Jim Moore: No, the Seahawks didn’t draft a QB, but remember how they won the Super Bowl?

The Seahawks addressed most of their glaring needs in last week’s NFL draft, adding probable starters at tackle, depth to their pass rush and help at cornerback. They also chose Kenneth Walker III, who rushed for more than 1,600 yards last year at Michigan State and might give Seattle one of the best running back trios in the league.

Aside from those who thought the Seahawks picked a running back too high in the draft - with Walker being selected in the second round - the other quibble came from quarterback whisperers who wondered why Seattle didn’t take a player to compete with Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason in the battle for Russell Wilson’s old job.

I’m not in that camp, and clearly Pete Carroll isn’t either. No matter what you think of Lock - and if you’re in Denver, it’s not much - Carroll believes he will be the starting quarterback in the Seahawks’ first game in September.

“We’re always competing, always looking,” Carroll told the NFL Network on Monday, discussing the team’s quarterback search. “But we love (Lock’s) potential. We’re gonna support this kid and give him every opportunity to find the best he has to offer.”

Yes, Lock was 8-13 as a starter in Denver, but he went through offensive coordinator changes and could end up being a classic “change of scenery” story and become the successful player the Broncos envisioned when they picked him in the second round of the 2019 draft.

And here’s the thing, he doesn’t have to be gangbusters, just above average. I’m not buying this thought that a team needs an elite quarterback to win a Super Bowl, though I’m guessing you could shove that one in my face with all kinds of examples proving otherwise. But this faith in Lock proves that Carroll feels the same way, or maybe he thinks that Lock will blossom into a top 10 QB in Seattle.

Maybe I’m delusional or dumb, take your pick, but didn’t Carroll win a Super Bowl with Wilson, in his second year, as a game-managing quarterback who had yet to look like a future Hall of Famer?

And I know that Tennessee didn’t win a Super Bowl last year, but weren’t the Titans the AFC’s No. 1 seed going into the playoffs, parlaying a running game with Derrick Henry, who missed several games due to injury, and a solid defense into a terrific season?

There’s a good chance I’m way off base because of an unusual case of wishful thinking, supporting a fellow senior citizen in the 70-year-old Carroll. How many times have you heard people say the game has passed him by? The beauty of what’s happening this year is that we’ll likely find out if that’s the case or not.

Here’s something else - I also keep hearing this is a rebuilding season after the trade of Wilson, but you can bet that Carroll doesn’t look at it like that. At all. And it’s not just because he’s 70 and doesn’t have much time left in his coaching career. I’d guess that even a 45-year-old Carroll would scoff at anyone muttering rebuild, considering it nonsense.

I’m so convinced that Carroll’s makeover will work that I have a $100 bet with a clueless co-worker, saying the Seahawks will have a better record than the Broncos this year. Wait a minute, am I the clueless one?

We’ll soon see, but I’m partly banking on Wilson entering the downside of his career, however slight, and the Broncos playing in the NFL’s toughest division. I get it, I could be wrong about Wilson, for all I know he’ll recapture his form from the first eight games of the 2020 season when Carroll let Russ cook.

But most of the basis for this bet is related to the Seahawks, thinking they’ll be better than expected, and not just down the road but right away. You don’t have to stretch your imagination too far to picture the Seahawks having a ball-control offense with handoffs to Rashaad Penny, Walker and hopefully Chris Carson, putting Lock into situations of third-and-manageable.

DK Metcalf, who this week indicated a new contract is in the offing, and Tyler Lockett are bound to help the developmental process with Lock, catching 50/50 balls and producing long gainers off play-action.

The Seahawks are bound to be better on the other side of the ball simply because they finally moved on from defensive coordinator Ken Norton, handing the reins to former defensive line coach Clint Hurtt and associate head coach Sean Desai. I’m not going to break down the Seahawks’ new 3-4 defense with 4-3 principles because I wouldn’t know what I was talking about, I just like the change in coaches and philosophy and leave it at that. If Carroll thinks this will lead to a better pass rush and more turnovers, all good by me until we witness otherwise.

And let’s say the defense goes through some growing pains. I still like the thought that Seattle will win more time of possession battles than they have in the past, churning out first downs with their running game while resting its defense, leaving it better equipped to foil fourth-quarter drives.

Whether you think this is an accurate projection or not, we can agree that both teams’ seasons will be highly intriguing this year, the Seahawks’ and the Broncos’. Plus as much as Seahawks’ fans hope things work out here, you’ll hope for an awful season in Denver, mainly because Seattle still has the Broncos’ first- and second-round picks in the 2023 draft. Carolina went 5-12 in 2021 and picked sixth overall in this year’s draft. If the Broncos go 5-12 in 2022, there will be as much celebrating in Seattle if the Seahawks go 12-5.

The Seahawks had gone as far as they could with Wilson - typically good enough to make the playoffs but not make a serious Super Bowl run. They hadn’t made it to the NFC Championship Game since 2014. So shake it up and shoot for a higher ceiling with a formula that worked once before and is on its way to working again.

Jim Moore has covered Washington’s sports scene from every angle for multiple news outlets. You can find him on Twitter @cougsgo, and on 950 KJR-AM, where he co-hosts a sports talk show from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on weekdays.