2023 NFL Draft: A Quarterback Fall Could Put Seahawks and Lions in Control of First Round

With uncertainty surround the ultimate decision of the Texans and Cardinals, the Seahawks and Lion could find themselves in the rare position of teams with a winning record that are able to hold their picks hostage.

With the NFL Draft just two days away, there is as much uncertainty over how the top of the draft will play out as there has been for any draft in recent memory.

What started as a basic assumption that the top of the drafts would feature a run on quarterbacks has turned into an ever-changing guessing game, with national NFL insiders insinuating that even they do not know what is going to happen.

In years. https://t.co/MsxjtQbkgV

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 25, 2023

Much of that revolves around the change in the thought surrounding the Houston Texans, who now seemed poised to take either quarterback Will Levis, edge rusher Will Anderson, or edge rusher Tyree Wilson with the second overall pick (Levis is currently the betting favorite). 

That could make life much harder for the Cardinals. While they had been hoping to hold the third pick hostage in order to trade with a team looking for a quarterback, that may become much harder if C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson, the other two quarterbacks expected to be drafted towards the top of the first round, are still on the board.

If the Cardinals are forced to make a pick at three, and the Colts take a quarterback at four, that could leave the Seahawks, and maybe the Lions, holding the draft in the palms of their hands with the fifth or sixth pick.

If defensive tackle Jalen Carter and either Stroud or Richardson are still available at that point, both teams will truly have all options on the table. 

As two teams with 2022 winning records that are picking towards the top of the draft because of high-profile quarterback trades, both teams could be in a position to throw a true wrench in the draft and take a quarterback.

Neither team is likely to be picking that high again in the near future, and a quarterback falling could give both teams the perfect chance to sit a player for a year before moving on from their respective starters and transitioning to a new phase.

This is particularly true for the Lions, who will likely be unable to stick with Jared Goff once they need to extend the contracts of young talent such as Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown and could easily move on from Goff’s contract after the year.

At the same time, both teams could find themselves in a position to select Carter, who many consider to be the best talent in the draft or trade back with another team looking to make a quarterback.

If Carter and a quarterback wind up falling to five, the Seahawks will truly have all options on the table, while the Lions will be guaranteed to be able to pick at least one of the draft Carter, draft a quarterback, or trade back options.

The shifting of the pivot point in the draft from the Cardinals to the Seahawks or Lions could be an unusual change, as instead of a bad team being able to stockpile assets, the rich could just get richer.

If someone like Stroud falls to the Seahawks or the Lions, while it might not provide an immediate return for your fantasy football teams, it certainly will have him rising up fantasy football boards. Currently ranked as the 2nd player on Faceoff Sports Network fantasy football superflex ADP rankings, he could return tremendous value to your team.

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