2022 NFL Draft: Quarterback options abound for Seahawks in second round

Things have gone smoothly for the Seahawks so far at the NFL Draft, as the team made a crowd-pleasing pick in tackle Charles Cross, addressing a need at the position. The Seahawks have a few other needs, though, namely at quarterback. Only one quarterback, Pitt’s Kenny Pickett, went off the board in the first round, going to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

This leaves plenty of interesting prospects like Malik Willis, Desmond Ridder, Matt Corral, and Sam Howell available to begin the second round, where the Seahawks have picks 40 and 41.

Unfortunately for the Seahawks, a lot of teams that might consider taking a look at quarterback are going before them. The Bucs and Titans have traded into the top 3 picks in the round, and both could look to bring in a developmental prospect like Willis to sit behind Tom Brady or Ryan Tannehill before taking over when they are NFL-ready. The Texans, who have also been linked to Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo in recent days, could also be in the market at the position at pick No. 37.

Barring any trades (which is certainly a big assumption), even in a worst-case scenario with this order, one of the four prospects listed above would still be available at pick No. 40. The Seahawks also have the flexibility to make a pick swap with one of the teams earlier in the round if they are worried that someone might nab their guy.

The case could also be that none of the teams ahead of them go for a quarterback. In that case, I don’t think it’s a bad idea to spend one of those two picks on a quarterback, especially if it’s Malik Willis. He is a prospect worth taking a shot on, and certainly has the highest ceiling of anyone in the class. I also wouldn’t mind Ridder or Corral, who I think would be fine quarterbacks for us. Only Ridder had a top-30 visit with the team, which makes me think he’d be the likely choice if they do go in that direction.

It’s not the end of the world if the Seahawks don’t end up with a quarterback they like this year, though. There are also top options on the edge in Boye Mafe (who also took a top-30 visit) and David Ojabo, who could very well be the steal of the second round. The next draft is also expected to have better quarterback prospects, so the team could just get all of the other pieces in place this season, tank, and then get one of the top guys in 2023.

Overall, I’m just excited to see where the team goes next. Even though the team will likely be bad in 2022, we haven’t had the feeling of the team really starting over in a while, and the range of possibilities is a lot to look forward to. Adding to my optimism, Carroll and Schneider made a sane selection in the first round last night, which makes me think I could be happy with their second-round picks, too.