2023 NFL Draft: Breaking down every potential first-round QB in a unique class
Quarterbacks, quarterbacks, quarterbacks. That is, as usual, the story of this year’s NFL Draft with potentially five QBs slated to come off the board in the first round. That would be the second time in the past three years five quarterbacks were selected in the first round, with the 2021 draft featuring Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. After a down year in 2022, with only one first-round quarterback, there’s a slew of prospects for teams to choose from as they attempt to figure out their new franchise signal-callers.
Here’s a quick breakdown on each quarterback prospect that’s projected to go in the first round Thursday night, with a late push from Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Bryce Young, Alabama
It appears that Young is going to be the first quarterback selected in the draft this week, settling in with the Carolina Panthers. Young is a skilled quarterback prospect who has dominated college football over the past few years, but he has some physical drawbacks that have teams and analysts concerned over his NFL future. Young, as everyone knows at this point, is not one of the most physically imposing quarterbacks, coming in at 5-foot-10 and a hair over 200 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. He also doesn’t have the arm strength of a Kyler Murray to overcome the size concerns during the pre-draft trek.
However, Young has just about everything else that’s attractive to NFL teams. Accuracy, escape ability and an ability to maximize the talent around him. The Alabama roster that Young played with isn’t exactly the same as what Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones had while they were the quarterbacks for the Crimson Tide. Young had to make big plays to counteract the youth around him. The size concerns are real, particularly with his weight, but he offers enough other skills to be picked atop this week's draft.
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Stroud has all the tools needed to be a top-flight NFL starter, but that didn’t always show out while he was under center for the Buckeyes. Then the Georgia game happened where he dominated one of the best defenses in college football in a playoff game. Which Stroud are teams getting? The one who made Jalen Carter look silly in the pocket without the services of Marvin Harrison Jr.? Or the one who was stuck in the mud against Michigan?
Regardless, Stroud is going to find himself drafted in the top half of the first round and his baseline skills deserve that. He’s probably the most accurate passer in the draft and has mobility that could have been used more than it was during his last season with the Buckeyes. His perceived ceiling will ultimately decide where he’s drafted, for right or wrong.
Anthony Richardson, Florida
Richardson is the video game quarterback. He has every physical attribute an NFL team could want at the position, but the production during his college career was mediocre. Richardson is more pro-ready than given credit for, but he has some things to clean up to make him a more effective passer. Even with that, he has a high floor due to his ability as a rusher and an athlete to be a major piece of his team’s ground game.
Richardson is a home run swing, but not as risky as some people have made him out to be. Florida had a strong offensive line, but its wide receiver play left a lot to be desired
Will Levis, Kentucky
Levis is kind of in the same boat as Richardson where he has all the physical tools to become a long-term NFL starter, but the complete picture hasn’t come into focus yet. What Levis has going for him is that he played for multiple offensive coordinators who attempt to run pro-style schemes. His supporting offensive cast in college (especially in 2022) limited what the Wildcats could do, and Levis is going to need time to adjust to making more Big Boy quarterback plays in the NFL instead of living in the screen game.
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Hooker is the wild card of this quarterback class. He doesn’t check a whole lot of boxes that NFL teams traditionally look for outside of height, but he’s still a potential first-round pick this week. Tennessee’s style of offense, which is an adaptation of the offenses Art Briles made famous, has never transitioned to the NFL. The Vols run a style of spread that isn’t replicable in the NFL due to the college game having wider hashmarks. Hooker has a major learning curve as far as playing in an NFL offense goes and he’s going to be a 25-year-old rookie coming off an ACL tear. That hasn’t ever been a recipe that NFL teams covet (because it hasn’t been very successful!), but Hooker still may benefit from the quarterback lust that teams have in the draft.
