C.J. Stroud or Jalen Carter? Breaking Down Seahawks' Draft Options at No. 5
With the 2023 NFL Draft set to begin on Thursday, rumors of which prospects different teams like are starting to ramp up even more. This is especially true for the Seattle Seahawks, who have been linked to multiple different players with the No. 5 overall pick.
They've been heavily linked to Georgia's Jalen Carter throughout the offseason to bolster the defensive front. However that has changed recently. Instead, they're now once again being linked to a potential quarterback pick when they're on the clock.
There's been plenty of speculation on both what Seattle should and will do come Thursday, but NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah made an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show and revealed where he believes the Seahawks stand on the possibility of going quarterback with the fifth pick.
"Looking at who are the quarterback-likely teams," Jeremiah said. "Seattle, and I haven't got this concrete, but there's lots of ways you can kind of track the visits. I have not seen them bringing in quarterbacks into Seattle. They did a bunch of work at the combine and obviously they showed up in a big way at the pro days.
"I don't really have Seattle pegged as a quarterback team."
It makes sense that the Seahawks might not view quarterback as a need with the fifth pick, having extended Geno Smith this offseason. However, there is one possible situation in which Jeremiah could see the pick for Seattle at No. 5 be a quarterback.
"I would think that (C.J.) Stroud would be the only one," Jeremiah said. "If somehow Stroud were still there, that would be the one. I know they haven't done everything on these guys but that would be the one where I would say there isn't a 100 percent chance they're not taking one."
Stroud, of course, is seen by many as the second-best quarterback in this draft class. On paper, this would make it unlikely he falls to Seattle's pick. The draft, though, isn't done on paper.
Alabama's Bryce Young is seen as a lock to go first overall, and reports continue to surface that the Houston Texans aren't sold on a quarterback with the second pick. That leaves the Arizona Cardinals at No. 3 and Indianapolis Colts at No. 4.
If the Cardinals stay put at the third pick and don't trade down but go defense, there's a chance Stroud would be there for the Seahawks. Yes, the Colts are a team linked to quarterbacks but they have been increasingly rumored to favor Kentucky's Will Levis.
In the more likely scenario that Stroud is gone by the fifth pick, signs point to the Seahawks addressing the defense. There's a strong chance that pick could be used on Carter, even with the potential character issues that come with him.
"With Seattle it's Jalen Carter or no Jalen Carter," Jeremiah said. "I can tell you in the last 24 hours, Rich, I got a text from one general manager that said 'The Seahawks will not be scared of Jalen Carter,' and I got a text from another general manager that said 'The Seahawks will not take Jalen Carter.'"
The Seahawks will enter Thursday night with a big decision to make once they find themselves on the clock, a decision that could shake up the draft board. Regardless of which route they go, whether it's quarterback or defense, whoever they draft has the potential to be another franchise cornerstone in Seattle.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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