Seattle’s quarterback depth chart includes a player who turns 34 in October, starting on a year-by-year prove-it basis, and a younger backup who threw 21 interceptions last season. The veteran has a $38.5m cap hit in 2025, while his understudy has two years left on his rookie deal.
Currently, quarterback scouting is important when it comes to the Seahawks. Here’s the start of my 2025 draft work with an extensive study of the class. I’ve now watched complete games from 2023 for many of these players. In some cases, I’ve also watched 2022 tape.
Here are my thoughts as of today, with the caveat that things can (and will) change during the upcoming college season.
Is it a good class?
At the moment I would say it is deeper than recent years but extremely limited at the top end. It is deeper because players have exhausted covid rules to stay in school, or have opted to take NIL money rather than turn pro.
I don’t think there is a clear top-10 pick at the position. Many are projecting Georgia’s Carson Beck in that area, simply because he’s probably the most complete of the bunch. I don’t think he has exciting physical tools. Shedeur Sanders has the talent to go in that range but he is a huge mystery in terms of the baggage that will come with him at the next level. His father is already making it clear he will have a lot of influence on his son’s pro career. Then there’s Quinn Ewers, who has the natural talent to be a high draft pick but has to prove he can be consistent and stay healthy.
It’s plausible to imagine all three going in the first frame, although nothing is assured. None are in the range of a player who is locked-in to be a top-five pick and it wouldn’t be a surprise if any of the trio didn’t go in the first round.
As we saw with Jayden Daniels (and Joe Burrow previously) it’s very possible for players to elevate their stock in a big way. The physical tools of Riley Leonard could push him up boards but he is currently more athlete than polished passer. I’m intrigued to see what Max Brosmer can do in the BIG-10 after transferring to Minnesota. There are others I will discuss. However, this is a class with a lot of players who are more suited to mid or late round grades at the moment. There are no clear, exciting solutions for round one — and this likely played a part in why so many teams aggressively pursued the 2024 QB class.
Thoughts on the ‘top three’
Carson Beck is a very accomplished player who operates the Georgia offense at a high level. He is not a spectacular, dynamic downfield thrower. He can put too much air on throws and he needs to do a better job layering passes. There are underthrown passes on tape and some whiffs. That said, there are also plenty of examples where you see high quality touch passes. He was very good at throwing inside with timing and his short/intermediate accuracy is good. Beck is not a great athlete so will not be a big improviser or runner. There aren’t any glaring errors there’s just not a ‘wow’ factor. I suspect he’ll be a low upside player who will suit QB-friendly schemes in that he’ll likely be able to execute a system well, rather than be asked to attack every area of the field with his arm or improv to create and extend plays.
Shedeur Sanders has big-time creative talent. There’s one play against Nebraska that has to be seen to be believed. Although it didn’t count in the end, his ability to scramble and extend under pressure is a major asset. Despite playing behind a truly embarrassing offensive line last season, he was willing to take hits to make things happen. He’s shown a level of toughness. There’s evidence of touch throws downfield, his arm is good enough and when Colorado started well last season, he looked like a top-end NFL talent. Things spiralled and his play suffered — although you wonder how much of that was down to terrible pass-protection. You started to see poor decision making. Pat Shurmur is now his offensive coordinator, bringing NFL expertise and an opportunity to reset and start again — hopefully with a better O-line. A concern teams will have will be the influence of his high-profile father following a weird spring where Prime & son took to social media to get involved in back-and-forth tittle tattle with former Colorado players. It was embarrassing, frankly, including a weird Twitter Voices episode involving Sanders Jr. and friends. This doesn’t scream leadership, accountability and maturity and when he goes to the league, it’ll be a first-time experience where his dad isn’t the coach. Unless his play is so good to make it a moot point, this will be a talking point.
Quinn Ewers is the player who intrigues me the most. He has the most natural talent in the class, with an ability to whip the ball out like Aaron Rodgers. His downfield throwing can be inconsistent but there’s ample evidence of perfectly lofted accuracy and velocity. His performance against Alabama was a great example of what he’s capable of and his display against Washington in the playoffs was, in my opinion, underrated. He can make plays in to tight windows, he throws layered passes nicely and there’s a technical quality here that you don’t see with others. His athleticism is surprisingly good and he’ll make plays with his legs when needed. Ewers is clearly far from the finished article but he is someone with the upside to be quite a NFL pro. That said, there are legit concerns about his durability and consistency. He’s been banged up two seasons in a row. Can he get through a full year? Can he avoid slumping accuracy when he’s not in rhythm? This is a big year, especially with his top three targets from last season turning pro and with Arch Manning waiting in the wings. He is the one player I think could be special from this class — but he has a ton to prove. There’s a chance he has another injury-hit season and continues to flirt with a level of quality he’ll never quite deliver consistently. Hopefully he’ll take the next step instead.
These are the three players, currently, who I think have the best chance to go in round one before the college season begins. However, none are guaranteed to earn that grade by the end of the year. There is no Caleb Williams, C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young type where the expectation was a year in advance that they’d comfortably go in the top-five.
The players who could make a jump
Riley Leonard has, at times, done a good job of being a poor-man’s Josh Allen. He willed Duke to wins by running around and making plays, while having enough arm to be a difference maker. That said, he doesn’t have Allen’s upside or arm. As a passer you want more — he has quite a few frustrating misses on tape that undermine the bright moments. He’s a terrific athlete with good size but he’s not a natural passer. He’s not accurate enough, his decision making is off too often and he lacks poise in the pocket. I wanted him to go somewhere with a Head Coach with a proven quality of developing QB’s but he’s gone to Notre Dame. I’m sure he’ll do a good job but whether he makes the technical improvements required to go from an ‘athlete playing QB’ to an ‘athletic quarterback’ remains to be seen. At the moment he looks like a mid-rounder but the tools make you wonder — and Notre Dame will be competitive enough to give him a platform. One thing to note — he hurt his ankle last season (ironically playing against Notre Dame) and he was then allowed to return to play before the end of the season when he clearly wasn’t ready. He got hurt again and has been struggling with the ankle ever since. It’s something to monitor.
Max Brosmer came to my attention during the 2024 draft process while watching Dylan Laube. He’s transferred from New Hampshire to Minnesota and I’m probably looking forward to watching him more than any other player next season. His release is quick and compact and he has an easy flick of the wrist to generate velocity downfield. He’s very good at looking off defenders to throw into layered areas. His accuracy on medium-to-long range throws is good and he’s a decent athlete. Clearly we need to see him take on superior opponents in the BIG-10 but Brosmer is extremely interesting and someone who could generate a growing buzz.
Conner Weigman at Texas A&M is a player I’m intrigued to see more of. He played in four games last season before getting hurt. In these four games he showed a decent arm and the ability to throw into tight windows. He’s willing to take a hit and will stand tall in the pocket. His mechanics are not fun to watch though and he has an unappealing throwing motion. Even so, there were enough flashes to warrant closer inspection next season and with the Aggies now having a new coach, it’ll be interesting to see if Weigman excels.
Thoughts on the rest
After this, I have to say there’s not an awful lot to get excited about in terms of early round picks. There are players I certainly like — yet you wouldn’t necessarily call them likely NFL starters or players destined to go in the first two rounds.
Let’s start with Brady Cook at Missouri and Jacob Zeno at UAB. Cook flies under the radar but did as much as anyone last year to elevate Mizzou. He’s creative, can throw on the run and move around with his legs. He lacks outstanding physical tools but he was a lot more fun to watch — and effective — than a lot of the bigger name quarterbacks eligible for the draft in 2025. I was impressed watching Zeno, who snubbed attractive NIL offers to stick at UAB to his credit. I like his arm on tape, although it’s in the good-not-great range. He puts the ball into good areas. I’m intrigued to see more. Both players could be, for example, fourth round types that are worth adding.
The Ole Miss offense is shocking to watch for pro-projection and the scheme does a lot of the heavy lifting for Jaxson Dart. On the plus side, he has shown ideal loft on some throws and he throws very catchable passes. His accuracy is decent. Dart will give receivers a lot of catchable 50/50 opportunities. However, he lacks great arm velocity and the scheme attacks the sidelines more than over the middle, plus there’s a ton of high-percentage stuff. His accuracy is hit and miss. He can get flustered and fall apart a bit. He looks like a very reasonable mid-round type.
I’ve never watched Jalen Milroe and felt like I was watching a NFL starter. He has a decent arm but his accuracy can be an issue. His footwork and mechanics need major work. There’s no evidence of an ability to go through progressions and he looks like a good college athlete playing quarterback. Now — I do trust Kalen DeBoer to make significant technical improvements to Milroe and for that reason, he might be able to make a jump. Playing for Alabama doesn’t hurt. Plus after being benched last season, you have to credit the way he came back and performed. At the moment though, it’s hard to suggest anything more than the middle rounds at best.
Tyler Van Dyke is very much in the ‘what could’ve been’ category. He burst on to the scene at Miami and threw the ball all over the field. He went toe-to-toe against Kenny Pickett on the road. He turned a messy Miami team into a tough-out. Then the coaching switch to Mario Cristobal happened and unsurprisingly, everything fell apart. He regressed over two years, leading to his transfer to Wisconsin. Cristobal’s scheme did nothing to focus on TVD’s qualities as a downfield pocket passer and just made things limited, dull and as with Justin Herbert — we never saw the quarterback at his best. The weaknesses — heavy feet and poor decision making — shone brighter than any positives. He’ll need to rebuild his career in the BIG-10. He’ll need to win a starting job first and foremost which is no guarantee.
Cam Ward will replace Van Dyke in Miami but I think he’s more of a decent college player than a likely NFL starter. He has some skill as a creative quarterback but his decision making is questionable at times. He’s a good athlete with a reasonable arm but he’s not a ‘wow’ physical talent. He also gets the Cristobal offense. Right now, I think he’s more of a later round pick.
Drew Allar didn’t impress me at Penn State. His arm is decent and he’s a big guy but his accuracy is all over the place. His performance against Ohio State was a hot mess. He doesn’t look comfortable at all when pressured. Too many throws are way off. He can move well for his size but he just doesn’t look like a technically gifted passer. The Penn State offense, such as it is, won’t offer much of a development opportunity. He makes his receivers work for the ball too much, his anticipation is poor and his ball placement is bad (he throws low and behind). His processing and accuracy is poor. Frankly, I don’t think he’s draftable based on his 2023 tape.
Will Howard is a player I have a ton of respect for. At Kansas State he kept grinding. That wasn’t easy amid a high level of scrutiny and what felt like an unnecessary time-share at the position last season. He’s a better athlete than you’d expect, he could go toe-to-toe with good teams in big games. Howard has talent as a college passer. However, it’s not easy to imagine him as a NFL starter or a high draft pick currently. He’s transferred to Ohio State which is a big plus for his potential. They’ve brought back so much talent and deserve to be considered favourites for the National Championship. That could really elevate Howard’s stock if he can lead them to a title. At the moment though, he’s more of a fourth round type. His opportunity and supporting cast give him the best chance of any of the names in this group to elevate his stock, though.
Garrett Nussmeier has limited starting experience but we’ve seen players take a big jump at LSU over the years. In the limited tape available he appears to have a command of the offense and his accuracy and ball placement was interesting. Still, we’re going off one full Bowl Game against Wisconsin. He doesn’t look like a great athlete. It’s hard to project him currently but he’ll be worth a watch.
I don’t view Will Rogers, KJ Jefferson, Grayson McCall or DJ Uiagalelei as likely pro-prospects. Rogers has transferred to Washington, Jefferson to UCF, McCall to NC State and Uiagalelei to Florida State.
Other players could emerge during the season but these are the players I have studied so far.
Final thoughts
I’m convinced the Seahawks are looking for a Favre-esque player. A gunslinger who can make magic happen on the run, possessing a big arm and natural ability. He can be rough around the edges and take risks as long as they have the tools.
Everything points to this. Their interest in Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen. John Schneider’s love for Drew Lock. The fact they traded for Charlie Whitehurst. Russell Wilson had these qualities. Sam Howell has this style of play too.
When I look at this class, I don’t really see that type of player. I am not optimistic that the Seahawks will find their answer from this group, even though I can imagine Schneider wanting to monitor some of the names.
I think this is another reason why they traded for Howell. I’m not sure they see an obvious solution here — and Howell gives them a younger player to work on in 2024 and 2025 with previous starting experience in the league. By January we could be viewing this class differently and depending on how the Seahawks perform, we could be viewing their need at the position very differently (in a positive or negative sense).
At this moment, though, I am not particularly optimistic about a long-term solution emerging from this group for the Seahawks. There are players I like but this is not a class, at least at the top-end, that gets you on the edge of your seat. The hope has to be that players will take a big jump — as Daniels did last year at LSU and Michael Penix Jr and Bo Nix did when they transferred to Washington and Oregon in 2022. In all three instances, a leap into the early first round was not expected. There are naturally gifted players here, like Ewers at Texas, so we’ll see if he can deliver. Anyone who does will likely fly up boards, given the lack of obvious high first-round options.
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