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
Lonzo Ball Jersey 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 pa sing 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 pa sers 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 nece sarily have their quarterback, so if you can't get the quarterback then do you go get the receiver to make your
E'Twaun Moore Jersey quarterback?"Nonethele s, 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 stre ses the importance of eliminating explosive plays on defense (a pa s of 16 yards or more, a run of 12 yards or more), heevidentlydesires an offense that can hit as many as po sible.The obvious big-armed fit in this cla s is Libertys Malik Willis. Willis arm is so talented that he has risen to the top of the 2022 quarterback cla s, where previously the consensus No. 1 guy was mi sing. On the wider college hash marks, Willis showed a startling ability to complete pa ses from the boundary hash to the field sideline. Said pa ses were rocketed in to his receivers, occasionally downing his teammates. This impre sive 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 , where he hit 60 miles-per-hour on the radar.
Derrick Favors Jersey Scroll to ContinueThe 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 Ridders supposed i sue can be fixed via mechanics, rather than it being an unfixable, fundamental lack
Josh Hart Jersey of arm strength. Ridders throw 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 pa ser is answering the one major concern on his report card. Ridder had already bettered his mechanics from 2020 to 2021, le sening the wind-up throwing motion that saw deep pa ses die mid-air. However, his senior season still featured some sketchy foot placement, weight distribution and overstriding, something Palmer himself prior to that season in January
Jahlil Okafor Jersey 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 Seahawkscoincidentally or nothave a strong link to the drill from years past. The two 2020 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.