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

[CWood21]

6 hours ago, jebrick said:

Over Addison?

Addison will make an immediate impact as a great route runner.  He is basically the Olave of this draft.

Honestly, I think you could make an argument for any of Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison, or Jalin Wyatt.

[jebrick]

3 hours ago, CWood21 said:

Honestly, I think you could make an argument for any of Quentin Johnston, Jordan Addison, or Jalin Wyatt.

You could.  I need to watch Johnson more.  He seems like a big Wr that runs flys and posts.  Not sure I would put him at #1 in the draft but someone might.

[CWood21]

On 5/7/2022 at 8:19 PM, CWood21 said:

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]

Initial QB rankings are up.  I'm not expecting too much fluctuation with these rankings given the athletic testing is pretty much a useless barometer to evaluate those prospects.

Going into the season, I had Bryce Young and CJ Stroud as 1A and 1B and if pushed for a decision I would have have leaned towards Bryce Young.  I'd still keep them as 1A and 1B, but I'd probably lean slightly towards CJ Stroud.  I'm not sure either is ever going to ever be an elite QB, but I think they're going to be in that really good-to-great territory where you're not actively looking to replace either.  The comparison is a bit lazy, but Bryce Young reminds me of Russell Wilson with his accuracy and his escapability.  I don't love the physical tools, but there's nothing there that really concerns me about him long-term even if he's had some injury concerns this year.  Stroud is the more prototypical QB mold, but he's coming out of a QB-friendly offense and played with a TON of talent at the WR position over the last 2 years.  Stroud kinda reminds me of Justin Herbert coming out of Oregon.  I'd argue the floor for Bryce Young is higher, while the ceiling for Stroud is higher.  Ultimately, it probably comes down to your preference.

Anthony Richardson is a physical marvel, and the Combine numbers support that fact.  But his tape was inconsistent at best and his stats aren't pretty.  In his first real season starting, Anthony Richardson completed just 54% of his passes with a 1.9 TD:INT ratio.  That's miserable for a guy who is almost certainly going to be picked inside the top 10.  Anthony Richardson is the player most likely to get a GM fired, but the upside is out of this world.  The upside is one of the best QBs to ever play.  But he's absolutely going to need the right coaching staff to unlock him, and after watching Brian Daboll unlock Josh Allen and Daniel Jones to a lesser extent there's believe that it could happen with Richardson.

Will Levis is tantalizing with his physical tools, although not at the extent of Anthony Richardson.  But the results have just been underwhelming.  While there's been talk about Levis being in the mix for the #1 overall pick, the body of work just isn't there for me.  While his tools are good, he doesn't really have great pocket presence.  I still question his decision making although it's not awful, he just trusts his arm a little too much some time.  I do think it's very likely that he ends up going in the top 20 picks, but he's probably not going to live up to that hype.  I think his upside is that of a Derek Carr-level of QB where you're not actively looking to replace him, but you're consistently talking about it.

It's a shame Hendon Hooker tore his ACL towards the end of the season otherwise I think he would have been an easy top 64 pick given the lack of QB talent in the NFL.  But given his age and his injury, he's probably going to get pushed down the board.  Still, for a team who has a QB they're wanting to push out the door in the near future it makes sense to gamble on Hooker and allowing him to recover this year.  DRT has always had a world of talent, but he just never was really able to put it all together until this past season.  I don't think he really ever amounts to much more than a QB that gives a different look with his legs, but the athletic skills are there to be intrigued by.  He could potentially transition into another position, but I'd imagine he will continue to be a QB until he fails there.

After those guys, I think you're getting into the guys who are likely backup QBs.  Jaren Hall is my favorite of those, but Jake Haener isn't far behind.  I don't think any of them are starting QB material.  Stetson Bennett has all the accolades from college, but he's probably going to stick around as QB3 for most teams.  Tanner McKee has some intrigue with him, but there's nothing that really stands out with him and probably doesn't amount to much in the NFL.  I think he might be a high-end backup, fringe starting QB at his peak.