Importance of Big-Armed Quarterback to Seahawks in 2022 NFL Draft
Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll provided reporters with revealing detail at the 2022 NFL Annual Meeting: we learned the importance of arm strength to Seattle when rostering quarterbacks. When Carroll was asked about getting the receiver or the quarterback first, he decided to take his answer in a different direction.
"One thing, for sure, in our quarterback spot: we want guys that can throw the ball down the field,” Carroll stated. “You know, 'cause we can get deep, we've always been an explosive-oriented passing game and we want to continue to do that to compliment with the balance in the run game. And these guys [star receivers], they need a big-armed guy. As far as that's concerned, you know Geno [Smith], Drew [Lock], those guys can chuck it. Jake [Eason] can throw the ball a ton. That's a big deal for us."
Perhaps Carroll wanted to hype his rostered passers when responding to the probing, chicken-or-the-egg style question: "We've seen some big-time receivers traded to some teams that don't necessarily have their quarterback, so if you can't get the quarterback then do you go get the receiver to make your quarterback?"
Nonetheless, the head coach's loose answer strongly suggests that a key rookie quarterback scouting emphasis will be finding “a big-armed guy.” Just as Carroll stresses the importance of eliminating explosive plays on defense (a pass of 16 yards or more, a run of 12 yards or more), he—evidently—desires an offense that can hit as many as possible.
The obvious big-armed fit in this class is Liberty’s Malik Willis. Willis’ arm is so talented that he has risen to the top of the 2022 quarterback class, where previously the consensus No. 1 guy was missing. On the wider college hash marks, Willis showed a startling ability to complete passes from the boundary hash to the field sideline. Said passes were rocketed in to his receivers, occasionally downing his teammates. This impressive power continued to the Senior Bowl, where the Mobile group of receivers took some time to adjust to the speed.
It therefore made sense that Willis led all of the NFL combine attendees in the velocity throws drill, where he hit 60 miles-per-hour on the radar.
The most pro-ready quarterback in this cycle, however, is Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati. Ridder features numerous quality positional traits, with his play in-structure, in-pocket and on-time a glowing plus.
The major question around Ridder has been that Seahawks-important arm strength. Balls hang in the air, seeing receivers wait and defenders recover.
Yet the velocity drill results from Indianapolis suggest Ridder’s supposed issue can be fixed via mechanics, rather than it being an unfixable, fundamental lack of arm strength. Ridder’s throw came in at 59 miles-per-hour, the second-fastest throw behind Willis.
With Ridder working with esteemed quarterback coach Jordan Palmer to improve his throwing mechanics, the passer is answering the one major concern on his report card. Ridder had already bettered his mechanics from 2020 to 2021, lessening the wind-up throwing motion that saw deep passes die mid-air. However, his senior season still featured some sketchy foot placement, weight distribution and overstriding, something Palmer himself spoke about prior to that season in January 2021.
The pro day fun of arm flexing also provided an interesting comparison between Willis and Ridder, where the latter held up.
As for the velocity drills themselves, it is easy to question the merits of such a non-football-like situation. But the Seahawks—coincidentally or not—have a strong link to the drill from years past.
The two 2020 leaders at Indianapolis were Jacob Eason at 59 miles-per-hour and Jake Luton, who also checked in at 59. Eason, of course, was picked up by Seattle in the 2021 season. Luton, meanwhile, was the man cut from the Seahawks’ roster for Eason. One-time Seahawk Paxton Lynch also led the 2016 charts with a mark of 59.
