Mike Sando at the Athletic has published his must-read annual QB tiers rankings and fans of the Seahawks aren’t going to like the results. Both of Seattle’s potential starting quarterbacks are at the very bottom of the list, which was compiled by polling 50 NFL coaches and executives.
Drew Lock was ranked No. 34 in the league at his position. That’s lower than Sam Darnold and Mitch Trubisky and at the bottom of Tier 4, which is reserved for unproven players. Here’s what the voters had to say about Lock.
“Voters appreciated Lock’s physical talent, not his ability to make it translate. There is hope and talent with Drew Lock,” an evaluator said, “but there is inconsistency. And there has always been inconsistency. You can’t debate his talent. He’s got size, athletic ability, excellent arm strength, all those things. But the inconsistency is the thing. Pete (Carroll) will have a chance to make him play his best, playing it the right way, because he’s got all the tools.”
Meanwhile, Geno Smith came in at No. 35 as part of the “best suited as a backup” tier 5.
“Unfortunately, I got to say, he’s a 5,” a quarterbacks coach said. “He does a good job when he comes off the bench of maintaining things and managing the game well. He’s not going to elevate the team at this point. I think he’s good to come out of the bullpen and pitch four or five good innings, then give it back to the ace to close things out.”
Nobody but the most hardcore homer is actually excited about either one of these two starting and we wouldn’t claim to know more than those actually working in the league. However, these rankings seem just a little bit harsh.
At a bare minimum Lock and Smith should be ranked ahead of the likes of Trubisky, Darnold and Marcus Mariota. One could argue the same about Daniel Jones and Zach Wilson.
That said, there’s a reason why this team’s projected win total is somewhere in the 5-6 range according to most sportsbooks and it’s not their lack of depth at outside linebacker. Seattle willingly took a bigger step backwards at quarterback than any team has in years and until they find their next Russell Wilson, fans should get used to low expectations.
