The NFL Draft is more than three months away, but with NFL coaches being fired and hired, many teams are already looking towards the future, which for many teams means a future starting quarterback. Last year was not the strongest QB class with many of college football’s top ten quarterbacks returning to their schools for 2023.
This year, many of those quarterbacks are now entering the NFL Draft, meaning this class could be loaded with picks. In a year where more quarterback injuries happened than normal in the NFL, having a good year of QB draft picks may be just what the league needs.
Top 10 Quarterbacks Declaring for the NFL Draft
10. Joe Milton III
Of all the quarterbacks in this draft, Joe Milton III has the most traditional quarterback build. Standing at 6’5″ Milton has the size and speed to be an effective quarterback. His play must improve if he hopes to ever see the field in an NFL game, but all of the intangibles are there, enough for him to get picked up by a team.
9. Jordan Travis (Florida State)
Jordan Travis just feels like a solid backup. He’s really decent in a lot of areas but lacks excellence. He is short for an NFL QB, but that has been less of an issue in the past decade or so. The resason he will stick with a team is because of his dependability. In the last two seasons, Travis threw for 44 touchdowns and only seven interceptions.
8. J.J. McCarthy (Michigan)
Love Michigan or hate them, you can’t deny that McCarthy has the “IT” factor to him. He does things in a very different way than anyone else. Whether it is the way he reads the game, mediates, studies, or talks to reporters, McCarthy has got things figured out. The biggest concern with McCarthy is his ceiling. At Michigan, he has a fantastic run and blocking game. Without that, one has to wonder how well he’d operate.
Regardless, he’d be an excellent addition to any quarterback room.
7. Spencer Rattler (South Carolina)
There was a time when Spencer Rattler was the face of the Big 12 and a Heisman Trophy front-runner. Today, Rattler is a solid but definitely under-the-radar quarterback who played well at South Carolina but failed to really elevate the program to where fans hoped and thought the team would be.
Still, Rattler threw for 3,186 yards this past season. Size is a concern, and he is considered a bit slower (4.78 40-yard) than many of the quarterbacks on this list. Rattler shouldn’t have an issue getting picked up, but he feels like a depth quarterback, rather than someone who will push to play anytime soon.
6. Michael Pratt (Tulane)
Almost every year there is a quarterback that is drafted outside of the first two rounds who ends up becoming an NFL star. Micahel Pratt very well could be that player. Coming out of Tulane, Pratt likely will be overlooked more than if he played for a P5 team.
What makes Pratt elite is his ability to be accurate while on the move. NFL defenses have gotten better at disguising blitzes, forcing quarterbacks to run outside the pocket. This is where Pratt is best. Don’t be shocked if Pratt is a 4th/5th round pick, but ends up starting in the next few years.
5. Bo Nix (Oregon)
Bo Nix is the wildcard quarterback of the NFL draft. Nix certainly has the skills and potential to be a great quarterback, with a similar skillset to Kirk Cousins, who gets the ball out quickly and has a high completion percentage. Nix led the FBS this year in completion percentage (77%) and averaged only 2.5 seconds in the pocket.
The biggest concern with Nix is that he wasn’t asked to do a lot in the Oregon offense. There were a lot of quick screens, slants, and RPO plays that didn’t require Nix to go through his reads. That kind of offense doesn’t work in the NFL, which will likely make many teams hesitate to pick him up in an early round.
4. Drake Maye (North Carolina)
Drake Maye has all the intangibles to be a Week One starter in the NFL. His height, speed, and release time all rank extremely high. Maye threw for 3,608 yards and added 449 rush yards during the regular season.
One potential worry is that Maye started the five games, completing more than 70% of passes but failed to reach 70% in any game after. His late-season struggles may cost him a few spots in the draft. There was a time when Maye was considered a Heisman candidate and likely a first-round pick. This year he may end up being the Will Lovis pick.
3. Jayden Daniels (LSU)
There may not be a recent Heisman Trophy winner who gets talked about less than Jayden Daniels. Daniels played phenomenally for LSU this year, throwing for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He also added 1,134 yards on the ground. Yet because LSU struggled this year and was never really in the CFP conversation, he was not talked about a lot.
Daniels runs a 4.50 40-yard and stands at 6’4″, making him a perfect size for the NFL. The biggest concern is his consistency. Last season, Daniels had a few games get away from him, and sometimes quarterbacks who have that tendency struggle in the NFL (think Zach Wilson or Mac Jones).
It is expected that Jayden Daniels will rise up NFL Draft boards as more test discussions take place.
2. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)
Michael Penix Jr. isn’t the most flashy quarterback with statistics, size, speed, or age (he will be 24 years old when the season starts). In the National Championship Game, Penix struggled to hit open receivers, although some of that can probably be attributed to an injury he sustained early in the game.
What makes Penix so attractive to NFL scouts is his quick release time, mobility within the pocket, and the “clutch” factor. Last season, the Huskies played seven one-score games and went 6-1 in those games. In the NFL, there are more close games than in college, so having a QB who can be reliable in clutch time can make up for other concerns such as size, completion percentage, or speed.
1. Caleb Williams
Caleb Williams‘ season at USC didn’t end how he would have liked, with the Trojans losing five of their final six games. Despite the losses, few can blame the play of Williams. In the five losses, Williams threw for was responsible for nine touchdowns and four interceptions, with three coming against Notre Dame.
Williams, the former Heisman Trophy winner has by far the highest NFL Draft stock of any player, with many believing he would have been ready for the the NFL Draft after last season.
Conclusion
It’s almost impossible to predict an accurate order of NFL Draft players, especially at quarterback. It really comes down to what needs a team has and what kind of player they are looking for. Last year for example, Will Levis was projected to be a top ten pick. As the night went on, Levis didn’t hear his name. He didn’t end up getting picked up until the second round, something no NFL Draft experts projected.
What we do know is that there will be plenty of quarterbacks hearing their names during the three-day NFL Draft taking place April 25th-27th in Detriot.
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