Getty Pete Carroll's Seahawks are making changes this offseason.
There is a wide range for where the top quarterbacks are projected to go in the upcoming NFL draft which will impact the Seattle Seahawks’ potential options at No. 9. If the Seahawks want their pick of quarterbacks in the draft, the team may need to move up. The Lions (No. 2), Giants (No. 5), Panthers (No. 6) and Falcons (No. 8) all have uncertain quarterback situations.
CBS Sports’ Kyle Stackpole’s latest mock draft has the Seahawks making a deal with the Giants to guarantee their pick of quarterbacks at No. 5. The Seahawks snag former Liberty standout Malik Willis and send the Giants one of their second-round picks (No. 41) in exchange for the No. 5 pick along with New York’s fourth-round selection (No. 112).
“By swapping one of their second-round picks (41st overall) for a fourth-rounder (112th overall) with the Giants, the Seahawks move up four spots and select their future franchise quarterback in Willis,” Stackpole detailed on April 3. “Seattle hopes Drew Lock plays adequately until Willis, who has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class, is ready to see the field at the professional level.”
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The Panthers Are a Threat to Take a Quarterback at No. 6
It remains to be seen if the Seahawks will take a quarterback in the first round, but if Seattle wants one of the top signal callers they may need to get ahead of the Panthers at No. 6. Atlanta is also a real threat to take a quarterback at No. 8 as they begin the post-Matt Ryan era.
While admittedly raw, Willis gives the Seahawks another dual-threat option who also has a cannon for an arm. During Russell Wilson’s early years, the Seahawks utilized his rushing threat with more RPO (run-pass option) plays than we have seen in recent years. Willis’ arm strength would also allow the Seahawks to continue to target explosive plays.
The Liberty quarterback threw for 2,857 yards, 27 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while completing 61.1 % of his passes during his 13 appearances in 2021. Willis also rushed for 878 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.
Willis Needs a Year as an NFL Backup Before Being a QB1, Says Analyst
The Seahawks could wait to take a quarterback with one of their second-round selections. Seattle could opt to use these picks in an attempt to move back into the first round for one of the remaining quarterbacks.
ESPN’s draft analyst Matt Miller is skeptical about Willis’ fit with the Seahawks. Miller sees Willis as someone who needs a year of NFL training before he could potentially be a team’s starter in 2023. This would make Drew Lock a bridge quarterback until Willis was prepared to start.
“I don’t think the framework is in place for him,” Miller told Seattle Sports during a March 31 interview . “I think the problem is you would draft him and he’d have to play right away (for the Seahawks) and I don’t think that’s the best thing for him. I think he needs a little bit of an acclimation period coming from Liberty. That’s hard enough if you’re coming from the Big Ten or the SEC. I think coming from Liberty, it’s going to be a bit of a jump for him.
“I like Malik Willis. I think his tools are really, really exciting with the arm strength and the mobility. I think he’s a great personality, a great leader, but the ability to sit in the pocket or even move in the pocket and read a full field worth of NFL talent on defense is not something he’s had to do yet. Maybe he beats my expectations and does it early on, but I think he’s more of a player like (the 49ers’) Trey Lance where you want to sit him for at least part of his first year.”