Seahawks 90-Man Rundown: Mason Richman Brings Polished Skills, Savvy to O-Line Competition
With their offseason program all wrapped up, the Seattle Seahawks will open training camp at the VMAC on July 23, meaning the start of the upcoming season will be here before fans have a chance to blink.
In preparation for year number two under coach Mike Macdonald, I’ll be detailing every member of the Seahawks 90-man roster over the next several weeks, dishing out fun facts, exploring best and worst case scenarios, and predicting what to expect from each player entering the 2025 campaign.
Coming from one of the nation’s best programs for developing offensive linemen, does Mason Richman have a viable shot at dethroning several veteran tackles to make Seattle’s 53-man roster?
Mason Richman
Height/Weight: 6-5, 307 pounds
2024 Stats: Seven pressures, two sacks allowed
An All-State performer at Blue Valley High School in Kansas, Richman committed to Iowa to continue his football career, choosing the Hawkeyes over the likes of Kansas, Air Force, and several other Division I programs. He began his time in Iowa City at left guard, appearing in three games as a true freshman before receiving a redshirt. He slid out to left tackle as a redshirt freshman and earned a spot in the lineup, starting 12 games and earning Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors. He started all 13 games in 2022, again receiving honorable mention accolades from coaches and media for his efforts.
Over the course of his five seasons on campus, Richman started 52 games, including 43 consecutive games to wrap up his time with the Hawkeyes. He received All-Big Ten honorable mention honors each of his four years as a starter, proving to be a steadying, consistent cog for Kirk Ferentz’s line, finishing with a 97.3 percent pass block efficiency rate and 12 total sacks allowed. Following a solid pro day workout that included strong agility testing numbers, the Seahawks selected him with one of their three seventh round picks and he began his NFL career working at right tackle during the team’s offseason program, positioning him to compete against second-year blocker Mike Jerrell for a reserve spot.
Fun Fact: Starting four straight seasons as a tackle for the Hawkeyes, Richman joined current Rams starting tackle Alaric Jackson as the only two players in school history to accomplish the feat.
Best Case Scenario: Benefiting from four years of experience playing in the rugged Big Ten against numerous future NFL talents, Richman doesn’t deal with much of a learning curve in the preseason and holds his own as a pass protector and move blocker in the run game, managing to bypass Jerrell on the depth chart and secure a spot on the 53.
Worst Case Scenario: Looking the part of a high floor, low ceiling addition, Richman struggles to stay in front of NFL speed as a pass protector, allowing a bunch of pressure during the preseason and battling consistency issues as a run blocker. Though he returns on the practice squad, Jerrell beats him out for a reserve role behind Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas.
What to Expect in 2025: Aside from his historic start numbers at Iowa, Richman has more than enough intriguing traits and tools to potentially stand out as a tackle in Klint Kubiak’s system. For one, his lateral quickness served him well as a zone blocker at Iowa, including posting a respectable 76.9 zone blocking grade from Pro Football Focus last season. He also made major strides protecting the quarterback as his career unfolded with the Hawkeyes, cutting his pressures by 66 percent from his junior to senior season. Continued development in that area will only help his chances of sticking in the league.
But Richman isn’t joining a position group with many spots currently up for grabs. Even with the obvious line issues Seattle has endured the past couple of seasons, Cross and Lucas are both entrenched in the starting lineup at left and right tackle respectively, while veteran Josh Jones arrived in free agency with starting experience at both spots as well as guard. The presence of those three players leaves one spot likely available on the 53, and coming off an encouraging rookie season where he started three games, the athletic Jerrell may be viewed as the popular pick to maintain that spot. Still, Richman brings far better pedigree to the NFL after starting more than 50 games at Iowa, giving him more than a fighting chance to put other competitors on notice this summer.
