There were plenty of surprises in the 2022 NFL Draft, but one of the biggest was the Seattle Seahawks not selecting a quarterback in any round. With Russell Wilson now a member of the Denver Broncos, Seattle appears prepared to venture forward with Geno Smith, Drew Lock and Jacob Eason. Despite what everyone else thinks about this quarterback room, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is high on his guys.
During a recent interview on Sports Radio KJR, Carroll said that if Lock was in the 2022 quarterback class, he'd be the first signal-caller off the board.
"I think he'd have been the first guy picked, of quarterbacks anyway. He'd have been the first guy in this draft. I don't have any hesitation saying that," Carroll said, via Pro Football Talk.
There was just one quarterback selected in the first two rounds of this year's draft, and that was Kenny Pickett out of Pittsburgh. Lock was drafted in the second round in 2019 by the Denver Broncos, and was the fourth quarterback to come off the board behind Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins. The Mizzou product was an intriguing prospect, as he and his big arm threw for 12,193 yards, 99 touchdowns and 39 interceptions in four seasons against SEC defenses.
Lock was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 13 of his rookie season, and he went 4-1 in his first five starts. He gave the Broncos plenty to be excited about for the future, but unfortunately experienced a sophomore slump in 2020, going just 4-9 as the starter. Lock was demoted to backup in 2021, but still played in six games with three starts when Teddy Bridgewater was injured. He threw for 787 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions and lost all three starts.
Lock was included in the Wilson trade this offseason, and a change of scenery could end up being beneficial for his development. He will have a chance to battle Smith for the starting job, and his arm could be the reason he emerges victorious.
"The first look at Drew, he's really athletic, he's really a confident athlete, you can see he's got a lot of body control, he's got quick feet, he's got a quick arm, he's got various ways he can release the football as his body's in different positions," Carroll said. "He's got a real knack there. He's got a strong arm, he can throw the ball a mile down the field. He compares to Geno, and Geno Smith has a great arm. He has a world-class arm, and all that. To match up with that, that's saying a lot."