Seahawks Fans split on Anthony Richardson, supportive of Jalen Carter
What YOU said about Jalen Carter, Anthony Richardson, and trades: Seaside Joe 1508
Over the weekend, I posted five questions to Seahawks fans about the 2023 NFL Draft. Here is how you responded.
Should Seahawks pick Jalen Carter?
Here’s a conspiracy theory I threw out in the comments section the other day. And here’s a tagline for how to brand comments sections: “It’s where conspiracy theories go!”
A) Show the world that you’re definitely, most certainly, absolutely, “we swear to GOD (!!!) this ain’t a smokescreen” going to draft a quarterback…
B) Convince the Texans that they don’t have to worry about you snapping up one of the defensive players who they don’t want to lose by trading down three spots…
C) Take Jalen Carter anyway
I’ll be as shocked as anyone if a team breaks tradition and trades into number two pick for a non-quarterback. But if anyone’s going to do it, it would be the regime that doesn’t care about draft traditions. And if there’s a time to do it, it’s when the top-three football players in the draft are a QB, a RB, and a DT, with the QB going to the Carolina Panthers.
I am not saying that I would trade up for Jalen Carter. I am saying that I would not trade up for any of the quarterbacks other than Bryce Young.
In this poll, 54% of you said the Seahawks should not pass on Carter at #5, while 29% voted to avoid Carter and 17% exercised their right to plead the fifth.
Anyways, I was just sharing a comments-section worthy conspiracy theory, not an expectation, because I want to emphasize how united the draft community is on at least one thing this year: Jalen Carter is an otherworldly defensive tackle any position football prospect if the only thing we’re talking about is the tape.
Would you be upset if the Seahawks picked Anthony Richardson at #5?
A fascinating split here, with 48% voting “No” and 47% voting “Yes” on their personal feelings about Seattle potentially using a top-five pick on a total project at quarterback. As far as projects go, I’m reminded of the fourth standalone Predator movie, cleverly titled…The Predator.
This is the one with Key from “Key and Peele” and the kid from Room (not The Room). It’s the one you probably didn’t see, although it has a surprisingly deep cast. I bought a box set of all four Predator movies (one through three are as good as an action/sci-fi trilogy can get*) recently and there’s a scene in the 2018 movie in which “kid from Room” opens a package containing some of predator’s hardware.
*Alien 1-3 could be better, but only Aliens qualifies as true action/sci-fi
And then he INSTANTLY figures out how to use alien technology. If only figuring out Anthony Richardson was so easy.
I think it’s great to be intrigued, excited, or supportive of the idea to draft Richardson. I also don’t see what’s wrong with being very skeptical. But sometimes you express skepticism and it’s met with “Ugh, he’s going to DEVELOP!” My question keeps centering around the same topic: “When?”
It would be one thing to say that Richardson has only been playing football or quarterback for a few years, but he started playing football at four. Age four. He started playing quarterback as a freshman in high school. He’s had as many years to develop as Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, so why does he still make “JV-level mistakes” according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler?
WEAKNESSES: Up-and-down accuracy and still developing his pacing and placement as a passer (misses too many open receivers) … breakdowns with his base, mechanics and release points disrupt his rhythm … lacks consistency with some of the details, like throwing to the correct shoulder to lead receivers … not every throw requires his fastball and he needs to learn how to control his ball speeds … gets himself in trouble forcing things and is prone to JV-level mistakes at times … undeveloped anticipation for routes about to come open … his deep accuracy looks great one play and then misses by five yards the next … eight career fumbles … plays through pain, but he missed time because of injuries as a redshirt freshman, including a strained hamstring (September 2021), concussion (October 2021) and nagging pain in his right knee, which required arthroscopic surgery (December 2021); missed the final month of his senior year in high school with a right shoulder injury (October 2019) … received a ticket for driving 105 mph at 4 a.m. (April 2022) and had to pay a fine and write an essay detailing what he learned from the incident … started only 13 games in college with a sub-.500 record (6-7).
There are traits that Richardson has that nobody else in the class can ever attain. There are negatives on his “weaknesses” list that could be forgotten in two or three years. However, this is maybe the longest and most concerning list of weaknesses that I’ve ever seen for a quarterback projected in the first round, let alone top-10.
And I want to throw this one in again just for the sake of making my point about narratives that happen every draft season:
“driving 105 mph at 4 a.m.”
Jalen Carter received a speeding ticket last fall and while that is not in his top-three reasons for character concerns, it does get tacked on and added to the pile of “Why you shouldn’t want the Seahawks to draft Carter”. If you’re like me, aren’t you finding out about Richardson going “racing speeds” at 4 in the morning for the FIRST time right now? Or the fact that unsurprisingly, he’s already growing a list of injuries, including “nagging knee pain” that required surgery?
The NFL Draft process for the media is like a chant at a protest….
call: “What do we talk about with Jalen Carter?”
return: “The character concerns!”
call: “What do we talk about with Anthony Richardson?”
return: “The athleticism!”
call: “When do we want it?”
return: “On April 27th at 5 PM PT on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network!”
Someone in the comments section made the point that maybe “upset” was not the right word to use. And I agree with that. I won’t be “upset” if the Seahawks draft Anthony Richardson. I’ll be skeptical. Hopeful, optimistic, and intrigued… but skeptical.
BONUS ARTICLE: 5 surprising “left field” choices for the Seahawks other first round pick
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Do you fully support Pete and John?
This one is straightforward and came out as expected. I will say that polls like this that were run after the 2021 season and after the Russell Wilson trade were not so pro-Pete, and I don’t blame anyone for that. I was skeptical of Pete Carroll after a string of failed and disappointing seasons too. And though I was very happy about the Wilson trade, I still expected the team to be much, much worse than they turned out to be last season.
That being said, I think the Seahawks are being overrated right now because as more time passes and we get further away from a 9-8 playoff season, it’s easier to just look at the total and results and go, “That was surprisingly good!”
Well, I would say it was surprisingly better than we expected. But after a 6-3 start, Seattle lost five of their next six games. They didn’t beat anyone in the second half of the year except for teams that started John Wolford, Mike White, and Baker Mayfield at quarterback. They lost to a few bad teams, like the Bucs, Raiders, and Panthers. They were not going to be competitive in the playoffs, even if they pulled an upset over Brock Purdy’s 49ers.
This all sounds negative, but remember: Before the season started, we EXPECTED to be writing about the Seahawks 2022 campaign in a negative light. This is actually LESS NEGATIVE than an expectation that we fully embraced as an acceptable outcome for rebooting the roster.
So I would say that relatively speaking…this is all positive! Now the next step is obviously to go from a 9-8 team that could have been worse to being a 10-7 team that could be better? I like the changes that the Seahawks have made, I’m optimistic that the defense will be better, and I too trust Pete and John.
For the 15% of you who answered “It’s complicated”…I get it!
Draft a first round iOL? Call the Party Patrol!
Two-thirds of you say that Pete and John are empowered to use a first round pick on a guard or center, while one-third want the federal government to intervene with the Seattle Seahawks organization if it happens.
If I had to narrow in on a round in which the Seahawks will draft a center, I’m going to say it’s the second round. Which is very unusual! But I am buying their interest in Joe Tippmann and prospects like him. Tippman is Brugler’s highest-graded center and I could see Seattle trading down from 20 before making a move like that. If there’s a team that the Seahawks need to usurp at a center, it’s the Arizona Cardinals. They pick 34th. Would Seattle try to jump up from 37 to snag a center over them?
Blockbuster trade with Saints: Okay?
As I’ve written before, I try to make trade proposals that will leave you a little disappointed because I feel that’s what is fair. They should make you queasy, uneasy, a little sick…because I think that’s real life. If you read a trade proposal and instantly think, “Yeah, pull the trigger!” then it’s probably not realistic. Sometimes DeAndre Hopkins gets traded for a second round pick and a running back.
But Bill O’Brien isn’t making decisions in the league anymore.
I was worried that this trade proposal would lead most of you directly to Vomit City and that I went overboard, but I’m glad to see we had nearly a 50/50 split! I’m even a little surprised that Cloud 9 took a narrow victory.
One way I thought of this trade after the fact was that it’s almost like trading the #5 pick for four early second round picks. That’s a lot of early second round picks! Is it worth a top-five pick? In this class, maybe. It depends what the options are at #5. But Seattle would have picks 20, 29, 37, 40, and 52…five picks in a 33-pick range. Hell, they could take Lukas Van Ness, Zay Flowers, Joe Tippmann, Ade Ade, and Kelee Ringo. I don’t know! And then they’d get Alvin Kamara and be able to spend another year rooting against another team for maybe another top-10 pick.
But it’s a significant drop, no question. We’ll have to see how the top-four picks go and what other offers the Seahawks have on the table, whether it’s to move up or down.
Only nine more days to find out.
I can live with "take Carter," but no so much, "get Carter," in any sense of moving up for him. The risks are big enough at 5, IMO. But just like if they draft Richardson, I'm just going to have to remind myself that they know an awful lot more than I do.
FTR I have always been and continue to be a supporter of Pete Carroll. No wishy-washy fair-day and Friday support from me!
I am Crossing every digit that, just like last year, the obvious pick comes to the Seahawks at 5, and that would be Carter.