The 2022 NFL Draft was considered to have a fairly weak crop of quarterbacks compared to the average year.
The 2023 NFL Draft will have no such issue.
While the 2023 draft class may not be as strong on paper as the 2020 and 2021 draft classes, there is still plenty of reason for excitement about the signal-callers. There could be as many as five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2023 draft, and at least a dozen passers should expect to hear their names called by day's end on Saturday.
Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are the top options in this year's class while Anthony Richardson's sky-high potential should be enough to make him a top-five pick. Meanwhile, Will Levis and Hendon Hooker are more wild-card-type players, but the former should still be a first-round pick while the latter isn't likely to last long on Day 2.
MORE: Sporting News' latest 7-round mock draft
So, which quarterbacks are going to be drafted in 2023, and where might they land? Here is an all-quarterback mock draft that sees 15 signal-callers chosen over the draft's 259 picks.
NFL QB mock draft 2023
Bryce Young
- Team: Panthers
- Pick: No. 1 overall, first round
The Panthers are going to take a quarterback with the No. 1 pick after they moved up from the No. 9 spot on the eve of free agency. The only question at this point is whether they will select Young or C.J. Stroud.
In the immediate aftermath of the trade, Stroud was the presumed favorite for the pick given his performance at Ohio State, size and his fit in Frank Reich's offense. However, the tide has now turned in the favor of Young, who has top-tier arm talent and was a Heisman Trophy winner at Alabama in 2021.
Young completed 64.5 percent of his passes for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns and just five interceptions in his final season with the Crimson Tide. The knock on him is that he is just 5-10 and weighs 204 pounds, but he plays with a similar style to Russell Wilson, using his mobility to navigate the pocket, avoid big hits and find players open downfield even when on the move.
Stroud may be the safer of the two prospects given that he's larger than Young, but the Alabama product is a slightly better passer at this time and has a high ceiling. As such, we'll project him to be the Panthers' selection here.
MORE: Bryce Young favored by 'several influential voices' with Panthers
C.J. Stroud
- Team: Texans
- Pick: No. 2 overall, first round
The Texans have a pretty easy choice at No. 2 overall. They will likely go with the quarterback that the Panthers don't select among Young and Stroud. In this case, it is Stroud.
Like Young, Stroud was a two-year starter at his alma mater. He led Ohio State to the College Football Playoff in his final season and nearly helped the Buckeyes to upset eventual national champion Georgia. He finished the season having completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and just six interceptions.
Stroud has a strong arm and a good 6-3 frame that should help him to make all the throws required of him at the NFL level. He's not as mobile as the other quarterbacks projected to go atop the 2023 NFL Draft, but so long as he is able to improve his field-reading capabilities, he should end up being a rock-solid starter for the Texans.
Anthony Richardson
- Team: Colts
- Pick: No. 4 overall, first round
The Colts are sweating out the possibility that a team could leapfrog them in the draft order via a trade with the Cardinals. In this instance, that doesn't happen, and they are able to land the quarterback with the highest ceiling in this year's draft class.
Richardson has a cannon of an arm and profiles as one of the greatest quarterback athletes of all time. He blew up the 2023 NFL Combine with his 4.43 40-yard dash and set records in both the vertical and broad jumps. He also looked good in the on-field workouts and was able to throw the ball 60 mph in the ball speed test.
While Richardson has a high ceiling, he will be a bit of a project when he first enters the NFL. He was just a one-year starter at Florida and he struggled with his accuracy and ball placement with the Gators. As a result, he completed just 53.8 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
That said, Richardson has a smooth delivery and the ball comes out of his hand cleanly for the most part. He just needs to improve his footwork, processing and ability to read the field at the next level. That will take time, but an offensive-minded coach like Shane Steichen could help him to reach his potential while developing, much like he did with Jalen Hurts.
So, Richardson might not look very good out of the gate and may find more success running the ball than throwing it early on. But if given time in the right environment, Richardson could become a Josh Allen-type quarterback at the next level. That's not a guarantee, but the possibility should be enough to make him a top-four pick.
Will Levis
- Team: Vikings
- Pick: No. 23 overall, first round
Mocking Levis to the Vikings at 23 will certainly raise some eyebrows. He has been a staple of the top 15 in most mocks for the last couple of months, so why would he slip into the latter stages of the first round? The answer is simple.
While Levis has solid tools and the arm talent needed to be a quality NFL quarterback, he doesn't have the same ceiling as the three passers projected to go atop the 2023 NFL Draft.
Levis is a good athlete, but he isn't at the same level as Richardson. That makes it harder to ignore his issues with ball placement and interceptions that plagued him during his time at Kentucky. He threw 23 interceptions in 24 games with the Wildcats compared to 43 touchdowns and struggled with consistency playing in the SEC.
There are plenty of pros for Levis too, the most notable of which was that he operated a pro-style offense at Kentucky. Thus, he won't face too steep of a learning curve entering the NFL.
Even still, Levis could slip if there is a dearth of interest from teams like the Raiders, Falcons and Titans in taking a quarterback. It is somewhat reminiscent of the situation Drew Lock faced during the 2019 NFL Draft when he went from being a potential top-15 pick to becoming a second rounder.
That said, Levis is more talented than Lock, so he shouldn't slip out of the first round. It also helps his cause that a couple of teams picking late could use help at quarterback. The Vikings are one of them, as they are looking for a successor for Kirk Cousins, who will be a free agent in 2024.
Minnesota may prefer to add a top receiver or continue adding talent to its defense, but if Levis is on the board, the Vikings may have trouble passing on him.
MORE: Takeaways from Will Levis' Kentucky pro day
Hendon Hooker
- Team: Raiders
- Pick: No. 38 overall, second round
There has been an increasing buzz that Hooker could come off the board in the first round. That won't happen in this mock draft, but he won't last long into Day 2 in this case.
Hooker put together a terrific final season at Tennessee. The fifth-year senior completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 3,135 yards, 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions before he suffered a torn ACL in his 11th start. He also added 430 rushing yards and five touchdowns, demonstrating his dual-threat capability.
So, why isn't Hooker a first-round pick in this mock? There are a few reasons. First, a Levis slide could naturally push Hooker down the board, as the Kentucky product is largely considered to be better than the Volunteer.
Furthermore, Hooker enters the league with a couple of concerns. As mentioned, he tore his ACL near the end of the college football season. That health issue could slightly hinder his development.
That's something that teams would normally be willing to forgive, but Hooker will actually be one of the oldest rookies in this class. He is already 25, so that gives him less room for improvement when compared with some of the other prospects on the board.
Add that to the fact that Tennessee's offense doesn't contain within it many pro-style elements, and teams may view Hooker as more of a project than most veteran college players. Thus, he looks like more of a Day 2 pick who could go at the back end of the first round if a team really wanted to have a fifth-year option as a part of his contract.
Either way, the Raiders make sense as a team that could target Hooker. They have Jimmy Garoppolo under contract but Josh McDaniels expressed a desire to land a long-term solution at quarterback. Perhaps that is Jimmy G, but the Raiders will probably draft a developmental passer behind him just to be safe.
Tanner McKee
- Team: Commanders
- Pick: No. 97 overall, third round
Once the first five quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Draft are selected, it could be a while before another is chosen. There are some quality potential-packed prospects at the position, but they all project to be more fringe Day 2 and early Day 3 prospects. McKee qualifies as one.
McKee is the latest Stanford quarterback to fit the prototypical passer mold. He has a massive arm and at 6-6, 231 pounds, he has the potential needed to become a big-armed pocket passer at the NFL level. Before the season, it was believed that he could play himself into first-round consideration with a good season.
So, why is McKee a third-round pick in this projection? Well, his accuracy can be fleeting because of his long, unorthodox throwing motion and he doesn't have great mobility. Those issues make him a bit of a project, so any team drafting him will need to be patient with him.
The Commanders stand out as a good fit for McKee. They have Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett on the roster, but they could stand to add another project passer to compete with Howell long-term.
Washington also employs Tevita Pritchard as its quarterbacks coach, and he worked with McKee at Stanford as his offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. That connection could make McKee a preferred mid-round target for the Commanders.
Max Duggan
- Team: Titans
- Pick: No. 152 overall, fifth round
If the Titans don't land a quarterback in the first round, they will want to go after one later in the draft to challenge Ryan Tannehill and Malik Willis for playing time.
Duggan would be a perfect fit to do that. The TCU product enjoyed a terrific 2022 season, helping lead the Horned Frogs to the College Football Playoff finale while finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting. He threw for 3,698 yards, 32 touchdowns and eight interceptions and showcased great toughness throughout the season.
Duggan doesn't have elite physical tools, but his style as a gruff gamer will interest teams on Day 3 of the draft. It should also make him a quality backup at the NFL level.
MORE: SN's mock draft with trades sends Lamar Jackson to Titans
Stetson Bennett
- Team: Ravens
- Pick: No. 157 overall, fifth round
It's hard to find a better fit for Stetson Bennett than with the Ravens. Sure, Lamar Jackson is with Baltimore for the time being, but will that last? And even if it does, will he stay healthy? That remains to be seen.
Bennett is similar to Duggan in that he doesn't have the elite physical tools needed to be a top-tier quarterback. That said, the 5-11, 192-pound passer has a stronger arm than most realize, as he displayed at the 2023 NFL Combine, and he is a great scrambler with solid overall speed. That could be enough to make him a Taylor Heinicke-type playmaker for the next level.
It also helps that Bennett — who threw for 4,128 yards, 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for 10 scores — has a pre-existing relationship with new Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken. If Monken likes Bennett enough, he could convince the team to spend a Day 3 pick on him and develop him behind Jackson and Tyler Huntley as a rookie.
Certainly, that would be an ideal scenario for Bennett. Now, it's just a matter of seeing whether the Ravens believe it can be a mutually beneficial relationship.
Dorian Thompson-Robinson
- Team: Rams
- Pick: No. 167 overall, fifth round
Thompson-Robinson will probably be one of the most popular sleeper quarterbacks in this year's draft class. He needs to work on his passing ability within the pocket, but he is a dynamic playmaker with great mobility and an excellent arm (he threw a pass of 62 mph during the ball speed drill at the 2023 NFL Combine).
Thompson-Robinson is not without his warts. He is on the smaller side at 6-2, 203 pounds, and he did benefit from playing in Chip Kelly's offense and quarterback-friendly scheme at UCLA. Even still, he improved in each of his seasons with the Bruins, posting a career-high 69.6 completion percentage in 2022 while throwing for 3,169 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
The Rams would be an ideal landing spot for Thompson-Robinson, and not just because he would be staying in Los Angeles. Sean McVay should continue the UCLA product's development behind Matthew Stafford with the goal of eventually making him a starter.
And in the interim, Thompson-Robinson could serve as the top backup for the Rams. Los Angeles has only Stafford on its roster at quarterback currently, so they almost certainly will draft a young passer in 2023.
Malik Cunningham
- Team: Cardinals
- Pick: No. 168 overall, fifth round
The Cardinals are facing a difficult situation at quarterback entering the 2023 season. They signed Kyler Murray to a five-year deal worth $230.5 million, but he suffered a torn ACL late in the 2022 campaign. That will leave his status for the upcoming campaign in question.
Behind Murray, the Cardinals have two options. They are 36-year-old Colt McCoy and journeyman David Blough. That isn't too inspiring.
As such, the Cardinals could consider drafting a mid-round passer to compete with the two veterans. Grabbing one like Cunningham could be a good plan, as he would be an ideal insurance policy behind Murray.
Like Murray, Cunningham has excellent mobility. He ran for 3,179 yards and 50 touchdowns during his five seasons at Louisville and he demonstrated potential as a passer, though he will need to be more consistent to succeed at the NFL level.
Cunningham's size will scare some, as he is just 6-0, 194 pounds, but others may see a Tyler Huntley-type backup with which they can work. If the Cardinals are one of them, they could role with Cunningham at this point in the draft.
MORE: The biggest busts in NFL Draft history
Aidan O'Connell
- Team: Packers
- Pick: No. 170 overall, fifth round
O'Connell may not be the most exciting quarterback prospect in the draft, but his solid, steady performance at Purdue should do enough to get him drafted.
The 6-3, 213-pound Boilermaker was a full-time starter in each of his last two collegiate seasons. He was able to show off very good accuracy in the short-to-intermediate game and that allowed him to thrive when asked to be a game manager. That should make him a strong backup at the NFL level at the very least.
There are other players on the board that come with more potential than O'Connell, but his high floor will certainly interest a team like the Packers, who don't have a good insurance policy behind presumed starter Jordan Love.
Jaren Hall
- Team: Buccaneers
- Pick: No. 181 overall, sixth round
Hall is the latest BYU quarterback to get some NFL draft buzz. While he won't go as high as Zach Wilson did in 2021, he may well be drafted given his solid performance within BYU's offense.
Hall was a two-year starter for the Cougars and had his best year in 2022. He completed 66 percent of his passes for 3,171 yards, 31 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He was playing in a quarterback-friendly offense, but he still demonstrated very good accuracy and ball placement that should give him a high floor at the next level.
The Buccaneers currently have two quarterbacks on their roster: Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. General manager Jason Licht seems to have faith that Trask can develop into a solid starter, but the team doesn't have much of a backup plan should he fail considering Mayfield's struggles last season.
Hall would be a solid flier to draft in the early sixth round, as he has the potential needed to be a strong backup at the NFL level. His lacking ceiling will keep him from being selected much earlier than this, but don't be surprised if he ends up being this draft's version of Gardner Minshew, as NFL.com's Lance Zierlein suggested.
Jake Haener
- Team: Lions
- Pick: No. 194 overall, sixth round
Haener is another smaller quarterback who fits the Hall mold. He comes from a quarterback-friendly offense and a non-Power 5 conference and will need some time to develop at the NFL level. That said, his accuracy and ball placement should give him the tools needed to succeed as a backup.
Haener won't dazzle with his arm as much as he will with his ability to read the field. He is a smart quarterback and was a team leader at Fresno State. That's something that will surely intrigue Dan Campbell, who is always looking for some extra kneecap biters in Detroit. The Lions need a developmental third-string quarterback behind Jared Goff and Nate Sudfeld, so this seems like a great fit.
MORE: The biggest steals in NFL Draft history
Clayton Tune
- Team: Browns
- Pick: No. 229 overall, seventh round
The Browns did well to bring Josh Dobbs back as their backup after his successful two-game stint as the Titans' starting quarterback. He should be a fine backup behind Deshaun Watson, but the team may want to add another quarterback to compete with Kellen Mond for the third-string role behind Watson and Dobbs.
At this point in the draft, Tune seems like a good value, as he could go a couple of rounds earlier than this. The Houston product has a solid 6-3, 220-pound frame and is a solid rhythm passer. He posted 4,074 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in his final year with the Cougars and showcased that he has the tools needed to be a good NFL backup.
The only thing that might hold Tune back is his lack of playmaking ability at the quarterback position. He has solid mobility, but he isn't particularly good at throwing on the run. So, he will likely be more of a game-manager backup who can read the field and keep offenses on schedule. The Browns will welcome that as they look to add depth to their quarterback room.
Adrian Martinez
- Team: Saints
- Pick: No. 257 overall, seventh round
Martinez may not necessarily be likely to be drafted, but it would make sense if a team like the Saints targeted him with the third-to-last pick in the draft. Why? Because he has top-tier mobility that could make him a threat in the Wildcat formation.
Martinez ran for a career-high 627 yards and 10 touchdowns on 111 carries in his lone season at Kansas State. He recorded at least 521 rushing yards in each of his five college seasons and he could be a nice Taysom Hill-type threat as a do-it-all player in the NFL.
What better team to take a Taysom Hill-type than the one that created him? The Saints could use a better third-string quarterback than Jake Luton and they could have Martinez spend time developing in that role and learning from Hill.
Martinez's selection could be akin to the one the Saints made in 2020, when they drafted Tommy Stevens out of Mississippi State to convert from quarterback to tight end. Martinez (6-2) is smaller than Stevens (6-5), but this move is all about finding a successor to Hill at a cheap rate.
