c/o Michael Hickey

With the NFL season concluding, all eyes turn towards the NFL draft. Although the draft is not for another two months, that does not mean we can’t begin evaluating the prospects. As opposed to the 2022 draft, where there were no quarterbacks taken in the top 15, this draft expects to see four taken. Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud were the most accomplished in college and most experts have them projected to go #1 and #2. In a future edition, I will break down Young and Stroud, but for now I’m going to focus on Will Levis and Anthony Richardson, who I believe are the two best quarterbacks in the class.

Will Levis: Kentucky

It’s been a moment since we have seen a prospect as polarizing as Will Levis. Wherever you go—Twitter, draft sites, or even inside the front office of a team—you will have people thinking he should go top five and others that don’t view him as a first-round pick. So what makes Levis so polarizing?

If you judged quarterbacks solely off stats, Levis would likely go undrafted. In his senior season, the Kentucky Quarterback threw for under 2,500 yards and only 19 touchdowns compared to 10 interceptions. When you break down Levis’ tape it becomes clear that his performance was not as bad as his stats indicate. Kentucky had one of the worst offensive lines, meaning Levis had minimal time to go through his reads. The play calling for the Wildcats was also suspect (Kentucky fired their offensive coordinator immediately after their last game). Levis’ poor situation does not excuse all of his shortcomings, as the 23-year-old still made some ill-advised throws and showed a tendency to struggle to pick up blitzes and coverages. With that being said, these are all issues that can be easily cleaned up with the right coach.

So what makes Will Levis so appealing? Standing at 6’4” and weighing 230 pounds, Levis has the body type NFL front offices dream of. He has a cannon for an arm and claims he can throw the ball 80 yards. A worry for many quarterbacks with strong arms is often their accuracy and slow release. This is not the case for Levis who has an elite quick release and consistently hits his receivers in stride. The Kentucky quarterback has shown the ability to make throws on all three levels. Levis is eerily similar to Josh Allen, not only in his arm strength and build but also his ability to make plays with his legs. Josh Allen is one of the best running quarterbacks, running a 4.75 second 40-yard dash during the combine. Levis’s 40 time is expected to be faster than Allen’s and with his aforementioned physical traits, Levis’s speed and size will make him a volatile runner. 

Levis is projected to be the third quarterback taken by oddsmakers. I do believe there is a possibility that in-between now and the drafts Levis’ stock rises and he becomes the first quarterback taken. This is not out of the question as Baker Mayfield had a similar, unexpected rise in 2017 when he was taken first overall. 

Levis is personally my QB1 in this draft, and whatever team drafts him is going to have a bright future.

Anthony Richardson: Florida

The term “project” is often thrown around regarding quarterbacks, describing a prospect who has amazing potential but is still very raw. Anthony Richardson is the ultimate project.  

Richardson enters the draft as a redshirt sophomore who played his lone year as a starter at the University of Florida. Richardson has the best measurables of maybe any quarterback ever. The Florida product stands 6’5” and weighs 240 pounds with only 10% body fat. Unlike most quarterbacks of this size, Richardson has impressive speed. The 21-year-old reportedly runs a 4.4 second 40-yard dash which is believable when you watch his college tape. At Florida, Richardson excelled in running the ball, recording 713 rushing yards on 97 carries. His 7.3 yards per carry ranked #4 in the country. Scouts say Richardson runs with the physicality of Cam Newton and the speed of Lamar Jackson. The New Jersey native also possesses immense arm talent with the ability to throw the ball 75-yards. Richardson has a quick release, and, when in rhythm, can make any throw.

The reason Richardson is the fourth ranked QB by most experts is because, despite his obvious talent, his game tape has not been overly impressive. Richardson only completed 52% of his passes as a starter, a mark that ranked 102nd out of 108 FBS quarterbacks who recorded at least 14 pass attempts per game. He struggled with decision-making and his pre-snap recognition skills were subpar. Despite his arm talent, the Florida product has displayed some spotty mechanics at times leading to sporadic accuracy. Richardson is reportedly smart and hard-working, so with the right coaching he should be able to clean up most of these issues.

There is a narrative regarding Richardson that he has a very high ceiling but a low floor. While it is true that Richardson’s potential is through the roof, his floor is not as low as advertised. The top five teams in expected points added per run were the Eagles, Bears, Giants, Ravens and Bills. All of these teams were led by mobile quarterbacks. In the last decade, the number of mobile quarterbacks has continuously grown. Still, I think people underrate how valuable having a quarterback who can take off and run when nothing develops downfield is. Even if Richardson never turns into an elite passer, his running ability will allow him to be a quality starting quarterback.

With the draft combine and pro day approaching, Levis and Richardson will have the ability to show off their skills to scouts. Both quarterbacks have the potential to be stars in the NFL, granted, it might take a bit of time considering they each still have some areas where they need to improve. Hopefully you enjoyed this breakdown, and make sure to stay tuned for my evaluation of Young and Stroud. Until next time!

Sam Weitzman-Kurkercan be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.