The NFL Draft is just over a week away, so what better time to dissect the most important position in football: Quarterback.
The 2023 draft class is a real improvement on the 2022 class which featured just one signal caller drafted in the first round – this class could have four off the board with the first four picks. From Bryce Young to Hendon Hooker, let’s take a look at the top 5 quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
5. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Truthfully, this was a toss-up between UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Hendon Hooker but, ultimately, Hooker sneaks into the 5th spot in our rankings.
Hooker’s transition to the NFL is going to be tough to predict. Somewhere in there is a capable NFL starting quarterback. He’s got an excellent arm, especially on deep balls, has shown improvement on a year-to-year basis, and has the athleticism to work outside of the pocket as a runner. If he’s given time, maybe a year, to sit behind a veteran and improve his game, there’s a chance that Hooker can have an impact.
But there’s also a ton working against him. The offense he piloted in Tennessee isn’t exactly a viable stepping stone to a pro-style offense, littered with play-action – 53 percent of his dropbacks in 2022 were play-action dropbacks, per PFF – and predetermined reads that don’t exactly get him working the field or processing often.
All that leads to fair questioning of how quickly he can make the leap. At 25 years old, Hooker is an older prospect which adds even more intrigue surrounding his ability to develop and recover from a torn ACL suffered in November. Would a team feel comfortable sitting him for two years before bringing him to start – for the first time – at 27 years old? Quarterbacks have a longer shelf life than most in the NFL, but that feels like there’s little room for development.
Like most, this probably comes down to the right landing spot. He needs time to develop, but how much time can he realistically be afforded? Someone will fairly take a shot on Day 2, believing they can be the ones to help him reach his potential. If they can, he has a chance at being a serviceable NFL starter.
4. Will Levis
The draft process always has one polarizing quarterback prospect. There are a couple this year, but Will Levis arguably takes the cake. His 2021 tape made him one of the can’t-miss prospects leading into the 2022 season, but a poorly-constructed offense, a foot injury, lack of help, as well as some inconsistent play overall from Levis contributed to a lacklustre 2022 season that left many scouts guessing.
Levis has all of the physical tools to be a successful quarterback in the NFL. His arm is the best in the class, equipped with a lightning-quick short-arm release. Levis can throw it anywhere on the field with the necessary zip. A big arm always has scouts salivating, but Levis is more than just a quarterback with a rocket arm.
He’s tough under pressure, almost to a fault, and can stand in the pocket and deliver strikes even when a defender is staring him down, ready to bring the heat. He has to be accounted for on the ground too, as his big frame and toughness make him hard to bring down.
His ability to play through injuries has to be commended as well. Levis was a team captain in both seasons with Kentucky, and teammates naturally rallied around him. That matters. When push comes to shove, you want your quarterback to be a true leader.
The good is good with Levis. But the bad, at least for some teams, could push him off their boards completely. His decision-making can be rattled at times, which feels like it stems from not trusting his eyes or what he’s seeing on the field. That leads to spotty footwork and inaccuracy, something that has plagued Levis consistently. He can flip from making NFL-level throws on a throw-by-throw basis to missing on gimmes.
In all honesty, his accuracy is a real issue. It could be the tipping point between his success or failure in the NFL. Ultimately, Levis still has the physical tools to succeed, but the fact it’s plausible that he could be the No. 2 overall pick or fall out of the first round entirely is concerning.
3. Anthony Richardson
It’s hard not to get hung up on the physical attributes of Richardson. His combine performance gave us a glimpse into one of the best, if not the best, athletes we’ve ever seen at the quarterback position. At 6-foot-4, 244 lbs, Richardson’s 40-time, broad jump, vertical jump, 10-yard split, weight, and hand size all ranked in the 95th percentile or above among all quarterback measurables in combine history.
Richardson’s measurables raise his ceiling and the expectation around what he could become, but so does the potential surrounding his overall quarterback play. His arm talent is next level, and he can consistently deliver the ball to all levels of the field with ease.
Despite being viewed as an incredibly raw prospect – and he is to some extent – Richardson has shown some excellent pocket presence at times, knowing when to step up and out of the pocket, as well as being able to progress through his reads under pressure.
The real danger for defenses is when he’s on the move. Richardson would walk into the NFL and be the best athlete at the position. He’s not the same shifty runner as Lamar Jackson but he’s a powerful runner who can bounce off contact like the best running backs in the league. His 3.56 yards after contact were 55th among all runners in the FBS last season. In short, Richardson is a walking highlight reel.
But he’s raw. Richardson has thrown just 393 passes in his college career. That’s nothing compared to the likes of Levis (738), Hooker (944), Stroud (830), and Young (949) – he just hasn’t got a lot of quarterbacking under his belt.
That means Richardson is going to have a lot of growing to do in the NFL, a lot of ironing out the kinks in his game – of which there are a few. Namely his accuracy. Richardson completed 54 percent of his passes in 2022, with an adjusted completion percentage of 64.1, 143rd out of 159 qualified quarterbacks in the FBS. His inaccuracy stems from a few things. Messy footwork, the inability to layer throws and only throw with gas and just general rawness.
Everything is fixable, though and Richardson is just 21 – the youngest quarterback in the class. He’s the boom-or-bust prospect, but if he booms then the rest of the league is in trouble. No one has a higher ceiling in the class.
2. C.J. Stroud
Ohio State has a long list of talented quarterbacks who just didn’t cut it in the NFL. Justin Fields is on his way to bucking the trend right now, but Stroud has the chance to be the next great Ohio State quarterback to be a hit in the pros – but not for the same reasons as Fields.
Stroud is a passers passer, making his mark with elite precision, anticipation, and quick processing. When it comes to working in the pocket, Stroud is the best in the class. He has his base and movement down pat, meaning that he’ll consistently deliver the ball accurately with a fluid motion. His ability to layer throws and add touch to lead the ball away from defenders is elite as well. It’s clear his comfort zone is inside the pocket, but Stroud has shown a willingness to scramble and get into the open field on occasion. He showed as much against Georgia in the playoffs.
But while he’s shown that scrambling is in his repertoire, it’s not something Stroud will lean on heavily. He doesn’t feel pressure all that well, and when he is pressured he struggles. Most of that comes down to being protected well by the Buckeyes’ offensive line, though. He has all of the traits to succeed as a ready-made NFL passer, but ironing out a few kinks is key.
1. Bryce Young
That leaves us with Young, who’s been rightly anointed as the best quarterback in the class for some time now. Young was a five-star recruit and ranked as the top dual-threat quarterback in the country in 2020 – he’s almost been groomed for this.
Young plays like a true playmaker. A creative force capable of extending plays, breaking the pocket, and creating football magic. He’s accurate, has an NFL-ready arm that might not wow anyone, but the velocity is enough. What sets his arm apart is the arm talent – his ability to throw from multiple arm slots and create openings that aren’t there from a normal angle.
On top of that is the excellent vision. Young has the knack of playing on the move while still keeping his eyes downfield, rather than checking down into a safer option. And he can do it all while being pressured. For a player of his size – we’ll get to that – Young is so unphased by pressure and almost welcomes contact in and out of the pocket.
That could be to his detriment in the NFL. Young is 5-foot-10 with a playing weight of around 190 lbs. A simply unprecedented size and frame for pro football leaves plenty of doubt surrounding Young’s durability. Getting hit by 270 lbs defenders on a weekly basis isn’t fun, and is even worse for a quarterback of Young’s stature. While his athleticism shone in college, it might not work to the same effect in the NFL where freaky athletic defenders are common.
Despite the concerns, Young sits atop of most rankings as the top quarterback and is a shoo-in to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.