John Schneider comes clean about Sam Howell and Seahawks' draft plan
Schneider talks quarterbacks on his weekly radio show.
By Lee Vowell
How would 12s feel about the Seattle Seahawks potentially taking a quarterback in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft? Would taking a player at the most important position in sports be so exciting that the move would overshadow Seattle has greater need at other positions? Or should Seattle take a quarterback at all in the draft?
Is this article going to simply be a series of questions? Well, no. But should Seattle take a quarterback in the draft when they already have Geno Smith and Sam Howell under contract for the next two seasons? (OK, last of the questions, I promise.)
The fact is, however, Seattle does not need a quarterback in the upcoming draft. The team does not need to take a player that would likely need to remain on the active 53-man roster and therefore take a roster spot from another position where depth is even more important. Even if Seattle takes a quarterback in round five, if that QB plays well in preseason then Seattle would need to keep them as they would probably get picked up elsewhere after their release and before Seattle can then re-sign them to their practice squad.
John Schneider hints Seahawks could choose a quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft
Make no mistake, though, that John Schneider is not ruling out the Seahawks choosing a quarterback simply because the team traded for Howell this offseason. He said so on his weekly radio program on Seattle Sports 710 AM when he stated, "We love Sam. We love what we did being able to acquire Sam. And we talked about the age (Howell is only 23 years old), he’s got the experience, but that doesn’t preclude us from what we do in the draft."
Clearly, Schneider is leaving all options open. This would explain why Seattle, though they can only host up to 30 players on official visits prior to an NFL draft, has had in-person visits with Bo Nix of Oregon and Spencer Rattler of South Carolina, among others. Possibly Seattle isn't planning to take either of these quarterbacks unless something really strange happens, but Schneider has also said he is "not proud of" the fact that Seattle has only drafted two quarterbacks since 2010.
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The Seahawks will probably go in two different ways in the draft as the team currently only has one first-round choice, one Day 2 pick, and five on Day 3. Seattle will either surprise everyone and choose a QB in the first round or Schneider will wait until the sixth or seventh round to take a QB. Selecting a quarterback very late increases the chances the player will be available for the practice squad later.
But why waste a pick on a quarterback at all? With Smith and Howell on the roster, the team has two quarterbacks with starting experience. Instead, Seattle should take a chance on an offensive lineman or interior defensive lineman with those late-round choices.
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