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DETROIT â Sataoa Laumea found success early at Utah.
After a redshirt season his freshman year, Laumea quickly established himself as a starter on the offensive line. In his first full season, Laumea started in five games and never relinquished his role in offensive line coach Jim Harding's system.
The Rialto, California, native hopes to carry that same success into the NFL after he was selected No. 179 overall (sixth round) on Saturday to the Seattle Seahawks.
Though a sixth round pick, offensive linemen are valuable commodities in the league, and Laumea will have his opportunity to make a mark with the Seahawks in due time.
He joins Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy, Connecticut offensive lineman Christian Haynes, UTEP linebacker Tyrice Knight, Michigan tight end AJ Barner, and Auburn cornerback Nehemiah Pritchett as the Seahawks' draft picks so far in the 2024 draft.
Laumea is the sixth player selected by the Seahawks in the 2024 NFL draft, and the fourth Utes player drafted this year.
The versatile offensive lineman has spent time mostly on the right side of the line, but can be utilized on either side at either the guard or tackle spot.
"Laumea is a very competent drive blocker and possesses adequate agility and athleticism to get to lateral landmarks on the move," NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein said ahead of the draft. "He can get from block to block as a climber and is generally conscientious of his footwork to bolster his success on positional blocks."
