Which quarterback is atop these rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft prior to the Senior Bowl?
The unofficial kickoff to the 2023 NFL Draft starts next week with the Senior Bowl. This is a chance for teams to get a closer look at the seniors in this class and a chance for the players to make a big impression that could help their draft stock.
The quarterback position is an interesting one because almost all of the top prospects are underclassmen and won’t be in Mobile, AL. One player that could take advantage of this is BYU’s Jaren Hall, who will be participating but currently in this rankings is just outside the Top 5.
However, with a strong performance, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him move into the discussion with some of these quarterbacks. Over the next few months, these rankings are likely going to change but for now, these are the five best quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Starting these rankings is a player that probably would be higher if it wasn’t for a torn ACL he suffered during the season last year. Hendon Hooker finished the year with over 3,100 passing yards, 27 passing touchdowns and only two interceptions. Hooker is also a threat on the ground with 430 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.
He made some incredible plays and there may not have been a better performance than what he did against Alabama with 385 passing yards and five touchdowns.
As Joe Marino notes in his scouting report on The Draft Network, there are two major concerns for Hooker. The first being the offense he played in at Tennessee as it set up for big games with a vertical offense and this doesn’t require him to work through progressions as much.
The second is one that he can’t control which is his age at 25 years old. He is by far the oldest among this top group of quarterbacks.
The challenge for Hendon Hooker is he won’t be able to show much in terms of his physical play during the draft process but if he can impress in the film room, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team take a chance on him in the second round.
We go from the oldest quarterback in these rankings to the youngest in Anthony Richardson. He had an incredible season last year with the Florida Gators with 2,549 passing yards, 17 interceptions, and nine interceptions. He is also very athletic and can put pressure on opposing defenses by making plays with his legs and had 654 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns.
For any team that drafts Anthony Richardson, they will need to be confident that their coaching staff can help develop him as he struggled last year with accuracy by completing only 54% of his passes. He is a unique player whom the coaching staff will need to build an offense around as he works on some of these mechanics.
However, the potential is there for him to be a good starting quarterback in the NFL and at this point, he should probably expect to hear his name called later in the first round or early in the second round.
The next quarterback is similar to Anthony Richardson in that he will be drafted based on what he could become versus what he showed at the collegiate level. Will Levis began at Penn State and after two years there transferred to Kentucky and played in 24 games over that stretch.
Levis has by far one of the best arms in this year’s draft class and threw for over 5,200 passing yards and had 43 passing touchdowns. However, decision-making appears to be a concern and he could trust his arm too much with 23 interceptions during that stretch.
The potential is undoubtedly there and he has all the physical tools that NFL teams look for in quarterbacks with good size at 6’4″ and 222 pounds to go along with the big arm. However, any team that selects him in the NFL Draft is going to have to be patient and let him work on play recognition and decision-making.
In my opinion, there is a big gap between the first three quarterbacks mentioned in this year’s NFL Draft and these next two. The Chicago Bears are almost certainly going to trade the first overall pick to a team that needs a quarterback and depending on what they are looking for it will either be Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud.
For now, I have Bryce Young at number two but both should be very good quarterbacks at the NFL level.
Bryce Young has been the starter for the University of Alabama for the past two seasons and during that stretch had 8,200 passing yards, 79 passing touchdowns, and 12 interceptions with an additional seven rushing touchdowns. He would go on to win the Heisman Trophy in 2021.
While Young may not be the mobile quarterback that Anthony Richardson is, he is very elusive in the pocket and is able to escape pressure. However, once he does escape pressure he keeps his eyes downfield and looks to make the throw versus trying to pick up yards with his legs.
There will be some teams that are concerned about his size at 6’0″ and 194 pounds but he is an excellent quarterback that will be a franchise quarterback for a team for the next decade.
In my opinion, the best quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft is C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. He was the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes the past two years and had over 8,100 passing yards with 85 passing touchdowns and only 12 interceptions.
The last game he played at the college level was arguably his best during his time at Ohio State when considering the opponent. The Georgia Bulldogs had an incredible defense and it didn’t seem to have an answer for Stroud as he threw for 348 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers.
He may not have the arm talent like Will Levis but he can make every throw necessary and has good size at the position at 6’3″ and 215 pounds. As previously stated, the margin between C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young is razor-thin but presently I give the edge to Bryce Young entering the draft season.