Current 2023 Depth Chart

[SeattleAddict]

I still see no evidence, other than quoting "journalists" stating their opinions when they match yours. They liked two quarterbacks - yeah, YOUNG AND STROUD... like everybody else. Nobody wanted Levis, and only ONE team wanted Richardson. Richardson SAYS another team did, but there is no reason to believe it was the Seahawks, other than wanting it to be true, and what if Richardson just, you know, made it up? If one team wants you, and asks if anybody else is interested, you do NOT say no. I mean, saying they liked TWO QBs when there were two QBs that were clearly head and shoulders above the rest seems clear and obvious that Richardson was NOT one of them.

The evidence is overwhelming that they had no real interest in drafting a QB, the biggest being that they didn't.

As for being wrong about Carter, I don't think I was. I took the "innocent until proven guilty" stance on his charges, then reversed my opinion about taking him after pro day. I simply said that I thought they'd take him IF their exploration into it eased their mind, and if it didn't, they wouldn't. That's what happened. I admit that I don't know as much about it as PC/JS and just had to guess what they'd found out and what they'd do. I still think he'll be a beast if he is anything other than a complete lazy fuck, and I still think Richardson will be horrible. Those things remain to be seen.

[D-train]

Why would Irsay ask him if other teams were interested in him AFTER he drafted him? Why would he care?

[SeattleAddict]

I felt during the 'selfie tour' that the Hawks were not interested in Levis at all even before his Pro Day visit. First and most importantly, Shane Waldron did not attend the pro day for Levis. Second was not so important, but when you see JS' photo in Levis' selfie JS wasn't taking it serious at all compared to the other three selfies. Levis' selfie was the "smoke screen" to dilute possible interest within the other three QBs.

Or, ALL of it was a smoke screen. Of course they checked out all the QBs. If you have the #5 overall pick plus #20, you do thorough research on anybody that could fall to you at 5 - both to see if they are worth picking or if they're NOT worth picking. That does NOT mean they had serious interest in drafting a QB - and "serious" is the key word here - they would have considered taking Young or Stroud if they fell in their laps because they're amazing prospects, but that was never plan A.

The nail-in-the-coffin, absolute proof? All those selfies they posted - have you EVER seen the Seahawks advertise who they were going to pick? EVER? Did they post selfies with Devon Witherspoon? Did you ever even hear them talk about him? Nope. Quiet as a mouse. They never want anybody to know what they're doing, they take pride in it, and it's important to them.

[SeattleAddict]

Why would Irsay ask him if other teams were interested in him AFTER he drafted him? Why would he care?

'cause he realized nobody else wanted the guy he wasted a #4 overall pick on???

[Cascade Kid]

I felt during the 'selfie tour' that the Hawks were not interested in Levis at all even before his Pro Day visit. First and most importantly, Shane Waldron did not attend the pro day for Levis. Second was not so important, but when you see JS' photo in Levis' selfie JS wasn't taking it serious at all compared to the other three selfies. Levis' selfie was the "smoke screen" to dilute possible interest within the other three QBs.

Or, ALL of it was a smoke screen. Of course they checked out all the QBs. If you have the #5 overall pick plus #20, you do thorough research on anybody that could fall to you at 5 - both to see if they are worth picking or if they're NOT worth picking. That does NOT mean they had serious interest in drafting a QB - and "serious" is the key word here - they would have considered taking Young or Stroud if they fell in their laps because they're amazing prospects, but that was never plan A.

The nail-in-the-coffin, absolute proof? All those selfies they posted - have you EVER seen the Seahawks advertise who they were going to pick? EVER? Did they post selfies with Devon Witherspoon? Did you ever even hear them talk about him? Nope. Quiet as a mouse. They never want anybody to know what they're doing, they take pride in it, and it's important to them.

What does "serious interest look like"? They have been open to expressing interest at QB to the public, Geno Smith, and the players they are interviewing.

But you are right, if you want to see a true JS/PC smoke screen then pay closer attention to what they do not say and less attention to what they do say. They did not mention much interest in WR, but they drafted WR in the first round.

However the QB reality does loom, Geno's contract is structured in such a way that it suggests the Hawks are on the hunt for a young QB to draft. 3 of the 5 QB prospects the Hawks inteviewed this year went before their #5 pick, the 4th fell all the way to the 2nd round, and the 5th they signed.

If 3 of the top 4 QBs they interviewed are not there at #5 and they don't pick QB then it was highly likely that their 'guy(s)' were drafted, and I'd say less likely used as a smoke screen. I don't think they would need to send large teams of coaches to watch 4 guys in order to stir trade interest or steer a team away from Witherspoon by triggering a GM's fear of missing out on QB, they could've sent just John and Pete to do this.

Furthermore, I don't think they ever wanted to trade down if their QB options dried up in 2023. They know next year is fairly chalked with QB talent, so they took the best player available at #5 in Witherspoon. I had Witherspoon going #3 overall to AZ, so I am not forming a belief in Witherspoon's value as a draft pick after the fact. However, I did believe that the Hawks likely found trading the #5 pick in a package for a 2024 1st round pick more valuable than a guy like Witherspoon at the time of the draft. But Witherspoon was literally bird in hand, so I can see the reason for them not trading #5.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I still see no evidence, other than quoting "journalists" stating their opinions when they match yours. They liked two quarterbacks - yeah, YOUNG AND STROUD... like everybody else. Nobody wanted Levis, and only ONE team wanted Richardson. Richardson SAYS another team did, but there is no reason to believe it was the Seahawks, other than wanting it to be true, and what if Richardson just, you know, made it up? If one team wants you, and asks if anybody else is interested, you do NOT say no. I mean, saying they liked TWO QBs when there were two QBs that were clearly head and shoulders above the rest seems clear and obvious that Richardson was NOT one of them.

The evidence is overwhelming that they had no real interest in drafting a QB, the biggest being that they didn't.

As for being wrong about Carter, I don't think I was. I took the "innocent until proven guilty" stance on his charges, then reversed my opinion about taking him after pro day. I simply said that I thought they'd take him IF their exploration into it eased their mind, and if it didn't, they wouldn't. That's what happened. I admit that I don't know as much about it as PC/JS and just had to guess what they'd found out and what they'd do. I still think he'll be a beast if he is anything other than a complete lazy fuck, and I still think Richardson will be horrible. Those things remain to be seen.

We don't know who the quarterbacks are that they liked. We don't know if it's Young, Richardson, or Stroud, or whatever combination. You have no clue either. You sit threre and act like you do, but you don't! All we know for certain is that it wasn't Hooker or Levis. All the players i liked were off the board before we even had a chance to find out. This video is proof that they did in fact like a couple of the QB's. It's a shame none of them made it to 5 to find out.

https://youtu.be/ZNH2pni5sfc

Delusional my ass!! It's still a remote possibility. Don't sit there and say it's not possible when neither one of know for certain or not. We do know for certain they passed on Carter!

[Sexymarinersfan]

I felt during the 'selfie tour' that the Hawks were not interested in Levis at all even before his Pro Day visit. First and most importantly, Shane Waldron did not attend the pro day for Levis. Second was not so important, but when you see JS' photo in Levis' selfie JS wasn't taking it serious at all compared to the other three selfies. Levis' selfie was the "smoke screen" to dilute possible interest within the other three QBs.

Or, ALL of it was a smoke screen. Of course they checked out all the QBs. If you have the #5 overall pick plus #20, you do thorough research on anybody that could fall to you at 5 - both to see if they are worth picking or if they're NOT worth picking. That does NOT mean they had serious interest in drafting a QB - and "serious" is the key word here - they would have considered taking Young or Stroud if they fell in their laps because they're amazing prospects, but that was never plan A.

The nail-in-the-coffin, absolute proof? All those selfies they posted - have you EVER seen the Seahawks advertise who they were going to pick? EVER? Did they post selfies with Devon Witherspoon? Did you ever even hear them talk about him? Nope. Quiet as a mouse. They never want anybody to know what they're doing, they take pride in it, and it's important to them.

What does "serious interest look like"? They have been open to expressing interest at QB to the public, Geno Smith, and the players they are interviewing.

But you are right, if you want to see a true JS/PC smoke screen then pay closer attention to what they do not say and less attention to what they do say. They did not mention much interest in WR, but they drafted WR in the first round.

But the QB reality does loom, Geno's contract is structured in such a way that it suggests the Hawks are on the hunt for a young QB to draft. 3 of the 5 QB prospects the Hawks inteviewed this year went before their #5 pick, the 4th fell all the way to the 2nd round, and the 5th they signed.

If 3 of the top 4 QBs they interviewed are not there at #5 and they don't pick QB then it was highly likely that their 'guy(s)' were drafted, and I'd say less likely used as a smoke screen. I don't think they would need to send large teams of coaches to watch 4 guys in order to stir trade interest or steer a team away from Witherspoon by triggering a GM's fear of missing out on QB, they could've sent just John and Pete to do this.

Furthermore, I don't think they ever wanted to trade down if their QB options dried up in 2023. They know next year is fairly chalked with QB talent, so they took the best player available at #5 in Witherspoon. I had Witherspoon going #3 overall to AZ, so I am not forming a belief in Witherspoon's value as a draft pick after the fact. However, I did believe that the Hawks likely found trading the #5 pick in a package for a 2024 1st round pick more valuable than a guy like Witherspoon at the time of the draft. But Witherspoon was literally bird in hand, so I can see the reason for them not trading #5.

https://youtu.be/ZNH2pni5sfc

[Sexymarinersfan]

Why would Irsay ask him if other teams were interested in him AFTER he drafted him? Why would he care?

Good question. All we know for a fact is that he said it. That's the frustrating part. It could have been Seattle, Vegas, Tennessee. We don't know. But we also don't know if it wasn't either. It's possible it could have been the Seahawks. There's no evidence to rule them out that it wasn't. Add in the fact that a lot information leading up to the draft was that Seattle was hot for Richardson increases the likelihood, but it still doesn't prove that they were.

[SeattleAddict]

They liked two QBs. If they said there were THREE QBs they liked, I'd be with you, but to think that they liked Richardson, who is the antithesis of what they look for in a QB (winners that are accurate, protect the ball), but NOT one of Young or Stroud (who are winners, accurate, and protect the ball), is delusional.

Richardson is an intriguing prospect for sure. Worth looking into... but in the end, he's not a fit and would have made no sense.

There were two QBs they would have considered, and the only logical, rational conclusion is those were Young and Stroud. If you think otherwise, then you've flat out lost your mind, clinging to the faintest hope you were right.

[Sexymarinersfan]

1

They liked two QBs. If they said there were THREE QBs they liked, I'd be with you, but to think that they liked Richardson, who is the antithesis of what they look for in a QB (winners that are accurate, protect the ball), but NOT one of Young or Stroud (who are winners, accurate, and protect the ball), is delusional.

Richardson is an intriguing prospect for sure. Worth looking into... but in the end, he's not a fit and would have made no sense.

There were two QBs they would have considered, and the only logical, rational conclusion is those were Young and Stroud. If you think otherwise, then you've flat out lost your mind, clinging to the faintest hope you were right.

You have no proof that it wasn't Richardson. None whatsoever to back up that it wasn't. That's the black and white of it. The logical rational conclusion is that Richardson tested through the roof at the combine and shattered every Combine QB's record ever posted and was hailed a raw talent with the maybe the highest ceiling ever in the history of the NFL. He also could have been the biggest bust. So it's not out of question that Seattle was out on him. You have no proof that they didn't like him. If you can show me that they did, then I will admit defeat. It's why I still think that there's a strong possibility because there's nothing to suggest he wasn't on their radar. I said Richardson would go high! You said, "what mid round?!" He went 4th OVERALL!!

In his day-two press conference, John Schneider delivered the following line when asked about the trade-down with Denver:

“We had a goal going into this thing to try and get into next year a little bit, next year’s draft. Throughout the process we had a couple of upsets in there, meaning we had some guys go that we were interested in. It happens. Especially early in the draft. So yeah, we felt real blessed to get into a deal with Denver and acquire that third round pick.”

I’m fascinated by this comment.

Firstly, the reference to having ‘upsets’. If he meant players came off the board in round three that they liked, making it easier to justify moving out of the round, that would make obvious sense. Yet he qualifies the comment by referencing upsets early in the draft — and connects it to trading down for 2024 stock.

A follow up question was asked about next year’s class:

“Yep, next year’s class is supposed to be really good. Not slating this year’s class, there’s just a common theme, I think everyone knows it.”

My initial thought when I heard him talking about upsets was to imagine he might be talking about the big Houston trade taking Will Anderson off the board. Or the fact Lukas Van Ness and Will McDonald went in the top-half of round one, perhaps influencing the picks at #20 and #37 in a way they weren’t necessarily anticipating.

I also wondered if Alabama’s Byron Young being taken at #70 was a setback. He not only would’ve filled a need, he’s a really good player and he fits their focus on locker-room alpha’s.

Yet why would missing out on any of these players be relevant to getting stock in 2024?

Is it possible he’s actually talking about the quarterbacks? There was all sorts of media buzz about C.J. Stroud falling (he didn’t) and there was a broad expectation Indianapolis would take Will Levis over Anthony Richardson (they didn’t). Could the ‘upsets’ actually be these two players going in the top-four? Neither one of us know for sure.

After all, several late media reports connected the Seahawks to serious interest in Richardson. Wanting to get stock next year ahead of a ‘better class’ would make sense at the quarterback position.

Let’s not forget, Geno Smith is very much on a prove-it deal. The out in his contract gives the team a lot of security. His cap hit in 2024 will be no lower than $31.2m and there are achievable escalators to push it closer to $40m. It’s stating the obvious to suggest they’ll need to think carefully about that kind of financial outlay, even if he plays fairly well.

They are going to have to make a call at the end of the year. This isn’t a firm, long-term commitment. It’s plausible they were very prepared to spend a rare top-five pick on the position to plan ahead. Yet the players came off the board they were interested in, meaning there was nothing they could do.

Having extra stock for 2024 can help prepare the team for the possibility of needing to get a QB next year, possibly with some aggression. Trading up this year simply wasn’t realistic. They couldn’t pay the fortune Carolina paid for #1, the Texans clearly weren’t going to cough-up #2 and the Cardinals were always going to be more inclined to discuss with a non-division rival. Houston gave them a great deal.

The other thing to mention here is the reference to next year being a better class. A lot of people think next years’ quarterback class is superior.

Yet you sit here and provide zero actual evidence at all that they were out on Richardson. I've said my piece.

From the Tacoma News Tribune:

They didn’t do it.

After all the hype and projections — after they were intrigued by the physical skills and meteoric potential of Anthony Richardson, in particular — the Seahawks did not draft a quarterback.

Not because they didn’t want to. It’s because the one they wanted to draft wasn’t available when it was Seattle’s turn to pick.


That is, at fifth overall in round one Thursday.

“There’s three quarterbacks that went right ahead of us,” Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Saturday after the 2023 NFL draft ended with 10 Seattle selections, none QBs. “And you can’t just push it because of, like, a narrative.

“It has to feel right for everybody, the whole team, the locker room, coaches.”