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The Seattle Seahawks have everyone guessing about how the team will handle having the No. 5 and No. 20 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. ESPN’s Todd McShay is reporting the quarterback selfies are more than just a smokescreen. The league insider mentioned a new name for Seahawks fans to keep an eye on noting Tennessee star Hendon Hooker could get a serious look at No. 20.
“One final note on Seattle: If it doesn’t take a quarterback at No. 5, keep an eye on Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker at No. 20, the team’s other first-round slot,” McShay detailed on April 24, 2023. “He’s older (25), but it’s another option for a team thinking about the future under center.”
Hooker is one of the more polished quarterback prospects in the upcoming draft, so why is the former Vols playmaker not a lock to be selected in the first round? The biggest factors working against Hooker are his age (25) combined with a season-ending ACL injury the signal-caller is still recovering from heading into the beginning of his NFL career.
Hooker’s resume speaks for itself with the Vols QB throwing for 3,135 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and two interceptions while completing 69.6% of his passes in 2022 prior to the ACL injury. The former Tennessee star is also a threat with his legs rushing for 1,046 yards and 10 TDs on the ground over his final two collegiate seasons.
NFL Draft Rumors: Insider Has ‘Strong Sense’ the Seattle Seahawks Will Take a QB in the First Round
McShay also reported that he has a “strong sense” that Seattle will select a quarterback in the first round. There are three potential pathways for the Seahawks to orchestrate this move. The most discussed option has Seattle selecting C.J. Stroud, Will Levis or Anthony Richardson at No. 5 depending on who is still available.
The Seahawks could also wait until No. 20 hoping that one of these quarterbacks takes a slide on draft night or select Hooker as McShay laid out in the above scenario. Finally, Seattle could trade up from No. 37 back into the first round to target a prospect like Hooker while preferring to use their first two picks to solidify a more immediate need like the defensive line.
“I have a strong sense Seattle won’t leave Round 1 without a quarterback,” McShay explained. “The more I talk to execs, scouts, coaches and agents, the more I think the Seahawks could be targeting Stroud or even Florida’s Anthony Richardson at this spot, depending on who is there. Stroud is 21 years old and Richardson is 20, and the idea is either could sit behind Geno Smith in the short-term and develop into the answer for the long-term.
“If both are gone, that means either Anderson or Wilson will be there, and I expect that’d be the direction Seattle goes. Multiple sources have told me Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter isn’t expected be the pick.”
Seahawks Rumors: There Are Conflicting Reports on Seattle’s Interest in Drafting Georgia Star Jalen Carter
The biggest questions surrounding Seattle is whether the team will take a quarterback early, and what decision the franchise will make if Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is still on the board at No. 5. There are conflicting reports about how Seattle feels about Carter.
McShay and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah both reported that the Seahawks are unlikely to take Carter at No. 5. Yet, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer noted that head coach Pete Carroll “loves the Georgia game-wrecker.”
“This, to me, is the ceiling for Carter. I’ve heard that Pete Carroll loves the Georgia game-wrecker, and that the Seahawks had a good 30 visit with him,” Breer wrote on April 24. “That said, Seattle GM John Schneider has had his ups and downs with such gambles in the past, and it’s fair to wonder if his experience with Malik McDowell a few years back would have a material effect on whether or not he’d spend the fifth pick on someone with Carter’s file.
“I also wouldn’t rule out Richardson; Schneider and Carroll really liked Josh Allen a few years ago, and there are some parallels with this one, including the fact that they wouldn’t have to rush him out onto the field as a rookie.”
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