The Seattle Seahawks had a strong first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, selecting Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with their two selections. Seattle passed on Jalen Carter at No. 5 and decided to select Witherspoon to add a significant piece to their secondary, but a defensive player may not have been the pick if one of the quarterbacks would have fallen to No. 5.
That quarterback was apparently Anthony Richardson.
"We considered him," Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said on Seattle Sports Radio, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic. "Shoot, we flew all the way out there to go see him. Not just to see him but to be around him and watch him and how he handled himself, and his program with all the hype that was going.
"We gave him tremendous consideration. He might be the best athlete that's ever been drafted at that position. He's arguably that. So, we had to definitely consider that."
Richardson never got to the Seahawks at No. 5, as the Indianapolis Colts selected him the pick before at No. 4 overall. Three quarterbacks were taken in the top four picks, leaving Seattle to either take Will Levis if it really wanted a quarterback or select one of the best players available on their board.
The Seahawks couldn't pass up on Witherspoon at No. 5, but the urge to draft one of the top three quarterbacks was there -- if one fell to them.
"When you were not right there, you can't -- I mean, there's three quarterbacks that went right ahead of us and you can't just push it because of like a narrative," Seahawks general manager John Schneider said Saturday. "It has to feel right for everybody, the whole team, the locker room, coaches.
"Our goal every year is to draft a quarterback, it really has been, honestly. It hasn't happened, you can't just force it, especially at that position. It's the most unique position in the game, so we feel like with Geno (Smith) and Drew (Lock), we have two really good quarterbacks."
