We look at the top prospects for the 2023 Draft, with an in-depth review of the best QBs and where they could land.
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The 2023 NFL Draft looks to have depth at several positions, but none is more important than the quarterback spot.
Whatβs the best NFL Draft for quarterbacks? Youβd have to go back exactly 40 years to 1983.
Six QBs (a record) went in the first round, among them three Hall of Famers (John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino).
Thatβs a lofty standard, but is the Class of 2023 up to the task? The smart money says this yearβs draft wonβt see a half-dozen signal callers go in round one. Four or five seems more likely. But thereβs everything NFL teams like in the early picks.
Weβve got college success (Ohio Stateβs C.J. Stroud and Alabamaβs Bryce Young), strong arms (Kentuckyβs Will Levis), huge upside potential (Floridaβs Anthony Richardson), and big stats (Tennesseeβs Hendon Hooker).
Hereβs a look at each NFL Draft top prospect and where they might land on draft night.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State University


The one drawback to playing in a program like Ohio State?
For better or worse, youβre often judged on one thing β the Michigan game. And that spelled trouble for Stroud after the Buckeyes lost two straight to the Wolverines in 2021 and 2022 for the first time since 1999-2000.
But look closer β Stroud completed 67% of his passes in the two games and accumulated 743 yards through the air with four touchdowns. He wasnβt on the field when the Wolverines admittedly ran the ball down the Buckeyesβ throats, averaging 43.5 points per contest.
Stroud silenced (most) doubters when he threw for 348 yards and four TDs in Ohio Stateβs heartbreaking College Football Playoff loss to eventual champion Georgia.
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No, the Buckeyes didnβt come out on top in some of Stroudβs biggest games. But the call here is for Stroud to come out on top at the NFL Draft as the first pick of the Carolina Panthers, whoβve searched for Cam Newtonβs replacement at QB since 2019.
Bryce Young, QB, University of Alabama


Youngβs drawback is even more challenging than Stroudβs. His only weakness is the one he canβt do anything to control.
He won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore in 2021 and backed it up by throwing for another 32 TDs on an injury-plagued Alabama team in 2022. In a program famed for a strong running game, Young accumulated over 8,000 yards and 79 touchdowns passing in just two years as a starter.
So whatβs the big problem? He isnβt β big, that is.
Young measured at 5 feet, 10 1/8 inches and 204 pounds at the NFL Combine β nearly identical measurements to Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, whoβs been plagued by such concerns during his career.
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The NFL likes its prototype QBs β think Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning β athletes well over six feet tall and in some cases closer to 250 pounds than 200.
The concerns, unfortunately, will follow Young through his career. But itβs a career we expect to begin in Houston after the Texans take him No. 2 overall.
Anthony Richardson, QB, University of Florida


Richardsonβs college stats are pretty underwhelming compared to our top two QBs.
In only one year as a full-time starter, Richardson completed just 53.8% of his passes for 17 TDs, but also tossed nine INTs.
But wow β that potential. He has to be classed as one of the best players in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Richardson wonβt turn 21 for another month after the draft. At the NFL combine, he measured at 6-foot-4 (perfect NFL QB height) and a heavier-than-expected 244 pounds.
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Was the extra weight a problem? Not after he clocked a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash, wowing scouts and drawing comparisons as βsomething in between Dak Prescott and Cam Newtonβ according to his own college coach, Billy Napier.
He hasnβt really proven it on the field yet. But if youβre the Indianapolis Colts, picking fourth and in search of a franchise QB since Andrew Luckβs early retirement in 2019, can you turn down this kind of potential? Weβre saying they canβt.
Will Levis, QB, University of Kentucky


Next on our elite list of NFL Draft top prospects is another NFL prototype (6-foot-4, 229 lbs.) from the SEC.
Levis has more of a track record than Richardson with two years as Kentuckyβs starter under his belt, but his production doesnβt rival that of Stroud or Young.
With this prospect, itβs about the arm strength. Levis can make every throw the NFL wants to see. But can he do it accurately? And can he do it in big games, which he hasnβt played in many times at Kentucky?
The fact that these questions havenβt been answered on the field probably drops him below our top three β but not by much. He could go as early as No. 5 to Seattle, but the likelier scenario sees a quarterback-needy team (Falcons? Commanders? Buccaneers?) trading into the back end of the Top 10 to take a chance on his potential.
Hendon Hooker, QB, University of Tennessee


Yup, weβre still in the SEC, but with a new set of concerns. This time, they revolve around injury history and age.
Hooker spent three solid seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Tennessee in 2021 and quickly ascending. He led the Volunteersβ upset of Bryce Young and Alabama in October, and ultimately finished with 58 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions over his two years as a starter.
The issue? He tore his ACL in November in a loss to South Carolina, and has been unable to work out for teams leading up to the Draft.
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Compounding matters? Heβs already 25 years old, which makes him older than a handful of established NFL starters.
But are those really weaknesses? Letβs face it, two stellar years as a starter in college footballβs toughest conference should tell you all you need to know about Hookerβs ability, and heβll be 9-10 months post-surgery by the start of the 2023 season.
As for the age, you could look at it two ways:
Glass half-empty: βHookerβs already 25, maybe this is as good as heβll get.β
Glass half-full: βYeah, and thatβs pretty good. We donβt want to wait for a QB to improve, we want someone who can compete now.β
Plenty of teams seem to be taking the half-full approach, as Hooker has visits scheduled with the Buccaneers, Titans, and Saints in the coming days.
Recent buzz has him as a first-round pick, and thatβs without any workouts. But where? The aforementioned teams heβs visited are candidates, and weβll throw in a sleeper: the Minnesota Vikings, who have to be thinking about a successor for 35-year-old Kirk Cousins.
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Other Draft-Eligible QBs for the 2023 NFL Draft
Theyβre not likely to be first rounders, but these QBs figure to hear their names called during the 2023 draft:
Tanner McKee, Stanford University
Looks the part at 6-foot-6 and 230 lbs.; plenty of experience and arm strength.
Clayton Tune, University of Houston
Again, experience is a plus, as is his uncanny ability to lead game-winning drives in college. May lack prototypical arm strength.


Jake Haener, Fresno State University
Our NFL Draft sleeper pick was a lot of fun to watch on late-night, West Coast college games. Barely 6-foot-1, heβll go later in the draft due to a lack of size but makes up for it with his overachiever mentality β if he can stay healthy.
Stetson Bennett, University of Georgia
People are done writing him offβ¦ right? After two straight national championships, who cares if heβs under six feet and 200 lbs.? At the very least, Bennettβs ability to overcome adversity and rise to the top β twice β means he wonβt be phased in a backup role at the next level.


Number 1 Draft Pick Odds
Now that we’ve covered the best players in this year’s NFL Draft, let’s take a look at the odds for that coveted number 1 pick:
Player | Odds for Number 1 Pick |
Bryce Young | -360 |
CJ Stroud | +225 |
Anthony Richardson | +2000 |
Will Levis | +6000 |
Will Anderson | +15000 |
Christian Gonzalez | +20000 |
Tyree Wilson | +20000 |
Lukas Van Ness | +20000 |
Paris Johnson | +20000 |
Devon Witherspoon | +20000 |