Getty The Seahawks could take a chance on Division II product Tyson Bagent.
The Seattle Seahawks are considered the “best” landing spot for a record-breaking quarterback.
According to Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report, the Seattle Seahawks are an ideal landing spot for Division II quarterback Tyson Bagent. The Shepherd product is college football’s all-time leader in passing touchdowns, throwing 159 touchdowns in addition to 16,958 passing yards and a 68.6 percent completion rate.
Seahawks Have Little Issue in Giving Division II Prospects a Chance
While Bagent faces an uphill battle of making it to the pros as a Division II product, Sobleski explains Pete Carroll’s penchant for finding small school prospects won’t deter the Seahawks from possibly drafting Bagent.
“Anytime a small-school prospect gets drafted, concern exists about whether they can make the leap to the professional level,” said Sobleski. “Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll aren’t bothered by the level of competition. Since the two joined forces to lead the franchise, they’ve drafted prospects from Northwestern State, NE Oklahoma State, New Hampshire, Harding, Towson, East Central (Oklahoma) and Lenoir-Rhyne. Carroll built all of his philosophies around competition. If a prospect can play, he’ll get his chance.”
In the prior offseason alone, the Seahawks drafted Dareke Young out of Lenoir Rhyne in the seventh round and signed undrafted free agent Josh Onujiogu out of Framingham State University. Of small school prospects, Bagent may be the most “intriguing” one in years.
The 22-year-old Bagent won the Harlon Hill Trophy award in 2021, the equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. He possesses ideal NFL size at 6-foot-3 and 220 pounds with 9 3/8 inch hands.
Why Bagent is Drawing Interest of NFL Scouts
Dane Brugler of The Athletic explains why Bagent is drawing the interest of NFL scouts and how he fits into an RPO-based offense, which many teams are running now around the league.
“Bagent certainly checks a lot of boxes that scouts are looking for at the position, hence the heavy interest from NFL scouts,” said Brugler. “He has a projectable body at a verified 6-3 1/8 and 220 pounds, with 9 3/8-inch hands. He isn’t a dynamic athlete, but he can create with his functional footwork and a live arm. Shepherd runs a spread, RPO-based offense, and Bagent is able to threaten every inch of the field, showing the accuracy and efficiency to hit his targets in stride.”
The Seahawks don’t exactly feature a quarterback prospect on their roster. The 32-year-old Geno Smith will be a free agent this offseason, but Seattle will likely re-sign Smith to at least serve as the short-term franchise quarterback. Meanwhile, Drew Lock is currently the backup, but he’ll also be a free agent in the offseason.
Seattle holds two first-round draft picks in the 2023 NFL draft, with one being a top five pick from the Russell Wilson trade with the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks could very well use that top five pick to select one of the top quarterbacks in the draft, with Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud a popular pick amongst draft experts.
However, the Seahawks could also choose to use one of their later picks on a quarterback prospect such as Bagent to mold behind Smith, as Sobleski notes.
“Geno Smith is a pending free agent, but it’s a safe assumption that he’ll be the team’s starting quarterback again next season,” says Sobleski. “Drew Lock isn’t under contract, either. Bagent can come in and learn from Smith. The pairing should work nicely since the veteran also came into the league from a simplified pass-first offense, so he can help in the young quarterback’s transition to Seattle’s system.”
Considering he’s a Day 3 pick in a best-case scenario, the Seahawks would be risking little in taking a chance on the Division II standout. Bagent is a prospect worth watching as the Seahawks look to improve their depth chart at quarterback.