Reporter: Seahawks wouldn't have drafted QB Anthony Richardson at pick No. 5

Seattle Seahawks reporter Brady Henderson of ESPN isn't buying the notion that the club could've drafted Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson had he fallen to overall pick No. 5 last Thursday. 

For a piece published Wednesday, Henderson noted that "the Seahawks likely would have passed on" Richardson even if the Indianapolis Colts had taken somebody else with choice No. 4. Seattle had instead "already decided" to use the fifth selection on either Alabama Crimson Tide pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. or Illinois Fighting Illini cornerback Devon Witherspoon. 

Houston ultimately traded up to No. 3 to take Anderson, and Seattle grabbed Witherspoon two picks later. 

During a post-draft radio appearance, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll claimed he and the front office gave taking Richardson "tremendous consideration" because the 20-year-old "might be the best athlete that’s ever been drafted at that position." Henderson remained unconvinced despite Carroll's words. 

"From a pure evaluation standpoint, the Seahawks thought enough of Richardson’s talent and potential to take him with the fifth pick," Henderson wrote. "But in the bigger picture, for a team that’s trying to win now and in a financial pinch, it would have been tough to justify using a pick so high — and the money that comes with it — on an undeveloped quarterback who’d be a backup for at least one season." 

Seattle signed veteran quarterback and 2022 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Geno Smith to a three-year deal in March that reportedly could be worth up to $105M including incentives. However, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio explained that the specifics of the contract could allow the Seahawks to potentially move on from Smith after just one season, and that was one reason why some linked Seattle with both Richardson and Kentucky Wildcats product Will Levis in mock drafts. 

Henderson suggested neither Richardson nor Levis was a realistic option for the Seahawks and that Carroll and company instead are all-in on Smith serving as Seattle's QB1 for at least the upcoming campaign.