2023 NFL Draft Takes: Top Five QBs

These short posts over the course of the week leading up to Thursday night will detail my personal opinions on how the NFL should approach this draft class. I'll try to give some hard-core analysis for some guys, but a lot of this is going to be gut-instinct, armchair-quarterback musings. All correct opinions come directly from me and me alone. All incorrect opinions may be roasted appropriately at a later date.

QB1: Bryce Young, Alabama

"He's a gamer" is an overused term, but Bryce is absolutely a gamer. He has a middle-of-the-pack arm and he's tiny (like, smaller-than-Kyler-Murray tiny), but though it all he just screams "winning player". He has plus-mobility and incredible pocket savviness to go with pinpoint accuracy in the pocket and on the run. In a draft class with a ton of question marks, I think he's far and away the most likely QB prospect to be a solid NFL QB. I'm skeptical of his ceiling being elite, but I think he's a safe bet to be serviceable at worst if he stays healthy. We'll see if he can physically withstand the NFL, though. I personally don't think he'll hold up all that well physically, which should tell you all you need to know about what I generally think of this year's QB class that I still have him at #1.

QB2: CJ Stroud, Ohio State

Before his sensational outing against the eventual national champion Georgia Bulldogs in the CFP semifinal this past season, I was pretty down on Stroud as a prospect overall. He's fluid and smooth as a thrower, and he has jaw-dropping touch when given the opportunity to properly survey the field. Still, when the lights were the brightest (pre-Georgia game) or his team faced any kind of significant adversity (Michigan x2, Oregon in 2021), he seemed relatively out of his depth. The Georgia game spoke volumes, however, about his ceiling and his ability to actually meet the moment when pressure is on. He flashed good mobility and tremendous poise the entire game against a loaded defensive roster. Ultimately, my take is that he has a higher ceiling that Bryce due to arm talent, but I need to see him consistently elevate a team with comparable or inferior talent if I were to slot him at QB1. One game makes a difference, but not that much.

QB3: Anthony Richardson, Florida

He's an athletic marvel at the position who kinda stunk as a player this past season. If he puts it together, he can be a true "one-of-one" at the QB position in the history of the NFL. Or he could flame out instantly à-la Malik Willis (a similarly scintillating athlete, though not at the same level). I think the latter is more likely, so he's here.

QB4: Will Levis, Kentucky

He's like Anthony Richardson, but he's white and has less upside. Which probably means he'll get drafted higher. I don't buy him as a legit QB prospect at all. Because of physical tools, he's my default QB4.

QB5: Jaren Hall, Brigham Young

Little bit of a surprise here, as most people have Hendon Hooker locked in as their QB5. As I see it, Jaren Hall is a nice player to take a flyer on that had good production and has solid, if uninspiring physical tools. I ultimately think that if you put Jaren Hall in Tennessee's offense last year instead of Hooker, they wouldn't have missed a beat at all.