Stacy Rost: The 4 later-round QBs Seattle Seahawks could draft
Apr 16, 2025, 10:15 AM | Updated: 11:42 am
The Seattle Seahawks’ reunion with backup Drew Lock may have chilled any expectation that they would take a quarterback early in the NFL Draft, but it doesn’t eliminate the possibility that general manager John Schneider takes a shot late on a project.
What Lock’s return after Geno’s trade tells us about Seahawks
What kind of QB projects exist on Day 2 and 3 of the draft? Take your pick:
• Door 1: A bigger passer with toughness and a quick release
• Door 2: Undersized but efficient, with mobility and experience
• Door 3: Strong packet passer with the ability to extend plays
• Door 4: Up-and-down production but elite arm talent
Four later-round Seahawks QB draft options
Door 1: Will Howard (Ohio State)
The quarterback of this year’s national championship team is a polarizing projection in this draft class. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein projects him as an early Day 3 pick (with a Blake Bortles NFL comp), while Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski has him as an “under the radar” prospect who could go as early as the second round. Ask Howard himself and he’ll tell you he’s the best quarterback in the class (which, I guess, he should believe).
The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Howard started games across five seasons (four with Kansas State and one with Ohio State), though with most of that starting experience concentrated to 2023 and 2024. His 2024 season with the Buckeyes saw him throw for 4,010 yards and 35 touchdowns. He also earned national championship offensive MVP honors.
Howard doesn’t lack confidence but also didn’t have the weapons of some of his higher-ranked peers. Don’t mistake his size for arm strength — an area where he’s been knocked — nor his five years of experience as consistency.
Will Howard is ready to take his championship pedigree to the next level. Where will he land? 👀
📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/XGTJkUYrqI— NFL (@NFL) April 7, 2025
Door 2: Dillon Gabriel (Oregon)
Another Day 3 projection, the 5-foot-11 Gabriel has drawn comparisons to former Seahawks QB Russell Wilson, though perhaps that’s more to do with his size than anything else. That said, Gabriel has some Wilson-like qualities: he’s shown great touch on deep passes and can improvise in the pocket (though perhaps not with the same magic Wilson showed early in his career).
Even though Gabriel went to Oregon (after stints at UCF and Oklahoma), he was named after Seattle native and former UW Huskies running back Corey Dillon (a fun fact that’ll make you feel 100 years old) and was a Heisman Trophy finalist and Big Ten quarterback of the year in 2024 (a fun fact that’ll intrigue you if he comes to the Seahawks).
Door 3: Kyle McCord (Syracuse)
He lacks the exceptional athleticism that gives risky prospects a higher ceiling, but Syracuse’s Kyle McCord’s time in a high-volume passing offense gives him an edge in the experience department.
The former five-star recruit spent his first three seasons at Ohio State, then led all college passers in yards (4,779) and was fifth in total touchdowns (31) in 2024 with the Orange. Zierlein’s comp to Mitch Trubisky won’t keep fans excited but, unlike the Bears, no one’s wasting a second overall pick on him.
Kyle was making it rain in Syracuse 😤
Kyle McCord threw for 354 yards and 4 touchdowns tonight in his debut with the Orange‼️@CuseFootball | @Cuse | @drpepper pic.twitter.com/NFuCRyyNxf
— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) August 31, 2024
Door 4: Quinn Ewers (Texas)
Ewers is expected to be a third-round selection but could fall to Day 3. ESPN’s Benjamin Solak projects him as a sixth-round pick, praising his arm talent and “wicked release when throwing in rhythm” but knocking him for stretches of poor accuracy and bad decision-making.
Seattle Seahawks NFL Draft coverage
• ESPN insider’s potential draft cheat code for Seahawks’ O-line
• Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: ‘Destructive’ DT from Michigan
• Latest Seahawks Mock Draft Roundup: Who will Seattle take at No. 18?
• Seahawks Draft Profile: Alabama’s ‘Swiss Army knife’ LB
• Bump’s Take: Two draft QBs reported to visit Seattle Seahawks
