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The NFL draft picture ahead of the Seattle Seahawks is starting to take shape with the team standing a good chance to land one of the top two defenders after the recent Bears-Panthers blockbuster trade. The good news is the Seahawks could have former Alabama star pass rusher Will Anderson fall to them at No. 5, but if Seattle is looking to secure one of the top quarterbacks for the future they may be out of luck.
With the Panthers trading up to the No. 1 slot, the smart money is on quarterbacks to be selected by Carolina, Houston and Indianapolis within the top-four selections. All eyes are on the Cardinals who are a popular trade target for quarterback-needy teams looking to jump ahead of the Colts to grab a signal-caller.
The Athletic’s Ben Standig believes Seattle should look to orchestrate a trade with Arizona to move up to No. 3 from No. 5 in order to land former Florida standout quarterback Anthony Richardson. The trade proposal has the Seahawks moving up two spots while also sending their No. 52, No. 123 and a 2024 third-round selections to the Cardinals as part of the deal.
“From the Seahawks’ perspective, Geno Smith’s new contract is about keeping a productive quarterback they know and taking advantage of a down NFC,” Standig wrote on March 12, 2023. “The long haul is perhaps another story. While Smith leads the way, Richardson can hone his quarterbacking skills off-camera for a season with Seattle re-assessing things in 2024, knowing it can move off Smith’s contract in 2025.
“The two-spot move without surrendering a future first-round pick allows them to have their cake and eat it, too, while avoiding another team jumping them for Richardson.”
The Seahawks Have a Shot to Land Bama Star Pass Rusher Will Anderson at No. 5
The upside for Seattle is they land their quarterback of the future without giving up a future first-round pick. Yet, this is a risky proposition for Seattle as the Seahawks would be passing on landing one of the top defensive linemen prospects in favor of a developmental quarterback.
If the Cardinals trade the No. 3 pick, there is a good chance the Seahawks will have a chance to land Anderson with four quarterbacks going off the board ahead of Seattle. The Seahawks would also be forgoing a chance to potentially add more quality players by sending the Cardinals a package including second-, third- and fourth-round picks.
The Seahawks Have a Chance to Move on From Geno Smith in 2024: Report
Seattle signed Geno Smith to a three-year deal, but the contract is structured in a way that the Seahawks could move on from the veteran quarterback as soon as 2024, per Pro Football Talk. Richardson has not been shy about his affinity for Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll.
“Yes sir, I did [meet with the Seahawks],” Richardson said during a March 6 interview on “The Rich Eisen Show.” “When I seen Pete Carroll, my heart dropped. I’m like, ‘Whoa.’ You only see this guy on TV, and I was in the same room with him. It felt different.”
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