Written By: Sean Wright

QB1- CJ Stroud 

Prediction: 1st round. Texans. 

CJ Stroud has been my 2023 QB1 since this time last year and not much has changed. Stroud is everything you’d want in a QB. 

Accuracy: CJ Stroud checks the accuracy box at every level. He can make the short throws. He can make intermediate throws over the middle, outside the numbers and/or layered. His deep ball accuracy is there also. Nothing to see here. 

Decision making: CJ gets an A+ in the decision making category. He’s great at going through his progressions. While he is known for making big throws downfield, he won’t force it and will simply take the check down if necessary.  He’s notorious for putting it where his WR can make a play or it’s an incomplete pass. He doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way. 

Arm strength: Stroud shows good arm strength. While it’s not elite, it’s plentiful. He can make all the deep throws, and all the throws outside the numbers. 

Pocket presence: CJ is a magician in the pocket. His footwork is clean and he doesn’t panic even with pressure ensuing. He’ll climb the pocket and force defenders upfield. 

Mobility: Well. There’s been a lot of (fair) questions about his *reluctancy* to run. But CJ’s mobility shouldn’t be up for debate under question. #SeeGeorgiaGame

QB2-Bryce Young 

Prediction: 1st round.  Raiders. Seahawks. Jets. 

 Bryce Young has been my second ranked QB since this time last year. Young plays much bigger than his size. The bigger the moment, the bigger Young plays. 

Accuracy: Bryce Young is as accurate as they come. Bryce consistently makes every throw on the field. Literally. 

Decision Making: Young receives an A in the decision making category. Young almost never makes head scratching decisions with the ball. He’s precise and calculated. He understands his progressions and maximizes each play. 

Arm Strength: Young possesses a nice strong arm. His deep ball is a thing of beauty. He delivers passes outside the numbers with more than enough velocity. He also doesn’t struggle to hit pass catchers on the second level and in between tight windows. 

Pocket Presence: Young  exhibits good pocket presence. Young has good and clean footwork. He’s never rushed. He shows elite poise and will step into throws even if there’s pressure in his face. 

Mobility: Young’s mobility is second to none. He has no issue leaving the pocket. He can shake defenders while getting to the boundary. The best part about Young’s mobility is the fact that he’s a legitimate threat to pass it on the run or to tuck it and go. He’s as accurate of a passer on the run as he is while stationary. 

QB3- Hendon Hooker

Prediction: 2nd round. Rams. Titans. Saints. 

Hendon Hooker looked to be the runaway Heisman winner through most of the season. Hooker is smart, has good size, and has good arm talent. Two notes on Hooker: He tore his ACL late in the season, and he’ll be 25 by the time the draft comes around. 

Accuracy: Hendon Hooker shows a solid amount of accuracy at the first and second level. Hooker can hit throws across the middle at the second level with nothing but the flick of the wrist. Hooker is guilty of missing high on some short to intermediate throws. More times than not, they seem to simply be missed passes. Hooker has shown the ability to be accurate on deep balls. However, Hooker will 100 percent have to work on his deep ball consistency. He has the arm strength to make the deep throws, but he overthrew guys deep on several occasions. 

Decision Making: Hooker is a good decision-maker. Rarely did I see him making head scratching decisions or force balls. Hooker had no issue just checking the ball down to his backs and/or tight ends. 

Arm Strength: A+. He has the velocity on his throws to make every single throw on the field. 

Pocket Presence- Hooker showed pretty good pocket presence this season. My favorite thing about Hooker in the pocket is his decisiveness. Whether it be to step up into it and remain a passer, or to tuck it and go. He’s never pressed or panicky. However, I do think he could clean up his footwork. Oftentimes, it looks as if he’s throwing without setting his feet or fully stepping into it. 

Mobility- Hooker’s mobility is consistently on display. He’ll have to work on ball security or learn to slide at the next level because he had a couple of fumbles while trying to pick up extra yards. He doesn’t go down easy, and he’ll force defenders to tackle. His decisiveness to run is second to none. 

Will Levis: QB4

Prediction: 1st round. Colts. 

Will Levis has prototypical quarterback size. Levis has been creeping up draft boards since September and will undoubtedly be a first round pick. 

Accuracy: Will Levis shows the ability to be consistently accurate. Levis’s accuracy at the second level is especially impressive. His short and deep ball accuracy are there also. 

Decision Making: Levis makes solid decisions for the most part. There were a few occasions where Levis threw the ball into traffic. In my opinion, it was him trusting his arm too much as opposed to not knowing where to go with the football. Regardless, he’ll have to be more precise at the next level. 

Arm Strength: Levis has the most arm strength among all the QBs at the top of the draft. Nothing else to be said. 

Pocket Presence: Whew. Levis will definitely need to clean up some things in the pocket. Let me start by saying, when the pocket is clean, Levis is a star. When pressure comes Levis tends to just use his arm strength and not set his feet before passing. He also doesn’t seem to have a real feel for pressure. 

Mobility: Levis exhibits a good amount of mobility. With his size he’s a threat to punish DBs outside, but he’s big enough to get tough yards in the trenches. Levis has also shown the ability to make accurate throws on the move. 

Anthony Richardson: QB5

Prediction: 1st round. Raiders. Panthers. 

Anthony Richardson has the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this draft. The main reason he’s five, is because he hasn’t put it all together. 

Accuracy: Whew. It truly depends on what game you watched. If you watched him play Tennessee, you’d be asking why he’s ranked 5th. If you watched him play Kentucky, you’re wondering the same thing. For different reasons. Richardson has shown the ability to be accurate. The problem is he hasn’t shown the ability to be consistently accurate. When he’s on, he’s on. When he’s off, he’s really really off. 

Decision Making: Richardson didn’t make good decisions consistently. He’s shown the ability to make good decisions. He’s shown a tendency to make not so good decisions. Inconsistent. 

Arm Strength: Richardson has great arm strength. His throws don’t lack power or velocity. He has the ability to rip throws on or off platform. I have 0 concerns with his arm strength. 

Pocket Presence: Believe it or not, I think Richardson works just fine in the pocket. He knows how to maneuver within the pocket. He knows when to escape the pocket and he knows when to stand tall and deliver. 

Mobility: Do we really even need to discuss this? Okay, let’s get into it. Richardson is electric as a runner. He’s good in the open field and a terror for defenses. Additionally, he doesn’t struggle to make passes on the run. But again. Consistency.