Bumpus: Why Drew Lock could have high ceiling as Seahawks QB
Mar 26, 2022, 11:51 AM | Updated: 11:54 am
Drew Lock of the Denver Broncos reacts after Melvin Gordon rushes for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs. (Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Who will the Seahawks start at quarterback in Week 1?
Heaps: Hawks will trade star WR DK Metcalf prior to 2022 draft
That will, undoubtedly, be the biggest question in the Seattle sports world until Week 1 of the 2022 season rolls around, and it’s still unclear whether that quarterback is on the roster at the moment.
The Seahawks currently have Drew Lock, who came to Seattle in the Russell Wilson trade, as well as Jacob Eason. The Seahawks could also reunite with Geno Smith, who was Wilson’s backup from 2019-21. Seattle could also look to the trade market to acquire Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns or Jimmy Garoppolo of the San Francisco 49ers. Then there’s the looming possibility of free agent Colin Kaepernick, who hasn’t played since 2016.
Salk: 6 reasons Seahawks should give QB Colin Kaepernick a look
But of the available quarterbacks – not including draft prospects – for the Seahawks, who offers Seattle the highest ceiling for 2022? That’s the question Stacy Rost asked former NFL wide receiver Michael Bumpus on Seattle Sports’ Jake and Stacy on Thursday.
“The highest ceiling goes to Drew Lock,” Bumpus said. “It goes to Drew Lock because we don’t really know what he can do. We have an idea what Baker can do. We’ve seen Geno. We’ve seen what Jimmy can do. It’s Drew Lock.”
Bumpus said Lock did good things as a rookie in 2019 before struggling in 2020 with a new offensive coordinator and a COVID-restricted offseason.
“I’m looking at the ceiling for Drew and I don’t even know where it is right now,” he said “With Baker, I think I’ve seen the best of Baker. I think we’ve seen the best of Jimmy. I think we’ve seen the best of Geno. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Drew Lock.”
Bumpus made it clear that saying Lock has the highest ceiling of the quarterbacks in question doesn’t mean he’s totally on board with Lock starting for the Seahawks in 2022. But Lock does give the Seahawks the potential to do two things Bumpus wants.
“Does that mean I want to experiment with that? I don’t know,” Bumpus said. “… I don’t want to win a couple ballgames. I really want to win it all or not win a lot so you can get a high draft pick.”
Rost said she’s “torn” when looking at this question, and would point to Mayfield as her likely pick.
“I think one commonality with a lot of these guys is people are harder on them than they deserve. I think you could say that about any of these guys,” she said. “I think that with with Colin Kaepernick, it was kind of the same thing where it was like he was better than people give him credit for, but he also had great pieces around him. Baker, I think, maybe has the highest ceiling of all of them.”
She pointed to Lock’s stellar collegiate career at Missouri as a question for why he hasn’t been better in the NFL.
“The thing with Drew Lock … did you watch a lot of him at Missouri?” she asked. “… How much of that is the system you’re in and just college ball on its face and not having to read defenses in quite the same way and how much of it is like what he could actually do with this level?”
“Mizzou it’s in the SEC. It’s not a powerhouse SEC program and yet he was able to produce, so that says something about that,” Bumpus said. “But it is college football, right? The gaps between the worst player in the team and the best player the team are huge, whereas the NFL, that gap is so small. So it’s a combination of things and that’s why I think we really don’t know (his ceiling). Because he showed that he can dominate in the toughest conference in college football.”
“If given an opportunity, he might be able to play here,” Bumpus added. “I’m not saying he’s gonna show up and save the organization and be the greatest thing, I just don’t know what the kid can do. So that’s why I’m giving him the ceiling because I’ve seen all these other guys. I just don’t know about Drew.”
Listen to the second hour of Thursday’s Jake and Stacy at this link or in the player below.
