The 2023 NFL draft class is said to be deeper in quarterback talent than it has been in recent years. Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis are generally receiving the highest grades, while Florida’s big-arm/big-play passer Anthony Richardson looks to rise swiftly up mock drafts as bowl season begins.
ESPN analyst Todd McShay put those four quarterbacks among the first 12 picks in his most recent mock draft, highlighted by Young to the Texans at No. 1—draft positions for the mock draft are set according to the NFL standings leading into Week 15.
Deshaun Watson’s sexual misconduct lawsuits left Houston without a good quarterback option in 2022, and its season has played out accordingly. Coach Lovie Smith used both Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel in nearly pulling off a massive upset of the Cowboys in Week 14. Mills, the team’s starter, has a QBR of 32.4, good for 29th in the NFL, leading only Carson Wentz and Baker Mayfield among passers with 20 plays per game. Drafting a quarterback is a near certainty for Houston, regardless of where it selects, and it’s hard to argue with the ubertalented, if not a little undersized, former Heisman Trophy winner.
