1. anthony richardson • florida

#1 overall // style comparison: cam newton

Grade: 9.5

RAS: 10

Strengths: 💪 🧠 🏎 🦡 🏄‍♂️

He’s exactly who you think he is: a freakishly big, fast, powerful-armed gunslinger with a ceiling that could make the Sistine Chapel jealous. At his absolute best, if everything goes right with his development, there is may not be a better quarterback prospect in history. That’s a big if, though, considering he’s made only 13 starts, and more than a few of those left a lot to be desired as far as accuracy, field vision, and raw productivity go. Still, if you take his last 9 games of 2022 (which represents 69% of his total starts), his numbers aren’t bad: 17 TD, 5 INT, plus six more scores he added on the ground. He hit the 400-yard passing mark twice in that span, too. You can make a case either way for Richardson, but his talent is undeniable, and with absolutely zero off-field concerns, no injury history, and a final season that looks eerily similar to Josh Allen’s, you can see why some coaches and GMs believe the juice is worth the squeeze here.

1. cj stroud • ohio state

#2 overall // style comparison: sam bradford

Grade: 9.5

RAS: INC

Strengths: 💪 🎯 🧠 🦡 👀 🦶 🏄‍♂️

What’s not to like? Stroud has shown up and shown out on his biggest stages, making the Georgia defense look not just vulnerable, but bad. He layers the ball as well as any prospect I’ve seen since Joe Burrow, and his ball placement is outstanding. He processes quickly, and in his final game showed uncanny ability to get out of the pocket while maintaining vision and threading some of the most unbelievable passes I’ve seen. And in a class fawning over big arms, Stroud isn’t getting enough credit for his. There’s not a route he can’t reach, and his accuracy sets him apart. There are times when an internal rush can knock him off his spot and force some iffy passes that are a combination of bad decisions and poor base footwork, but again he showed how well he can overcome that against the Dawgs. That’s what you want to see more of, though, getting out of tight spots and making smart decisions with better mechanics when things break down, and he certainly showed that on New Year’s Eve.

3. bryce young • alabama

#9 overall // style comparison: deshaun watson

Grade: 9

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🎯 🧠 🏎 🦡 👀 🦶 🏄‍♂️

Cross-sport comparisons can be dumb, but this guy really is a point guard. I can’t imagine the frustration felt by defenders when this 5-10 dude evades you despite not possessing Kyler Murray’s speed, then drops a perfectly layered pass over your head despite not possessing Justin Herbert’s arm or height. That’s where Young gets you, he outthinks you. He’s always a step ahead of defenders, and his savvy allows him to make his size totally moot for the most part. He processes as quickly as anyone in this class, and he’ll need to because his frame does cause serious concern.. IF he gets hit, which is a tall ask before he gets rid of the ball. Quick trigger, knows where to go with the ball often before the snap, and extends plays for the purpose of finding a downfield target. He’s a tough comp because he’s not the bowling ball that Russell Wilson is, or the silky smooth runner Lamar Jackson is, but he spreads the ball around efficiently, understands and anticipates slight edges in coverage, and makes you pay.

4. hendon hooker • tennessee

#37 overall // style comparison: teddy bridgewater

Grade: 7

RAS: INC

Strengths: 🎯 🧠 🏎 🦡 🦶 🏄‍♂️

Oh if he hadn’t been injured. His age is a non-factor to me. QBs are playing through second divorces these days, so he might have a 20 year career even if he’s already just a year younger than Lamar Jackson. Hooker has a great arm, underreported in this class because of Richardson and Will Levis, but he can hum it. And yeah, he played in a wide open attack under Josh Heupel, but again that’s not a weakness in today’s NFL, which looks more like college schematically every year. He can move, not just to extend plays which he does well by keeping his eyes downfield, but also as an effective addition to the offense proactively. His ability to work through progressions wasn’t often tested at Tennessee, but when it was, he processed quickly and placed the ball even when he was in a hurry or facing pressure. Of course, since it didn’t happen often and he didn’t complete his season, his evaluation is unfinished, but his accuracy and potential as a dual-threat guy who still looks to pass first should get his name called by the end of Round 2 at worst, late Round 1 at best.

5. will levis • kentucky

#47 overall // style comparison: ryan tannehill

Grade: 7

RAS: INC

Strengths: 💪 🏎 🦡 🦶 🏄‍♂️

Heard of this guy? Every year there’s a prospect who just rubs people the wrong way and they let emotion get the better of them and start inventing reasons to dislike the prospect when really they just dislike the guy. I’m not saying I agree with either, but I do have Levis lower than some. I think his inaccuracy stems more from decision making than ability to place the football, I mean the guy has a cannon and I’ve seen him hit tight spots. It’s the way he seemed to panic behind an admittedly poor line and then totally switch from reading a defense to absolute hubris in his arm no matter the actual separation from his receiver or the coverage in the area. He’s going to have be brought along carefully, but if you hit with this guy, there is absolutely nothing out of bounds in your playbook. He can make every single throw, he’s sturdy and can make plays with defenders hanging off of him, and he’s way more mobile than he’s getting credit for. This is a true ideal prospect from a tools trait, but a big reclamation project from the mental side of the game. It bears mentioning, too, that the only other quarterback I remember being as openly interested in bodybuilding was Brady Quinn, and I’d prefer my QBs to have as little in common with him as possible.

6. jake haener // fresno state // grade: 5.5

7. dorian thompson-robinson // ucla // grade: 5.5

8. jaren hall // byu // grade: 5.5

9. tanner mckee // stanford // grade: 5

10. malik cunningham // louisville // grade: 5

11. tyson bagent // shepherd // grade: 4.5

12. stetson bennett // georgia // grade: 4

13. max duggan // tcu // grade: 3.5

14. clayton tune // houston // grade: 3