Seahawks HC Pete Carroll Thinks Drew Lock Would've Been 1st QB Selected in 2022 Draft

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said new quarterback Drew Lock would have been the first QB selected in the 2022 NFL draft.

"I think he'd have been the first guy picked, of quarterbacks anyway. He'd have been the first guy in this draft. I don't have any hesitation saying that," Carroll said Thursday on Sports Radio KJR (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk).

The Seahawks acquired Lock from the Denver Broncos as part of the blockbuster deal that ended Russell Wilson's 10-year tenure in Seattle.

Lock, a 2019 second-round pick, failed to impress across three years in Denver. He completed 59.3 percent of his throws with 25 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in 24 games. He received a poor 60 overall grade from Pro Football Focus in 2021.

Even in a lackluster 2022 quarterback class, which featured Kenny Pickett as the only signal-caller taken in the first two rounds, it's hard to know whether Lock would have sat atop the rankings.

Here's the comparison between Lock and Pickett in their final college season (13 games each):

• Lock (2018 with Missouri): 62.9% completion rate, 3,498 passing yards, 28 TD, 8 INT
• Pickett (2021 with Pitt): 67.2% completion rate, 4,319 passing yards, 42 TD, 7 INT

A lot more than one year of stats goes into quarterback evaluation, but it's just one aspect of the conversation that shows Lock wouldn't have been the clear No. 1 option in this year's draft.

Regardless, Carroll explained on KJR he's impressed with what he's seen from the 25-year-old offseason arrival:

"The first look at Drew: He's really athletic, he's really a confident athlete. You can see he's got a lot of body control. He's got quick feet, he's got a quick arm, he's got various ways he can release the football as his body's in different positions. He's got a real knack there. He's got a strong arm; he can throw the ball a mile down the field. He compares to Geno, and Geno Smith has a great arm. He has a world-class arm and all that. To match up with that, that's saying a lot."

As the Seahawks roster currently stands, a quarterback competition between Lock, Smith and Jacob Eason is probably on tap for training camp.

It wouldn't be a surprise if Seattle adds another veteran to the mix at some point, though Carroll ruled out a potential trade at the position.