The 2023 NFL Draft begins Thursday in Kansas City, and plenty of attention surrounds this year’s quarterback prospects.
Five quarterbacks are considered first-round talents this year, and many of them may get selected in the top 10, if not earlier.
Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud are considered the top two signal-callers and the top two candidates for the number one overall pick.
Young is an undersized but supremely athletic quarterback who has displayed his playmaking ability on college football’s biggest stages. His camp is so confident he will be the top selection they canceled his remaining pre-draft visits earlier this week.
Stroud has more of the prototypical NFL quarterback size with above-average running ability. Overall, he had an accomplished college career, but a few underwhelming performances may lead teams to favor Young over him.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis have also been mentioned in the running for the top spot, but neither is considered by analysts to be as polished as Young or Stroud.
Richardson’s athletic ability puts him near the top of this class, although his numbers have been more pedestrian than the other elite quarterback prospects. He is a talented runner with a strong arm but needs to improve his decision-making as a passer.
Levis is another strong-armed player but is being criticized after a down year in which he fought through injuries. He is a polarizing player, however, and projections for his draft fate ranging from the top pick to being selected early in the second round. Rumors have surfaced that the Indianapolis Colts are a team to watch for Levis, but he will have questions to answer at the next level.
Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker is the fifth quarterback who may hear his name called during the first round. Hooker emerged as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate as Tennessee enjoyed its first 11-win season in 22 years. If not for a torn ACL, he might have been in the discussion as a top-10 pick.
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EXTRA POINTS
— The Carolina Panthers hold the first pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after making a trade with the Chicago Bears, and many expect them to take a quarterback.
Carolina has struggled at the position since releasing Cam Newton in 2020, turning to Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, P.J. Walker, and a 32-year-old Newton, who was a shell of his former self upon his return.
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— The NFL has suspended five players for violating the league’s gambling policy. Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney and Detroit Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore have all been suspended indefinitely (for at least a year) for gambling on NFL games.
Additionally, Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill have been suspended six games each for gambling on non-NFL games from team facilities.
Detroit has since released Cephus and Moore.
