So, I accidentally evaluated 12 quarterbacks this draft season. Yep. Just watching and writing about the quarterbacks left and right until I looked up and realized I’d hit the dozen mark. At that point, I figured I might as well just watch three more and rank the top 15. I think these are probably the only guys that have a shot at getting drafted. I’ll put it this way…if someone not on this list gets drafted over someone that is on this list, I’ll be shocked.
It’s kind of wild to look at this class, and how deep it is, compared to last year’s class. We were wondering who the #1 was going to be and how many guys could conceivably be first round picks only for Kenny Pickett to the be the only one drafted. There are far more high floor prospects in this year’s class, and there are far more high ceiling prospects too. I guess there are just more prospects, in general, that look like functioning NFL quarterbacks. I think this is a surprisingly deep and rather interesting quarterback class. Here’s how I’ve got ’em (with the round I’d be comfortable taking ’em in at the end).
2023 NFL Draft: Top 15 Quarterbacks
15. Max Duggan, TCU – 2022 was a magical season for Duggan and TCU. I don’t want to shit all over the guy’s accomplishment. He deserved to be a Heisman finalist, but I’m leaning more towards this group just caught lightning in a bottle and went on a run that was one of the greatest in the history of the sport. But, I watched him miss guys by three feet in every direction on numerous occasions at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. And, that was in a controlled environment. Comfortable with: UDFA.
14. Stetson Bennett, Georgia – Hard pass on Bennett for me. I just don’t like the arm. I don’t like the inconsistent decisions. The ball placement and accuracy are way off at times. He doesn’t have elite physical traits, though I’ll tip my cap to his ability to wiggle around in the pocket to keep plays alive. He was a great story in college – I’ll give him that. But, I don’t see a lot of reason for optimism with the Georgia quarterback. Comfortable with: UDFA.
13. Aidan O’Connell, Purdue – As one Twitter user put it in my mentions, O’Connell definitely has some ‘bozo reel’ moments on his tape. And, look – I don’t know what the upside is here as a starter. But, when he’s on, he throws a beautiful ball, and his placement is among the best in this class. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if we look up in eight years and this guy is still hanging onto a roster a la Kevin Hogan. Comfortable with: 7th round.
12. Jaren Hall, BYU – You think about the traits with Hall, and I think there could be something intriguing there. But, I don’t see the refinement or structure to his game to give him a high floor like some of the other quarterbacks on this list. And, he has some legitimate injury concerns, specifically the concussions. I haven’t been too impressed by Hall through the pre-Draft process, but he has the traits that teams covet in the NFL these days – strong arm, mobility, creativity. Comfortable with: 6th round.
11. Malik Cunningham, Louisville – There are absolutely traits worth developing with Cunningham. Outside of Richardson, he may be the best quarterback in this class with the ball in his hands in the open field. His arm leaves a little to be desired, but I thought he improved on his touch and timing from the Reese’s Senior Bowl to the Scouting Combine. Of course, throwing against air helps. But, you could see little improvements in technique. Velocity peters out on some of the deep stuff, but Cunningham is an electric player that deserves a shot in the NFL. Comfortable with: 6th round.
10. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd – Great pure thrower with some underrated athleticism to move around the pocket and extend plays while keeping his eyes down the field. I thought he was the overall best quarterback in Mobile the week of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, accurate in the intermediate stuff but a little more off on the deep stuff. Level of competition is a concern, but he proved he can hang in Mobile, and I thought he had a nice performance at the Scouting Combine. Comfortable with: 6th round.
9. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA – The encouraging thing about DTR is that he seemed to get better with experience throughout his career at UCLA. He has a tendency to force some throws at times, but overall, he can make NFL throws and has true dual threat capabilities. He’s a developmental guy that I won’t blame any team for taking a flier on and thinking they could turn into a starter. Comfortable with: 5th round.
8. Tanner McKee, Stanford – You have to do a lot of projecting with McKee because the Stanford offense wasn’t exactly lighting up the college football world. But, there’s a pure pocket passer here with elite arm talent that can make some ‘wow’ throws. His mobility puts a cap on his ceiling, but he’s a guy you could really hit on in the right system. Comfortable with: 4th round.
7. Jake Haener, Fresno State – I like the toughness. I like the fact that he elevated his program. He’s a real gamer that can deliver some beautiful balls (that’s what she said) when he gets into a rhythm. That’s what makes him such a high-floor prospect in the draft. He’s in the class of “this guy could be a back-up in the NFL for the next 15 years” in this group. Comfortable with: 4th round.
6. Clayton Tune, Houston – I love the upside with Tune – he played in an offense that blended a lot of one-read slants to Tank Dell with some 4WR sets where he really had to make reads and go through his progressions. I saw that at the Senior Bowl, too. His physical traits and build make him look like the prototypical quarterback. He shows flashes of good accuracy and placement, especially on the short to mid-range stuff. If you can iron out the deep ball issues, you’ve got a dice roll here with Tune that could pay immensely. Comfortable with: 4th round.
5. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – The age and injury concerns are valid. But, what you get with Hooker is an experienced and savvy quarterback who takes care of the ball. If he’s healthy, he’s a threat to run as well. The Vols offense limits our evaluation of Hooker because we haven’t seen it in the NFL (yet *eyeball emoji*), and there’s a major element of ‘backyard football’ to it. But, if you catch the flashes of Hooker’s game that translate, you’ll find an accurate quarterback that throws from a technically sound base. If Levis is a first rounder, to me, Hooker should be too. Comfortable with: 2nd round.
4. Will Levis, Kentucky – To me, Levis is far more of a gamble than Richardson is because of his experience. We have far more tape to evaluate on the guy, and I think it should tell us exactly who he is. He has the big arm, maneuverability, and can throw into tight NFL windows down the field, but at times, he seems to drift. Watching his tape, at times, I felt like he was operating at about a half second behind everyone else on the field – it looked like a ‘feel’ issue. This is part of the turnover issue. To me, he’s not a top 10 lock at all and should be giving people far more EJ Manuel vibes than he is. Comfortable with: 2nd round.
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida – You’re gambling on the inexperience. You’re gambling on whether or not you can correct the footwork issues. But, make no mistake about it, from a pure traits standpoint, Richardson has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft class. I don’t know that I buy the decision-making criticisms fully because watching a few games of that Florida offense had me scratching my head. Plenty of dimes on his tape, and we know what an electric runner he is. No qualms with him being the #3 overall pick, and hell, if Carolina wants to take him at #1, I totally get it. Big Richardson guy here. Comfortable with: 1st round, top five.
2. CJ Stroud, Ohio State – I have very little concern about Stroud translating to the NFL. His tape is littered with examples of his ability to drop it in the bucket…it’s just that some of those throws were inexplicable drops by the wide receivers. His placement and accuracy are both elite, and when he gets into a rhythm, he can be damn near unstoppable (see the fabled Georgia game). Comfortable with: 1st round, 1st overall.
This touchdown throw from CJ Stroud is nuckin’ futs. You want to talk about accuracy, ball placement, touch, base, and timing…this checks all the boxes. NFL stuff right here. pic.twitter.com/zLYhS5bfLd
— Stoney Keeley (@StoneyKeeley) March 16, 2023
1. Bryce Young, Alabama – Young is a franchise quarterback. His polish, demeanor, and command of his offense are what makes him NFL-ready. But, it’s his ability to extend plays from within the pocket, keep his eyes down the field, and make every NFL throw in the book that makes him special. You can worry about his size holding up against edge rushers if you want. Just don’t use the “can’t see over the offensive line” argument, ’cause what do you think he was playing behind at Alabama? Young’s a generational quarterback talent. Comfortable with: 1st round, 1st overall.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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