The Seattle Seahawks might look to take a quarterback high in the 2023 NFL draft. That quarterback could be Florida's Anthony Richardson. Richardson had his pro day on Thursday and the results ranged from spectacular to "Well, he needs work."
While there is a very real chance - and perhaps Seattle should - the Seahawks take a defensive player with their first choice in April's draft, they also worked Geno Smith's offseason contract extension in such a way that if Smith to be gone after 2023, the team wouldn't be hurt so much by wasted cap space. This means Seattle could very much think of taking a quarterback at number 5, letting that quarterback mostly sit for a year and learn from Smith, and then implement the QB as the starter in 2024.
If this is truly what general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll want to do in this draft for the future of the team, Richardson might be the perfect prospect to take at number 5. At his pro day, Richardson showcased intriguing skills and some that aren't NFL ready. Still, if Seattle wants to grab a guy who needs to learn for a year and then unleash him upon the NFL, Richardson showed so much promise that he might be tough to pass on.
Observation No. 1: Seahawks have to love Richardson's raw ability
At the 2023 NFL combine, Richardson broke records for quarterbacks for the broad jump (10'9") and vertical jump (40.5 inches). Those are tremendous feats for a human being and likely better than most of the population on earth, but here is the thing: Quarterbacks aren't going to win games impressing defenses but how far they can jump. The quarterback is going to have to be able to transpose raw physicality into cool on-field production.
But what Richardson was able to do during his pro day was show that he can throw on the run and throw the ball easily downfield while doing so. And sure, Richardson was able to drop back and throw a pass 70 yards like it was 5 yards. Most human can't do that either.
A team has to think to itself, if it wants to draft Richardson, "I bet we can take this ability, hone it, and turn this guy into a Hall of Famer. Because if a team chooses a quarterback fifth overall in the draft, that's the best a team can hope for. And this might be what Schneider and Carroll are thinking as well.
Observation No. 2: Seahawks still have to be concerned about Richardson's mid-range throws
A quarterback can have all the freakish arm strength in the world but if he isn't accurate, it doesn't matter. Hendon Hooker is also a quarterback a lot of teams like in the draft. At Tennessee, Hooker was smart with the ball and while having decent arm strength was also extremely accurate. But Hooker wasn't even the starter in 2021, which turned out to be his breakout season in college.
Instead, Joe Milton was going to start. Milton is a lot like Richardson in size. He is 6'5" and 245 pounds and with a cannon for an arm, but he hasn't been overly accurate even though he can throw a ball 70 yards with ease. Milton was replaced by Hooker at Tennessee and the Vols were much better for it. Now Hooker is high on draft boards and Milton is trying to prove he can still be good in college.
I bring up Hooker and Milton because Richardson to Geno Smith is a lot like that. Richardson can throw farther and is more athletic than Smith, but if you want to win football games Smith is your guy. Bringing in Richardson with the hope of starting in 2024 is fine, but if Smith is as good, if not better, in 2023 than he was in 2022, then why replace him with Richardson? Smith is only 32 years old and could play for many more years.
On Thursday, Richardson completed his last 45 passes. Some were long throws and some were outs and many were intermediate passes. The balls got to the receiver but they weren't always placed well. In the NFL with professional receivers covering Richardson's receivers, those throws aren't going to be completed.
Observation No. 3: Seahawks have to know what is risk versus reward
One thing we know about John Schneider is he knows what to look for in a quarterback. He was part of Aaron Rodgers being in Green Bay and he was a huge reason Russell Wilson ended up with the Seahawks. One reason that Seattle felt OK to trade Russell Wilson in the 2022 offseason was because Schneider saw something in Geno Smith that made him think Smith could be good as the starter. Guess what? Schneider was correct.
So if Schneider, and Pete Carroll, of course, are going to so many pro days for quarterbacks (they recently watched Bryce Young at Alabama's pro day) and they end up taking Richardson at number 5, we should trust their judgement. Would I like Richardson being taken instead of Tyree Wilson or Will Anderson? Not really, but then I am not an NFL GM nor am I as smart as Schneider. I'd trust the process.
Still, one concern I would have is a bit of Jordan Love syndrome with Richardson. The Packers selected Love in the first round a few years ago to replace Rodgers but Rodgers kept playing at a high level and Green Bay missed on an opportunity to get another player of need. Jordan might end up being Green Bay's starter in 2023, but they have no real idea how good he can be.
I am not saying Geno Smith is as good as Rodgers because he hasn't proven he is. But Smith is good for the Seahawks and Seattle has a very good roster. But they could use fixes at edge rusher, linebacker, and maybe cornerback. Taking a player at one of those positions might be a great move instead of risking the number 5 choice on Richardson. Or maybe Seattle takes Richardson and he ends up being a Hall of Famer. That would be OK too.