CW21's 2023 NFL Draft Thread (Initial QB Grades Up)

[CWood21]

Last year I get off to a very late start, and hopefully I'll have more free time to actually watch some more CFB.

 

Big Board

[CWood21]

Quarterbacks

1st Round Grades
1.) CJ Stroud [QB; Ohio State]
2.) Bryce Young [QB; Alabama]

2nd Round Grades
3.) Anthony Richardson [QB; Florida]

3rd Round Grades
None

4th Round Grades
4.) Will Levis [QB; Kentucky]

5th Round Grades
5.) Hendon Hooker [QB; Tennessee]
6.) Dorian Thompson-Robinson [QB; UCLA]

6th Round Grades
7.) Jaren Hall [QB; BYU]
8.) Tanner McKee [QB; Stanford]
9.) Stetson Bennett [QB; Georgia]

7th Round Grades
10.) Jake Haener [QB; Fresno State]

UDFA Grades
Myles Brennan [QB; LSU]
Todd Centeio [QB; James Madison]
Sean Clifford [QB; Penn State]
Malik Cunningham [QB; Louisville]
Max Duggan [QB; TCU]
Adrian Martinez [QB; Kansas State]
Tanner Morgan [QB; Minnesota]
Aidan O'Connell [QB; Purdue]
Clayton Thune [QB; Houston]

 

Running Backs

1st Round Grades
1.) Bijan Robinson [RB; Texas]

2nd Round Grades
2.) Jahmyr Gibbs [RB; Alabama]

3rd Round Grades
3.) Zach Charbonnet [RB; UCLA]
4.) Tyjae Spears [RB; Tulane]

4th Round Grades
5.) Zach Evans [RB; Ole Miss] (CHA)
6.) Tank Bigsby [RB; Auburn]
Roschon Johnson [RB; Texas]
Kendre Miller [RB; TCU]
Sean Tucker [RB; Syracuse]
DeWayne McBride [RB; UAB]

5th Round Grades
Eric Gray [RB; Oklahoma]
Deuce Vaughn [RB; Kansas State]
Devon Achane [RB; Texas A&M]

6th Round Grades

7th Round Grades

 

Wide Receivers

1st Round Grades
1.) Jaxson Smith-Njigba [WR; Ohio State]
2.) Quentin Johnston [WR; TCU]
3.) Jordan Addison [WR; USC]
4.) Zay Flowers [WR; Boston College]

2nd Round Grades
AT Perry [WR; Wake Forest]
Josh Downs [WR; North Carolina]
Nathaniel "Tank" Dell [WR; Houston]

3rd Round Grades

4th Round Grades

5th Round Grades

6th Round Grades

7th Round Grades

 

Tight Ends

1st Round Grades
1.) Michael Mayer [TE; Notre Dame]

2nd Round Grades
2.) Dalton Kincaid [TE; Utah]
3.) Darnell Washington [TE; Georgia]
4.) Luke Musgrave [TE; Oregon State]

3rd Round Grades
5.) Sam LaPorta [TE; Iowa]

4th Round Grades

5th Round Grades

6th Round Grades

7th Round Grades

Offensive Tackles

1st Round Grades
1.) Paris Johnson [OT; Ohio State]
2.) Anton Harrison [OT; Oklahoma]
3.) Broderick Jones [OT; Georgia]

2nd Round Grades
4.) Dawand Jones [OT; Ohio State]

3rd Round Grades

4th Round Grades

5th Round Grades

6th Round Grades

7th Round Grades

 

Interior Offensive Line

1st Round Grades
1.) Peter Skoronski [OG/OT; Northwestern]

2nd Round Grades
2.) John Michael-Schmitz [C; Minnesota]

3rd Round Grades

4th Round Grades

5th Round Grades

6th Round Grades

7th Round Grades

[CWood21]

Interior Defensive Line

 

EDGE

 

Off-Ball Linebackers

 

Cornerbacks

 

 

Safeties

 

[CWood21]

30 minutes ago, CWood21 said:

QB Watch List
Brennan Armstrong [Virginia]
Hank Bachmeier [Boise State]
Myles Brennan [LSU]
Sean Clifford [Penn State]
Malik Cunningham [Louisville]
Jayden Daniels [LSU]
JT Daniels [West Virginia]
Max Duggan [TCU]
Dillon Gabriel [Oklahoma]
Grant Gunnell [Memphis]
Jake Haenor [Fresno State]
Jaren Hall [BYU]
Sam Hartman [Wake Forest]
Hendon Hooker [Tennessee]
Emory Jones [Florida]
Phil Jurovec [Boston College]
Haynes King [Texas A&M]
Devin Leary [NC State]
Will Levis [Kentucky]
Adrian Martinez [Nebraska]
Grayson McCall [Coastal Carolina]
Tanner McKee [Stanford]
Graham Mertz [Wisconsin]
Tanner Mordecai [SMU]
Tanner Morgan [Minnesota]
Bo Nix [Oregon]
Aidan O'Connell [Purdue]
Michael Penix Jr. [Indiana]
Spence Rattler [South Carolina]
Anthony Richardson [Florida]
Cameron Rising [Utah]
Will Rogers [Mississippi State]
Spencer Sanders [Oklahoma State]
Tyler Shough [Texas Tech]
Jeff Sims [Georgia Tech]
Kedon Slovis [Pittsburgh]
CJ Stroud [Ohio State]
Dorian Thompson-Robinson [UCLA]
Taulia Tagovailoa [Maryland]
DJ Uiagalelei [Clemson]
Tyler Van Dyke [Miami (FL)]
Cam Ward [Washington State]
Bryce Young [Alabama]

After watching how brutal the 2022 QB class was when only 9 QBs were drafted, including only one in the first two rounds of the draft.  The 2022 QB class is arguably the worst QB class in the last several decades.  Only the 2015 class had less QBs drafted since 2000, and that year had Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota at 1 and 2 respectively.  Fortunately, this year's QB class seems substantially stronger but there's still a LOT of season to be played.  As of now, Bryce Young and CJ Stroud are competing for the top QB spot.  Bryce Young probably heads into the 2022 season as the favorite for #1 QB and potential #1 overall class, but CJ Stroud is hot on his tail.  CJ Stroud got more productive as the season wore on, and probably a bit more of the physical presence that teams want at QB.  The emergence of QB3 is probably going to the biggest headline of the 2022 season.  You can probably go through about a half a dozen players who could potentially be in the mix including Phil Jurkovec, Will Levis, and Tyler Van Dyke.  The draft also has a few potential interesting prospects in Malik Cunningham, Cameron Ward, and Anthony Richardson.

[Johnny Nix]

Cam Rising is my sleeper

[SteelKing728]

I want Slovis to be good, but I can't see him having the same rise that Pickett had, especially with Jordan Addison leaving.

[CWood21]

6 hours ago, Johnny Nix said:

Cam Rising is my sleeper

I'm not sure I think he's anything more then an early Day 3 pick unless there's a significant jump.

[CWood21]

2 hours ago, SteelKing728 said:

I want Slovis to be good, but I can't see him having the same rise that Pickett had, especially with Jordan Addison leaving.

I just don't see Slovis as being anything more then a low-end backup QB.  He's got average physical tools and he's actually gotten worse the longer he was at USC.  So if Addison does leave, you're taking his #1 WR away from him.

[jebrick]

I would have drafted McCall or Levis over any of the 2022 QBs.  I think both will be very good NFL prospects.

[MagicMT]

52 minutes ago, jebrick said:

I would have drafted McCall or Levis over any of the 2022 QBs.  I think both will be very good NFL prospects.

Yup I agree with that. With a great season I think Levis can be QB1 next draft. 
I think I would have drafted Tyler Van Dyke over the 2022 QBs as well. Even Thompson-Robinson is an intriguing prospect, as is Anthony Richardson (if he ever gets to play). 
Shaping up to be a great QB class. 

[BrownLeader]

Add KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

[DanMullen]

6 hours ago, MagicMT said:

Yup I agree with that. With a great season I think Levis can be QB1 next draft. 
I think I would have drafted Tyler Van Dyke over the 2022 QBs as well. Even Thompson-Robinson is an intriguing prospect, as is Anthony Richardson (if he ever gets to play). 
Shaping up to be a great QB class. 

Richardson will definitely be the starter this year, just has to stay healthy. He’s raw but he has immense tools. He has a huge arm and decent mechanics. He has the ability to be really good, and I think he will be this season. He is a more natural passer than Cam Newton was at the same stage of his career, IMHO.

Edited May 9, 2022 by DanMullen

[WPS]

20 hours ago, BrownLeader said:

Add KJ Jefferson, Arkansas

He's been telling people he plans on declaring after this year. Still needs some work but I would probably take him over quite a few guys on the list.

[Karnage84]

I put together a bit of a worksheet on the QB's for 2023 to see if anything sticks out. Emphasis is on production and things that should translate. I have 20 guys on the list right now with 52 altogether. 

Guys that are above average in three key categories (Completion %, Avg Depth of Completion, and TD:INT)

• CJ Stroud, Ohio State - 71.9%; 10.1; 7.3; no rushing yards or TD's in 2021
• Bryce Young, Alabama - 66.9%; 8.9; 6.; no rushing yards or TD's in 2021
• Hendon Hooker, Tennessee - 68.2%; 9.8; 10.3 (Grad transfer, will be 25 (and nearly 26) by 2023 week 1; rushed for 620 yards and 5 TD's in 2021; 7-5 in SEC
• Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina - 73.05; 11.9; 9.0 (will be 22); rushed for 290 yards and 4 TD's in 2021
• KJ Jefferson, Arkansas - 67.3%; 9.1; 5.3 (will be 22); rushed for 664 yards and 6 TD's in 2021;6'3 and 245 lbs;  went 9-4 playing against SEC; beat Penn State in Outback Bowl

Edited May 9, 2022 by Karnage84

[Karnage84]

I'm focusing a lot on QB3/QB4 in this draft because I honestly don't see the Lions being contenders for a top 2 spot next year. It feels like there's also going to be too many teams in need of a QB that should be in the mix in the top 8 - Atlanta (if Ridder busts), Houston, Carolina (if Corral busts), Seattle, New York Giants, Washington. I just don't see the Lions finding a trade partner to move up and grab either Stroud or Young. [Lions] could trade up into the top 6 to grab QB3 if Will Anderson and/or Jalen Carter push him down a bit to a team that's either settled at QB for now or is wanting to add additional draft capital as part of a rebuild. 

Hooker has some tools but that's pretty old for a rookie QB. By contrast, Jalen Hurts played 3 seasons at Bama, transferred to Oklahoma and has 2 years in Philly. Dude's 23.