Evaluating the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 class

Young played sparingly as a freshman in Tuscaloosa, backing up junior starter Mac Jones. With Jones departing for the NFL in 2021, Young stepped in to lead the Crimson Tide offense as a sophomore. He took the college world by storm during his second year in the program, completing 66.91-percent of his passes for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns while only throwing seven interceptions.

Young took Alabama to the title game, falling to Georgia but stoking early hype for his pro future. In 2022, Young continued to impress despite the loss of several top receivers, two of which were selected in the first two rounds of the previous spring's draft. Young completed 64.47 percent of his passes for 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns and five interceptions during the past season.

While he came into college as the nation’s top dual-threat passer, Young never developed as much of a rusher at Alabama. Instead, he utilized his versatility to be an effective passer on the run. Young’s eyes and mind work fast through progressions and help him to anticipate throwing lanes at an elite level.

He has adapted his vision to his smaller size, but Young still requires his lower body to make strong throws. Teams seem to be worrying less about his lack of size and more about his durability. In a league that has already seen success from a slight Kyler Murray, Young is expected to become a starting quarterback at the NFL level, with upside toward multiple Pro Bowl appearances.

C.J. Stroud

Not far from Young in the southern California area, Stroud came out of the same class out of Rancho Cucamonga (CA). While he was not quite as highly touted as Young, Stroud still boasted five stars as the nation’s second-best pro-style quarterback, according to 247Sports. He made his college decision relatively late in the process, but enrolled early shortly after committing to Ohio State.

Stroud also sat his true freshman season, redshirting behind starter Justin Fields. He was just as productive as Young during his time starting in Columbus. In 2021, Stroud completed 71.88 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns while only tossing six interceptions. Last season, Stround, too, saw a bit of a drop off in statistical production -- he lost two receivers in the first round of the draft -- but still impressed while completing 66.32 percent of his passes for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns, and six interceptions.

Stroud is the most prototypical and traditional signal-caller of the four top options in this class. His size, strength and athleticism are all very much by-the-book for his style. Stroud's size gives him an ideally strong platform from which to throw and allows him to layer balls into short and intermediate levels over lineman and backers. That size does limit his agility, making him slow out of breaks and inaccurate when throwing on the run. His biggest strength, though, comes in his pure passing ability. He rifles a strong, tight ball in a smooth motion, resulting in passes that receivers love to catch. His traditional quarterback makeup could be what makes him so attractive to a team like the Panthers at the top of the draft.

Anthony Richardson

Richardson is far and away the wild card of this group. A consensus four-star, dual-threat quarterback out of Eastside (FL), the athletic talent stayed home in Gainesville for college after seeming to at times waver in his commitment to the Gators.

Richardson is the least experienced of the four top options at quarterback, having redshirted behind Kyle Trask as a freshman and sitting behind Emory Jones as a sophomore. It wasn’t until this past fall that Richardson finally found himself starting behind center.

Unlike Young and Stroud, who found immediate statistical success upon starting, Richardson’s results were less impressive. Last season, the dual-threat signal-caller completed 53.82 percent of his passes for 2,529 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing nine interceptions. He did display a stronger rushing ability than the above two, racking up 654 yards on 103 rushing attempts while tacking on nine scores with his legs. As a starter for the Gators, Richardson ended college with a 6-7 record.

Despite the seemingly mediocre production, Richardson has skyrocketed up draft boards during the evaluating season, as pundits have fallen in love with his potential. Richardson has a large frame, similar to Stroud's, but boasts an elite level of athleticism that makes his size that much more dangerous.

His frame and burst with the ball in his hands are reminscent of a young Cam Newton. Richardson has a rocket for an arm, completing easy throws with only the flick of a wrist. The physical frame and abilities are there in a raw form, but much molding is necessary. He is extremely inconsistent in his decision-making and accuracy at this stage of his development, resulting in dangerous passes and bad misses.

This is a common high-risk, high-reward situation when it comes to the evaluation of the quarterback. Richardson could develop into an All-Pro or flame out, unable to make the most of his abilities.

Will Levis

Levis is another curious prospect whose production doesn’t quite match his hype as a top draft pick. A three-star prospect leaving Xavier (CT), Levis committed to Penn State as part of the 2018 recruiting class. After redshirting as a freshman, Levis sat for two years behind Sean Clifford before transferring to Kentucky.

Levis took over as an immediate starter in Lexington and won 10 games for the Wildcats in 2021, completing 66.01 percent of his passes for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns while tossing 13 interceptions. Levis displayed an ability to run the ball that year, producing 376 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground.

When Wan’Dale Robinson and Joshua Ali departed for the NFL, Levis’ production suffered as a result. This past season, injuries and the loss of his top targets led to a down year in which he completed 65.37 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions -- but without displaying the rushing ability of prior years.

Like Richardson, Levis boasts the size, arm strength, and athleticism to be an extremely attractive prospect on paper. There are latent abilities available within Levis, but a lack of sound technique and procedure might hold him back from his full potential. He can throw strong balls through tight windows but also struggles with consistent accuracy.

He is physical and tough, but too often actually needs to use that toughness when he overstays his welcome in the pocket. There are strong tools to utilize at the NFL level, but it will likely take time and a good coach preaching strong technique for Levis to become a strong starter at the next level. Teams want him to be the next Josh Allen, but he has a way to go in order to get there.

There we have it: two strong options who seem ready to start in Week 1 and two developmental projects who could turn into stars in the right system.