Thinking about the 2023 quarterback NFL Draft class, the first name that comes to your mind is C.J. Stroud, and rightly so, given his performance in his first two seasons in the league. Undersold in the class is just how bad the other draft picks around Stroud have been.
Bryce Young, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis are all teetering on disaster for their respective franchises, and it’s starting to look like a botched class if things continue to play out poorly.
We see you, @austinbookerr 👀 https://t.co/sGdMwho4AE pic.twitter.com/7cVM4tvdNq
— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) October 6, 2024
Young is the most obviously culprit out of the group, but it is hard to evaluate whether he is truly a “bust” or a product of the joke of a product that the Carolina Panthers have become. Young showed flashes in his rookie season but ultimately looked out of place, and in his second year was promptly benched after just two games which were blowout losses. Whether Young makes a rebound or not remains to be seen, and if he does it will likely be on a different team.
As for Richardson and Levis, both have looked subpar when on the field, and while both show flashes of serious physical talent, the end product has left much to be desired. Richardson missed most of his rookie season with injury, and now in his second year has both missed games and looks underdeveloped when healthy. Levis has had a cornucopia of mistakes that have put games out of reach and really put to question his decision-making as a quarterback.
The generational run for Will Levis continues pic.twitter.com/iOeRjh9J1o
— NFL Memes (@NFL_Memes) September 22, 2024
Only time will tell how these three quarterbacks play out, but if things remain the same as they are right now, it’s unlikely any of these quarterbacks will be the starting going into the 2025 NFL season.