Seattle 'Selfies': Why Are Seahawks Posing for Pictures with QB Prospects?

Coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have made no secret of the possibility that despite having re-signed Geno Smith, the club is also considering taking a quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick in April. So what's with the selfies?

A "smokescreen''? "Trolling''? "Hinting'' from the Seattle Seahawks as to their plans in the upcoming NFL Draft?

Coach Pete Carroll and the Seahawks have made no secret of the possibility that despite having re-signed Geno Smith, the club is also considering taking a quarterback with the No. 5 overall pick in April.

What we know for certain is that Carroll and GM John Schneider have continued meeting at their Pro Days with the top QB prospects, including Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis (with Florida's Pro Day and Anthony Richardson to come).

But for the Seahawks to post this collection of "selfies'' on social media ... there's Carroll and Schneider all yukking it up with the top QB prospects ... well, is there a purpose here?

Former NFL quarterback Brock Huard and Seahawks insider Brady Henderson discussed that during Friday’s Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports.

“They could have taken a selfie with Jaxon Smith-Njigba at the Ohio State pro day, they could have done one with Will Anderson at Alabama’s but no, this was the quarterbacks,” Henderson said. ... "They’re having fun with it just like Pete Carroll has fun with his pre-draft clues that I’m convinced mean absolutely nothing at all.”

Or ...

“The other (theory),'' Henderson said, "is this is about competition, and that they are sending a message to the rest of their team – not just to Geno Smith – but just to their team in general that, ‘Look, we paid Geno Smith some money, he’s coming off a Pro Bowl season, and look at us. We’re still looking at quarterbacks.'” he said. “And what kind of message does that send to the rest of the team? ... ‘Guess what? We might be looking to draft your replacement in the first or second round, so nobody better be getting comfortable.'”

Theorized Huard: "This is fun for Pete. Recruiting is fun for him. So I’d probably land a little bit more there than anywhere else.”

Our educated guess? This is less of a coaching/scouting ploy than it is a function of the marketing of a football team. The Seahawks Twitter account has 2.5 million followers, Seattle fans hungry for information and for action. In addition to information to be dispensed, there are tickets to be sold and advertising to be sold and "buzz'' to buzz about.

The Seahawks aren't "revealing'' anything here except for a certain level of shrewdness when it comes to keeping the franchise in the news. And sales and marketing? Hey, those folks get to have "fun'' with the NFL Draft, too, right?

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