Getty Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll could be interested in acquiring a Heisman Trophy-winning QB.
The Seattle Seahawks may not have a long-term option at quarterback currently on the roster, but general manager John Schneider and his staff are hard at work trying to find team’s future franchise QB.
With the first full week of college football games out of the way, Bleacher Report’s NFL scouting department released its final 2023 NFL mock draft before Week 1 of the NFL season. The staff had the Houston Texans selecting Will Anderson Jr. with the first overall pick, while the Seahawks were able to land one of the top QB prospects in Alabama’s Bryce Young.
“Purely from a skill perspective, Young is the class’ best passer,” Klassen stated. “Young is already a sharp processor, showcasing the ability to identify blitzes pre-snap and handle them correctly as well as the comfort to cycle through dropback progressions. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is quick to adapt to chaos, too, and often excels when forced to make a play outside the pocket, be that swinging for a home run or finding the easy outlet. Young’s issue, more than anything, will be convincing NFL teams that a 194-pound quarterback can work.”
The Seahawks used their second first-round pick, acquired from the Denver Broncos in the Russell Wilson trade, to take Army edge rusher Andre Carter II.
Bryce Young is a Blue-Chip QB Prospect
There’s a reason that Young is being projected as a top-five pick despite only one season as a starting quarterback, and that’s because his talent has been obvious from the time he was in high school.
Young was a 5-star recruit and the No. 1 player in the country in the class of 2020 coming out of Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California. The star QB could have gone basically anywhere with offers from schools including Georgia, Ohio State, and USC, but he ultimately decided to play for Nick Saban at Alabama to consistently compete for national titles.
After spending his first season in Tuscaloosa behind Mac Jones, Young took over as the starter last season and didn’t look back. He threw for over 4,800 yards with 47 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in his first year as a starter on his way to winning the Heisman Trophy.
Young is already off to a red-hot start in 2022, throwing five passing touchdowns while running for 100 yards and another score on only five carries in a 55-0 blowout win over Utah State. If he can continue to play at a high level like that, he might start building a compelling case to be the top overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Other Seahawks QB Options in 2023
The Seahawks are currently dealing with a QB competition between Drew Lock and Geno Smith. Assuming that neither player ends up blowing fans away, then the Seahawks will likely look towards the draft to find their long-term replacement for Russell Wilson.
Young is a hot blue-chip prospect, but the other big name to keep an eye on is Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes QB is being described as a franchise pocket passer, and that could be the kind of presence that Seattle’s offense needs.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson turned plenty of heads in his 2022 debut, leading the Gators to an upside win over the Utah Utes. The Florida QB is tremendously talent and how a howitzer arm that could help him shoot up draft boards, and potentially make him a Heisman Trophy favorite if he continues to play at a high level.
There are plenty of other quarterback prospects likely to declare for the 2023 draft, but if the Seahawks have a rough season and end up having an early pick, then Seattle could change the course of the new few seasons by drafting a tremendously talented QB prospect.