Seattle Seahawks College QB Watch – The Top 10

  |  
Oct 7, 2022
Seattle Seahawks
Anthony Richardson, Florida Gators.

The Seattle Seahawks are on the lookout for their next franchise quarterback. Here is a list of the Top 10 quarterbacks who should be available in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Even though Geno Smith is doing much better than expected, make no mistake, the Seattle Seahawks need to draft their quarterback of the future next spring. Five weeks into the college football season, it’s time to look at the current crop of college QBs.

Note – The list is limited to upperclassmen since it is too early to know what other young players will declare for the draft.

Honorable Mention

Michael Penix Jr – Washington, Bo Nix – Oregon, JT Daniels – West Virginia, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson – UCLA

The Honorable mentions are possible late round or undrafted projects that could rise during the remaining schedule.

Penix Jr leads NCAA in passing yards at 1,733 to go along with a 16 TD 2 INT ratio for a quarterback rating of 166.2. Bo Nix has thrown for 1,261 yards and a 12-3 ratio, with 5 rushing touchdowns while leading his Ducks to a #12 ranking this year.

Daniels has thrown for 1,209 yards and an 8-2 ratio. Meanwhile, DTR put UCLA into the Top 25 with an upset win over Washington last week. So far has 11 passing touchdowns and only 1 interception this season. Through 5 games, Thompson-Robinson has 1211 yards and averages 7.2 yards per carry, when he runs.

Now we get into the Top 10

10 . Grayson McCall – Coastal Carolina

Grayson McCall has completed 70% of his passes for 1,336 yards and 14 touchdowns for a 188.2 rating. More importantly, he only has 1 pick this season.

Nimble on his feet, McCall has 125 yards and 3 rushing TDs. The Chanticleers QB is mobile and capable of making plays outside of the pocket.

9. K.J. Jefferson – Arkansas

Arkansas Razorbacks signal caller K.J. Jefferson is next. His aerial numbers aren’t as impressive as others on this list partially due to the brought outing he had last week against Alabama.

Jefferson has thrown for 1,096 yards, 9 TDs, and 1 interception. He left last week’s game after hitting his head, and his status is uncertain for Saturday.

8. Phil Jurkovec – Boston College

After a strong performance against Louisville, when he completed 85.7% of his passes for 304 yards, and 3 touchdowns, BC quarterback Phil Jurkovec comes in at number 8. This season the senior has 1,147 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. His 6 interceptions, however, are a problem.

7. Spencer Rattler – South Carolina

Based on talent, South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler should be higher than 7th on this list. This season he has only 4 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. A far cry from the 28 and 7 he had at Oklahoma in 2020.

Rattler only had 212 yards, with 2 TDs and 2 picks against South Carolina State. He’ll need to show more, and quickly, to stop his draft stock from plummeting.

6. Jaren Hall – BYU

Brigham Young is having a nice season so far, ranked 16th in the country with a 4-1 record. A big part of their success is due to quarterback Jaren Hall.

The 6′ 1″, 205-pound junior has thrown for 1,438 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 1 interception. BYU isn’t playing a cupcake schedule, either. Last week they beat 9th-ranked Baylor, and their lone loss was to Oregon. He may start garnering some Heisman attention, but first, the Cougars must get past Notre Dame and Arkansas in the next two weeks.

As we enter the Top Five this week, these are the guys Seattle Seahawks fans should be keeping an eye on. It’s no surprise that four of them play in the Southeastern Conference.

 

5. Hendon Hooker – Tennessee

At number 5, we have Tennessee Volunteers gunslinger Hendon Hooker. The Virginia Tech transfer has thrown for 1,193 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions through 4 games.

Two weeks ago, Hooker had a great game leading the Vols to a 38-33 victory over SEC East rival, #20 Florida, and their outstanding quarterback Anthony Richardson. Hooker tallied 349 passing and 2 TDs. But Hooker really made an impact with his feet, running for 112 yards and 1 TD rushing as well.

 

4. Anthony Richardson – Florida

Speaking of Anthony Richardson, he slots in at number 4 on the list. Richardson, as mentioned above, was on the losing end of a shootout with Hooker two weeks ago. Florida may have lost, but Richardson was outstanding. In his best game of the season, he threw for 453 yards and 2 touchdowns. The dual threat also ran for 62 yards and 2 more TDs.

For the season, Richardson has 241 yards and 5 rushing touchdowns. He’ll have to improve his accuracy because, along with 1,116 passing yards and 4 TDs this season, Richardson has only completed 55.7% of his throws and has six interceptions.

3. Will Levis – Kentucky

Will Levis, from Kentucky, comes in at three. At 6-3, 235-pounds with a cannon attached to his right shoulder, he’s drawn the attention of NFL scouts. That includes the Seattle Seahawks, who were one of 11 teams in attendance for the Wildcats’ game last week against Mississippi.

In 2022, Levis has thrown for 1405 yards, 12 scores, and 5 interceptions. Although he didn’t have his best game last week, Levis still passed for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns. At the same time, he came up short with several incompletions at the end of the game.

The two quarterbacks occupying our top two spots are the consensus best QB prospects in this draft class. They are head and shoulders above the rest, and the prize Seattle Seahawks General Manager John Schneider should be dreaming of landing in next year’s NFL Draft.

2. Bryce Young – Alabama

As the reigning Heisman winner, Bryce Young of Alabama needs no introduction. So far, he’s been the total package this season for the undefeated and top-ranked Crimson Tide. Young has 1,203 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

The junior was off to a nice start at Arkansas last week. He racked up 173 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury early in the second quarter.

As of now, Young is a game-time decision for Saturday’s game against Texas A&M. This injury shouldn’t be a major concern, and as long as he stays relatively healthy, he should be a Top 5 draft pick.

 

1. C.J. Stroud – Ohio State

A definite Heisman Trophy hopeful this season, the top quarterback shouldn’t be a surprise. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud is the cream of the crop, leading the Buckeyes to a 5-0 record. He’s off to a great start in 2022 with 1,376 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions. 

Ohio State QBs don’t have the greatest reputations when it comes to translating college excellence into NFL excellence, but Stroud should change that. He’s a pocket passer who can move but doesn’t run much. Stroud is also an accurate passer who makes good decisions and limits mistakes. 

Should the Seattle Seahawks season go way south, Strout is light at the end of the tunnel. 12’s don’t get too angry if the losses pile up, the Hawks would be very lucky to have Stroud as their quarterback for the next decade.

Related Story: Seahawks Duds and Studs of Game 4 Win

 

There you have it, a decent size list of possible future Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks.  Who do you think they will target in the draft?

Share: