Laken Tomlinson already bringing his leadership to Seahawks, offensive line

"My grandma had everything in the fridge. She took real good care of us," Tomlinson said. "I'd never had a hamburger or pizza before.

"My first summer I gained, like, 60 pounds and grew six inches. My body just exploded. My mom saw it and was like, 'You need to get out the house.'"

His uncle recommended American football, which he'd barely heard of before moving to the States. He gave it a try in order to make his mom happy.

"She brought me out for a practice and here I am," he said.

Tomlinson went on to become Detroit's first-round pick (28th overall) in 2015. He has started 138 NFL games.

He debuted with the Lions and spent five years in San Francisco. In 2021, while a member of the New York Jets, he was credited with giving up just one sack and made the Pro Bowl. Tomlinson started all 17 games each of the past two seasons for the Jets, but they didn't bring him back.

The Seahawks were very much in the market for interior offensive linemen. On the left side, Damien Lewis departed in free agency and signed with Carolina. Phil Haynes, the starting right guard to open last season, is still a free agent. The Seahawks didn't sign Tomlinson until April 15, presumably in part to give them options in the upcoming draft. They wound up taking a right guard in the third round — Christian Haynes out of UConn, 81st overall.

According to Pro Football Focus, zone blocking is one of Tomlinson's strengths, which makes him a good fit for the current run game. Entering his 10th NFL season, his career has been marked by durability, which he credits to luck and offseason work.

"You talk about the best ability being availability, right? We're talking about 130-plus starts for him, 90-some in a row," assistant general manager Nolan Teasley said. "He doesn't miss time and he's been a key cog of some good offensive lines that we're familiar with down in San Francisco."

Tomlinson's grandfather, Ivan Wilson, who set it all in motion, didn't get to see him reach the NFL. He died from stomach ulcers at 84 in 2008 after he returned to Jamaica. That fuels the dream of building a hospital — Wilson's death was likely preventable.

With two kids under the age of 5, Tomlinson hasn't gone back to Jamaica since before the pandemic. But eventually, he wants to show his children the "really rich culture" he grew up in.

"My grandma was able to see (their) dream realized," he said. "I will let my children know that, because that's extremely important in my heart and why I do what I do."