Richardson's accuracy "issues" shouldn't be a concern?

[douche]

We are all familiar with Brady having possibility the worst combine, but what's the relationship between good combine numbers and superior QBing?

What I find interesting is that oftentimes the measurables simply don't measure up. If you'll pardon the pun. Does the 6'4" stud with the rocket arm have what it takes to excel at the NFL level simply based on height and arm strength? Or is it something else that sets them apart (big hands, mental toughness, cool under pressure)? Things that are much more difficult to measure.

[Cascade Kid]

We are all familiar with Brady having possibility the worst combine, but what's the relationship between good combine numbers and superior QBing?

What I find interesting is that oftentimes the measurables simply don't measure up. If you'll pardon the pun. Does the 6'4" stud with the rocket arm have what it takes to excel at the NFL level simply based on height and arm strength? Or is it something else that sets them apart (big hands, mental toughness, cool under pressure)? Things that are much more difficult to measure.

Brock Osweiler was a measureable dream. But he lacked the attitude and intellect to be successful. But on the other hand, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Terry Bradshaw eat crayons and were excellent QBs, so it is very difficult to point out specific attributes that will boom or bust a quarterback.

[douche]

Which explains why it's so difficult to find a good one.

[Michael K.]

Maybe that's the confusion here. Richardson has also been scouted as having the highest ceiling of any player in the draft. So that something else being said about Richardson by the experts besides Florida's lackluster passing scheme and WR performance.

High ceiling, low floor, and not ready to play yet. Project. He isn't playing QB in the NFL next year on any team with any remote chance of winning. He might not be ready by year two. Not sure how that is anything but a project. His biggest fan in here has said they take him and "redshirt" him a year. Sorry, what QB taken in the top 10 comes in with ZERO expectation of playing a down that year? Let alone one that would be inactive most game days?

[Michael K.]

We are all familiar with Brady having possibility the worst combine, but what's the relationship between good combine numbers and superior QBing?

What I find interesting is that oftentimes the measurables simply don't measure up. If you'll pardon the pun. Does the 6'4" stud with the rocket arm have what it takes to excel at the NFL level simply based on height and arm strength? Or is it something else that sets them apart (big hands, mental toughness, cool under pressure)? Things that are much more difficult to measure.

Dan McGuire, Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Matt Leinhart, Mark Sanchez, David Carr....feel free to add all of those that come to mind as guys that went early, seemed to have all the right "stuff" and stunk anyway. Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Andre Ware, Marcus Mariotta, Vince Young, RG III, Colin Kaep

All of those guys had a skill set or many skill sets that were supposed to make them the greatest. Some of them even had great college careers to boot.

[Sexymarinersfan]

Great read from Seahawksdraftblog.com

I wanted to share this video. It’s a clip of Pete Carroll being asked about the quarterbacks in the draft at the owners meeting.

I can’t embed the video so here are the quotes:

Carroll: “With all of the quarterback excitement and the great players that are there, and our experience too, Johnny and I have been together a long time, we’ve been working this stuff out. He’s great at it, phenomenal at orchestrating what’s going to happen and predicting and the anticipation and the moves and all the things that we’ve done. This is really fun for him. He’ll be on the top of his game and really excited to see it come through and it’s fun for everybody, for our fans and the players and the coaches and all that.”

Steve Wyche: “Are you going to any pro-days other than the quarterbacks?”

Carroll: “No, that’s my last one, heading to Gainesville (Florida, this Thursday).”

Wyche: “Geno Smith was fantastic last year, you’ve raved about how he’s hung in there… but we’re seeing you with all these quarterbacks, evaluating them as well, what does this all mean? And you just extended Geno as well.”

Carroll: “Well, I told Geno we were doing it. He knows what’s going on. He’s trying to win. Geno knows we’re just trying to win so this is how we compete. I’ve said for years, we’re going to get in every single opportunity that is out there and John’s done a marvellous job of always having his ear to the ground to know what’s going on so that if an opportunity does fit us, that we’re prepared and ready to pounce on it. Well here we are. The number five pick and there’s legitimately four great prospects coming out at the quarterback spot. We may never have this opportunity again, so we’ve got to maximise it and so we’re doing our homework. We’re not going to hold back in doing that. And everybody knows, Geno knows and Drew knows, and everybody knows what’s going on, we’re just got to see what happens and take it as it comes.”

I’m sure this candid answer will be interpreted in a variety of ways. People will call it a smokescreen or a nudge to try and get a team to trade up to #3.

I’m not completely against the suggestion that being so public on the quarterbacks is an attempt to try and persuade someone to trade into the #3 spot with Arizona. I do think they’ll be enamoured by Will Anderson. They ended last season talking about what San Francisco has that Seattle doesn’t. I don’t think Anderson is a Nick Bosa-level player but he’s a very good edge rusher of the caliber the Seahawks simply don’t possess. I think they’ll be celebrating if they get a chance to draft him at #5.

That said, I also don’t think Carroll is speaking dishonestly about the four quarterbacks. I don’t think he and John Schneider are playing some elaborate game of poker, bluffing like crazy because their intention is to go against the words above and select Tyree Wilson, for example. I think this is probably an honest assessment of the situation. The Seahawks like the four quarterbacks and Will Anderson. They pick fifth overall. They attended the pro-days involving Anderson, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young and Will Levis and will be at Anthony Richardson’s session on Thursday. They’re guaranteed one of this quintet.

For me it seems obvious. They might prefer Anderson at #5 but if he’s gone, they also like the QB’s. It shouldn’t be a big shock because as we’ve noted a few times, the quarterbacks all seem to fit what Schneider likes in a signal caller. As highlighted yesterday, he’s been very prepared to take a chance on a rough diamond.

“We may never have this opportunity again” is a quote that speaks volumes. They know this is a rare chance. A bonus, courtesy of the Broncos. Carroll pretty much spells it out. When are they ever going to be picking this early again, with four quarterbacks who are going to go very early in round one?

I don’t want to sound like a stuck record (honestly) but this could end up being fairly predictable. Is someone going to make a late push to get a quarterback, trading ahead of the Colts in a deal with the Cardinals? If so, that likely provides the Seahawks with Will Anderson. If that doesn’t happen, Arizona picks Anderson and the Seahawks are left with the quarterback Indianapolis doesn’t select. I think the Colts are gearing up to take Will Levis because he fits Chris Ballard’s preferences and he’s better equipped to start quickly. I think, for the Seahawks, it’s most likely to be Anthony Richardson at #5 unless the Cardinals trade down.

And frankly, I’d be happy with either pick. Anderson or Richardson.

Ultimately I think it's going to come down to three scenarios. A) They take whatever QB, is sitting their at 5. B) All four QB's are off the board and they take Will Anderson, the best overall player in the draft. Or C) trade down with another QB hungry team and re-stock their D-line with an abundance of picks.

I think option A is the most likely scenario, and the one that the Seahawks prefer, but if option B were to happen I'd be just as happy. I can't see Arizona however trading out of that 3rd spot unless they get a haul. And word on the street is that they LOVE Anderson. If they stay put then Seattle almost certainly will have a chance to grab a QB at 5. My money is on Richardson, but I'd be happy with ANY of the 4.

[Sexymarinersfan]

I still think they’re going to be a lot more comfortable with this QB class than many people are ready to accept

I’ve always been very clear that I am perfectly happy with a defensive line or quarterback pick at #5. I’ve only done one full mock draft with a quarterback at #5, the rest had defensive linemen. At the end of the season, I noted that Seattle were guaranteed to get a top-three QB or one of Anderson or Carter. The only reason I’ve adjusted that to the top-four QB’s and Anderson is due to the legitimate concerns surrounding Carter and the continued rise of Anthony Richardson as a prospect, to the point where — unsurprisingly — his incredible talent and upside is garnering legit top-five chatter.

I do think a lot of fans (and some media) are entrenched though, which I find a bit confusing. They don’t even want to consider a quarterback pick. They cling to Carter as an option, despite so much evidence to the contrary, or they assume Wilson will be a great pick. Or they think Anderson will last, which feels unlikely. I spoke to a scouting friend recently who said Anderson was ‘hands down’ the top defender taken. Unless Arizona trades out of the #3 spot, they’ll almost certainly select him. I think it’ll take a major haul to tempt the Cardinals away from that selection.

I would’ve thought we’d hear two other viewpoints a bit more often.

Firstly, the history John Schneider has with quarterbacks. This is a man who has often sought traits, even at the detriment of ‘finished product’ status. He traded a lot for Charlie Whitehurst who was a big, strong-armed, athletic backup. He fell for Russell Wilson — a big armed, athletic, shorter QB who had everything but ideal height.

He reportedly was prepared to draft Patrick Mahomes in 2017 despite having Wilson under contract. Then, in 2018, he reportedly was willing to trade Wilson for a shot at Josh Allen.

Because Mahomes and Allen have become big success stories, we’ve forgotten what was said about both when they were about to be drafted. I feel like we should keep reminding ourselves of the following:

— Mahomes wasn’t listed in Daniel Jeremiah’s top-50 prospects in his February list ahead of the 2017 draft or an updated version in April, weeks before he was taken 10th overall. Deshone Kizer, however, was ranked on both occasions.

— In Jeremiah’s final April 2017 mock draft, he eventually did include Mahomes in round one at #27 overall. Deshaun Watson wasn’t included in the first frame. They ended up being the #10 and #12 picks respectively.

— Mahomes himself revealed he was given a second round grade by the draft committee.

— Lance Zierlein graded Mahomes at a 6.30 — a lower grade than Drew Lock (6.40). In his report, Zierlein noted: “Mahomes will be a work in progress, but he’s a high ceiling, low floor prospect.”

This is worth remembering when you see and hear people talking about Will Levis and Anthony Richardson as ‘not first round picks’, appearing in mock drafts deep into the first round or ranked low on big boards. Mahomes, the best quarterback in the NFL and a generation-defining talent, wasn’t considered a true first round prospect by many pundits and league sources going into the 2017 draft.

Here’s an article on NFL.com written by Lance Zierlein, discussing Allen during the 2017 college football season:

The scoop: “He scares me like he scares everyone, but he is easily the most physically talented quarterback (in this class). He will get drafted much higher than the level of his tape.” — AFC director of college scouting on Wyoming QB Josh Allen

The skinny: Listed at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds and with high-end arm talent, Allen is the prototype at the quarterback position. However, Allen’s production has been very pedestrian this season (181 yards passing per game, 55.9 percent completion rate, 12 TDs and 6 INTs in 8 games).

His accuracy and decision making are not where they need to be. In comparison, Carson Wentz had very similar physical traits and ability coming out of North Dakota State. He was the No. 2 overall selection of the 2016 draft, but his accuracy and football intelligence were exceptionally high. Coincidentally, Allen’s coach (Craig Bohl) helped groom Wentz at NDSU before being hired at Wyoming.

Allen might make a substantial leap forward with better talent surrounding him than what he’s working with at Wyoming. However, I’m not ready to say he’s a franchise quarterback at this juncture.

It’s impossible not to connect what is written above to what is being said about Levis and Richardson. That doesn’t mean either player is destined to emulate Allen’s career but it does help to explain why Schneider might be willing to overlook certain tape-flaws to bet on upside as he was reportedly willing to do for Allen and Mahomes.

There are also these quotes courtesy of scouting sources produced by Bob McGinn:

On Josh Allen:

“He reminds me of (Blake) Bortles,” a second scout said. “Bortles lacked consistent accuracy and I see the same thing with Allen. Big-time athlete but really an inconsistent passer. I don’t see (Carson) Wentz. Some people do because they had the same coach (Craig Bohl). Wentz was a very mature, confident person.” Two-year starter. “He looks the part and a good athlete,” a third scout said. “But you talk about lacking in being a winning quarterback. He has a lot of bad tape (even) at that level. Somebody will still take him high. Are we going on what the tape is and the production and the winning? Or are we going on this guy looks like he should be an NFL quarterback and how he throws the ball?”

On Mahomes:

“People are trying to make that comparison because of his arm. He’s got a really good arm, but Favre was not as reckless as this guy.

“He’s crazy. He plays crazy. He’ll do anything. I don’t even think “gunslinger’ is the right word. He’s reckless.”

“He’s in ‘that offense’ and the way he plays, he’s very erratic,” another director from an NFC team said. “You can see the talent but he’s just so streaky and wild and reckless. He put a lot of balls up for grabs where you’re saying, ‘Man, what are you going to get with him?’

“He could (come on) but I don’t see it. I just don’t think he has the necessary qualities. He has no vision, no mechanics. He’s erratic as hell. He makes a lot of mistakes. It’s going to be a long (development).”

“Mahomes is the boom or bust guy,” said one of the two evaluators that expected him to fail. “He carries the biggest upside but he does have a bust factor. He’s just going to be inexperienced doing the things he’s going to do here.
“When you start looking at players that play off the script it concerns you, and a lot of what he does is off-script. In the NFL, when you get off-script is when you make big, big errors. It’s not as easy to make the off-script play on our level as it is at Texas Tech.”

Is any more evidence required to highlight how sceptical people were about Mahomes and Allen before the 2017 and 2018 drafts?

There was a genuine fear-factor with both.

Schneider has been attracted to rough diamonds. We shouldn’t rule out the rough diamonds in this draft as options for the Seahawks.

This also brings me onto the second point. Why aren’t we universally trusting Schneider to get this right? His track record of judging QB talent is fairly exceptional. Yet I don’t often read ‘in John we trust’.

If he passes on the fourth quarterback available at #5, I’d respect the decision of a proven evaluator when it comes to QB’s. If he does take a quarterback at #5, are people going to react in the same way? Will they trust his judgement?

Why are we not hearing more often, ‘Schneider might like one of these QB’s and if he does, he should take him’? That feels like a fair position we can all rally behind.

I see very little reason to rule it out at this point. Stroud and Young are not expected to make it to #5, Levis or Richardson might. I think they look exactly like the types of quarterback Schneider covets. For that reason, it warrants greater consideration than it’s getting in some quarters.

The only other thing to mention is cost. Some have challenged whether the Seahawks would be willing to take a quarterback at #5 because it would mean an overall spend of $20m in 2023 on Geno Smith, Drew Lock and a rookie.

When you consider they’re spending $42.6m on four safeties, I don’t think we need to worry too much about that. It’d be a quality investment at the most important position in football for the present and future.

[Cascade Kid]

Maybe that's the confusion here. Richardson has also been scouted as having the highest ceiling of any player in the draft. So that something else being said about Richardson by the experts besides Florida's lackluster passing scheme and WR performance.

High ceiling, low floor, and not ready to play yet. Project. He isn't playing QB in the NFL next year on any team with any remote chance of winning. He might not be ready by year two. Not sure how that is anything but a project. His biggest fan in here has said they take him and "redshirt" him a year. Sorry, what QB taken in the top 10 comes in with ZERO expectation of playing a down that year? Let alone one that would be inactive most game days?

I keep answering your questions, but you refute or ignore objective information and expert opinion. But, here, I'll answer another one of your questions that you'll likely either refute, ignore, or move the bar on. The answer to your question I underlined, Trey Lance. And to remind you, Jake Locker is literally on a Rent-a-Center contract, so there's no guarantee that any QB drafted would be inactive. I would go as far as to say, if the Seahawks draft QB they would most certainly release Locker.

I'd like to make clear thought that "top 10" isn't some sort of guarantee, not even close. To be a starter, any draftee still needs to show that he can be a proven productive asset. The value of any team's 1st round pick is substantial because it's their first pick and they hope it makes the biggest impact, which by the way is completely speculative since every draftee is, in fact, a prospect and not immune to failure.

[Donn Beach]

There is nothing wrong with being familiar with the talent at the point where you pick in the draft. That's as helpful if you trade the pick or draft a player. What Pete has to say there really could apply to either

I’ve said for years, we’re going to get in every single opportunity that is out there and John’s done a marvellous job of always having his ear to the ground to know what’s going on so that if an opportunity does fit us, that we’re prepared and ready to pounce on it. Well here we are. The number five pick and there’s legitimately four great prospects coming out at the quarterback spot. We may never have this opportunity again, so we’ve got to maximise it and so we’re doing our homework.

[Sexymarinersfan]

There is nothing wrong with being familiar with the talent at the point where you pick in the draft. That's as helpful if you trade the pick or draft a player. What Pete has to say there really could apply to either

I’ve said for years, we’re going to get in every single opportunity that is out there and John’s done a marvellous job of always having his ear to the ground to know what’s going on so that if an opportunity does fit us, that we’re prepared and ready to pounce on it. Well here we are. The number five pick and there’s legitimately four great prospects coming out at the quarterback spot. We may never have this opportunity again, so we’ve got to maximise it and so we’re doing our homework.

I trust John Schneider and whatever route that we ultimately take.