The Seahawks are in need of a new quarterback, and they do have options in their search to find Russell Wilson's successor.
They have some newfound financial flexibility (about $51 million in cap space) and newly acquired draft picks to potentially dangle for a proven veteran (four picks in the first three rounds).
They also have a top-10 pick for the first time since 2010, and could use that No. 9 spot — acquired as part of the Wilson package from Denver — to select one of the top QBs in that draft class.
Problem is, there is a general agreement industrywide that this is draft features an underwhelming class of QBs. Unlike last year's draft, when three quarterbacks were taken with the first three picks and five were selected in the top 15, few talent evaluators are convinced there is a bona-fide franchise QB in this class.
"There truly is not a solid top-10 pick in this group," one AFC scout told The Seattle Times this week.
Even so, with roughly 10 teams in the market for a starting QB, there figures to be at least one or two willing to reach into the top 10 and buy into a QB's promise.
Perhaps that allows Seahawks GM John Schneider to trade back and acquire additional draft picks, as he's wont to do.
Or perhaps the Seahawks become enamored with one of the QBs in this class. Who might that be at No. 9?
Here are five intriguing QBs in the 2022 NFL draft class:
Malik Willis, Liberty
Height: 6 feet, 1/2 inch
Weight: 219
2021 college stats: 2,857 yards, 27 TD, 12 INT; 878 rush yards, 13 TD
The next Russell Wilson?
That's not a fair comparison for any young quarterback, and questions about Willis' throwing mechanics and accuracy don't support that comp either. But, like Wilson, Willis is undersized for the old NFL QB archetype, and he has been lauded as a dynamic athlete who can create something out of nothing with his feet. And that does feel awfully familiar, doesn't it?
Willis has also been described as a high-character person whose stock rose at the NFL combine in Indianapolis earlier this month after his interviews with teams.
"He's incredible," said the AFC scout, who spent time with Willis at the combine. "Of all the guys I talked to, he was the most impressive."
The Ringer's Danny Kelly and NFL.com's Lance Zierlein, in their updated mock drafts Wednesday, project the Seahawks to select Willis at No. 9.
"Willis has the skill set to function in a read-option-, bootleg-, and play-action-heavy offense ― similar to what Wilson ran early in his career," Kelly wrote.
Sam Howell, North Carolina
Height: 6-1
Weight: 218
2021 college stats: 3,056 yards, 24 TD, 9 INT; 828 rush yards, 11 TD
Evaluators are split on Howell. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 1 QB prospect in this draft class, but Bleacher Report has him as the fifth-best QB (and the No. 92 prospect overall).
PFF notes Howell has "a wide range of potential outcomes" and compares him to Sam Darnold. "Darnold — like Howell — was a solid runner but not an elite one, and that aspect of his game could not make up for all of his deficiencies in the pocket," PFF's Seth Galina wrote recently.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
Height: 6-3
Weight: 211
2021 college stats: 3,334 yards, 30 TD, 8 INT; 355 rush yards, 6 TD
Ridder led Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff last season and had a 44-6 record in four years as the Bearcats starting QB. He also ran the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, among the fastest times for any QB in recent years at the combine.
"There is nothing special about Ridder's size or arm talent," Zierlein wrote for NFL.com, "but his improved confidence and field command has really helped him mature at the position."
Matt Corral, Ole Miss
Height: 6-2
Weight: 212
2021 college stats: 3,349 yards, 20 TD, 5 INT; 614 yards, 11 TD.
Corral and DK Metcalf were teammates for one season at Ole Miss, when Corral was a true freshman in 2018. He's drawn comparisons to Baker Mayfield as a "small quarterback with a big heart," as Zierlein wrote.
Despite his slender frame, Corral has a reputation as an aggressive runner; he rushed for 195 yards on 30 carries in a win at Tennessee last October.
Corral suffered a high ankle sprain during the Sugar Bowl in January, but he said recently he should be healthy enough to participate in the Ole Miss pro day workout March 24.
Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh
Height: 6-3
Weight: 217
2021 college stats: 4,319 yards, 42 TD, 7 INT
Fair or not, Pickett's small hands drew major headlines during the combine, and that will be a legitimate concern for some NFL teams. But Pickett's production at Pitt show a QB with a lot of talent — and a lot of swagger — and maybe enough for the Steelers to select the local college QB with their first-round pick (20th overall).
Kelly compares Pickett to Tony Romo, describing him as a "tough, confident signal-caller who has a good arm, a savvy feel for the pocket, and some out-of-structure playmaking talent."
