14 seasons with the organization. During their Super Bowl run in 2013, Mike Robinson was a key component of their offense leading the way for star runner Marshawn Lynch while also pitching in on special teams.
But over the past decade, with four different offensive coordinators employed during that span, like most teams in the league, the fullback has been mostly phased out of Seattle’s offense, and they haven’t carried a full-time one since Robinson retired after the 2013 season. Without one on the roster heading into the offseason, general manager John Schneider continues to investigate his options, telling Seattle Sports hosts Dave Wyman and Bob Stelton on Thursday that filling that void sits atop his agenda as the team continues to navigate free agency and gear up for this month’s NFL draft.
"We're gonna have a fullback in our offense, that's actually a position we're working on right now in free agency as well as the draft," Schneider said. “That’s something we have to address here. That guy has to be a special teams player because you’re talking about three runners and now who’s going to be active. You can’t have a fullback who can’t move and can’t play on teams. I think that’s a really important position.”
While Schneider hinted signing a free agent veteran could still be on the table for Seattle, with 10 picks in the upcoming draft, investing a selection at the position might be the best bet to give the team a fullback under club control for four years.
Which incoming prospects would be the best fit to line up as a fullback in Kubiak’s scheme? Here are five players that would offer the most intrigue as potential alternatives for the Seahawks to consider:
Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
One of the most entertaining and productive players in all of college football, Skattebo put the Sun Devils on his back and powerful, piston-like legs to carry them to the College Football Playoff last season, racking up 1,712 rushing yards, 21 rushing touchdowns, and 103 forced missed tackles, second behind only Heisman Trophy runner up Ashton Jeanty. He also stood out as one of Arizona State’s best receiving options with 44 receptions for 583 yards and three touchdowns while also throwing a 42-yard touchdown against Texas in the playoffs, making him the ultimate Swiss army knife out of the backfield. Given those numbers and his talents as a tackle-destroying wrecking ball, several teams could be looking at him as a potential three-down feature back at the next level.
With that said, Skattebo doesn’t have elite wheels, further evidenced by his mid-4.5 range 40-yard dash time at Arizona State’s pro day. It’s possible in a loaded running back class that he could fall into day three, and while a fourth round pick on a fullback may seem like an incredibly expensive luxury pick, putting him in the same backfield with Ken Walker III, Zach Charbonnet, or Kenny McIntosh as a lead blocker with his skills as a runner and pass catcher would be a dream scenario for Kubiak in his system. Most teams have gone away from using fullbacks in general, let alone letting them carry the ball much, but the 215-pound dynamo could turn back to the clock to the days when John L. Williams racked up rushing and receiving yards in bunches for the Seahawks.
J.J. Pegues, Ole Miss
In terms of versatility, no player in college football had a more fascinating snap split than Pegues did the past few years, seeing extensive action as a defensive tackle as well as a fullback. With the exception of William Perry on the Bears in the mid-1980s, 300-plus pound offensive linemen don’t typically carry the football, but the Rebels used the 325-pound Pegues as a featured short yardage weapon in their offense, handing him the rock 21 times for 69 yards and seven touchdowns in 2024. In addition, he tallied 84 combined tackles, seven sacks, and 22 tackles for loss in his final two years in Oxford, proving to be a difference maker along the defensive line with plenty of splash plays against SEC competition.
At the NFL level, it would be a surprise if Pegues receives the ball often, as he ran a 5.15 40-yard dash and aside from goal line packages, there may not be much value giving him carries. He’s also not much of a receiving threat out of the backfield. However, smart teams will see his production playing multiple alignments along the defensive line as well as his blocking prowess as a converted inline tight end and see an opportunity to knock out two birds with one stone early on day three. For the Seahawks, using him in short yardage packages would be an intriguing wrinkle in Kubiak’s scheme while also amplifying depth along the defensive front with a high-upside player offering untapped pass rushing potential.
Brock Lampe, Northern Illinois
Unlike Skattebo or to a lesser degree Pegues, Lampe wasn’t a significant source of scoring for the Huskies’ offense, or at least directly. He only scored three touchdowns in four years on campus, but that doesn’t fully paint the picture for how important he was for his football team. Serving as a lead blocker for a three-headed rushing attack, he helped Gavin Williams, Antario Brown, and Telly Johnson Jr. combine for more than 1,700 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground last season, earning an elite 84.5 run blocking grade from Pro Football Focus. On the few occasions he did touch the ball, he caught nine out of 10 targets as a receiver for a healthy 10.1 yards per reception average.
As a pro prospect, Lampe doesn’t offer much in the playmaking department and teams that want a fullback who can be actively involved as a runner or pass catcher may want to look at other options. But as a traditional player at the position, he has plus size at 6-1, 252 pounds and excels at taking on linebackers and safeties through the hole as the motorcade leading the way for running backs to operate behind his blocking. He also has played more than 300 special teams snaps at the college level and should be able to step into numerous roles on the third phase of the game, making him worth a look as a late round or undrafted flier.
Brant Kuithe, Utah
Not built like a traditional tight end, the 6-2, 236-pound Kuithe has battled numerous injuries, including being sidelined the entire 2023 season recovering from a torn ACL and going down with another significant injury in November that prevented him from participating in the NFL combine or the Utes’ pro day workouts. When he has been healthy, however, he proved to be a difference maker for Utah in a variety of ways, catching 183 receptions for 2,387 yards and 22 touchdowns while also adding 188 yards and six touchdowns as a runner out of the backfield. Capable of creating after the catch as well as taking handoffs in short yardage situations as a fullback, he stood out as one of the best modern H-back prototypes in college football when able to suit up.
Due to his size and injury history, Kuithe won’t be mistaken as an inline tight end, which negates his value for some teams. But for teams that seek a versatile skill player who can catch, run, and block from multiple alignments in an offense that deploys fullbacks/H-backs while also offering special teams contributions, he would check off those boxes as well as anyone in this class. If not for injuries, he probably would have been a mid-day three selection, but with his medicals being questionable at best right now, the Seahawks could take a flier on him with one of their two seventh round picks or hold out hope of persuading him to sign as an undrafted free agent to compete for a roster spot.
Willie Lampkin, North Carolina
Despite being undersized at 5-10, 279 pounds, Lampkin carved out a starting role as a true freshman at Coastal Carolina and over five seasons with two different programs, he logged more than 4,000 offensive snaps with multiple All-Conference honors both in the Sun Belt and ACC. In his final two years at Chapel Hill, he didn’t allow a single sack in pass protection and yielded just 16 total pressures, keeping defenders away from future first-round pick Drake Maye in 2023 and Jacolby Criswell last season. He also graded out as one of PFF’s top run blocking linemen at any position, tying for fourth among guards with a 87.6 score and paving the way for projected first round pick Omarion Hampton to rush for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2024.
Because of his size, Lampkin may have a difficult time translating his success as a guard at the college level to the NFL, though he did hold his own at the Senior Bowl and packs a mean punch with a short, powerful frame. He didn’t play a single snap as a fullback at the college level, so moving him there would be based completely off projection, but he posted a quality 1.76 10-yard split on his 40-yard dash in the pre-draft process and could be a prime candidate to moonlight as a lead blocker out of the backfield in short yardage situations as well as a sixth lineman who can be deployed in heavy formations with the potential to even compete for playing time at guard, making the Seahawks an intriguing landing spot for him on day three.
