So I just had my first pass at these QBs over the last week, and I've come away mortified at the thought of Seattle drafting any of them in the top 10.
They all have massive flaws, and they will get a bunch of people fired.
Bryce Young is the cleanest prospect in terms of how you play the position, but he is built like a toothpick. His height doesn't concern me, but his BMI is too frail for the NFL. Like you've seen this year with Tua, he can be very productive, but you'll constantly be worried about when he's going to get injured again.
Tua, physically looks like Elway compared to Bryce Young, that's how small Bryce Young is. His arm strength is just merely good, strong enough to make all of the throws but nothing more. Though, I wouldn't trust his arm on a deep out in January. Baker and Kyler have cannons, which helps them overcome their small stature, I'd put Young in the Tua category for arm strength, maybe a teeny bit more.
If you could guarantee me (which you can't) he could stay healthy, this would be the pick because he knows how to play in structure at a high level AND when the play breaks down he is absolutely incredible.
C.J. Stroud fails the pressure test. When under duress he is not the same QB, and that is what he will play like more often than not in the NFL. At Ohio State, the sideline tells him were to go with the football pre-snap, and he can deliver it accurately and on time. This is not how NFL football works, it is very Goff like. When his first read is taken away, he wilts. He needs to go to a team that has a Shanny, or a McVay, where they can consistently scheme his first read open and tell him the coverage over the headset. Like how McVay used to do for Goff. That is not Seattle.
Will Levis has the juice in terms of what you're looking for physically. Cannon Arm, Mobility, prototypical size. He immediately jumped out to me when watching him. Only he has a 10 cent head. Very much like a Carson Wentz. If any of these guys become something in the NFL I would bet Levis, but I wouldn't be willing to put my job on the line and draft him in the top 10. Like with Josh Allen you're gonna suck with him early, and then pray and hope the lightbulb comes on in a season or two.
Levis will be 24 years old. He should be more polished, not this rough of a prospect at this juncture. Like Wentz he takes a lot of unnecessary contact. An underrated trait most don't mention when talking QBs. Avoiding hits is incredibly crucial. Will Levis fails, and will be injured a lot at the next level. He needs to be drafted by a QB guru. Think Holmgren, Favre. Andy Reed, Mahomes. A very talented prospect, but needs the boneheadedness coached out of him.
Anthony Richardson is too damn raw. He could be a Lamar Jackson/Justin Fields type if you're willing to change your offense into that. Insanely dumb for him to come out this early, he needed at least 1 more year, 2 recommended. Like Trey Lance before him, experience matters. The NFL is a whole 'nother beast. Brock Purdy isn't anywhere close to Trey Lance physically, but he is smart, experienced, and most importantly mechanically sound. Those traits matter more. Of course you're looking for it all, but focusing too much on a QB's athleticism is a fool's errand.
In terms of the mid round guys I looked at, the only one that caught my eye was Clayton Tune, but only mildly. I'm not pounding the table for him or anything like that. But he is competent with ideal size, footwork, arm strength, and accuracy. He's my bet from the mid/late rd draft pool, that could become an NFL starter down the road and have himself a nice career.
This QB class is underwhelming. I'd recommend drafting a QB only if they fall and they can nab them at the end of the 1st / early 2nd. If even at all. I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep if they passed on all of 'em.
They all have massive flaws, and they will get a bunch of people fired.
Bryce Young is the cleanest prospect in terms of how you play the position, but he is built like a toothpick. His height doesn't concern me, but his BMI is too frail for the NFL. Like you've seen this year with Tua, he can be very productive, but you'll constantly be worried about when he's going to get injured again.
Tua, physically looks like Elway compared to Bryce Young, that's how small Bryce Young is. His arm strength is just merely good, strong enough to make all of the throws but nothing more. Though, I wouldn't trust his arm on a deep out in January. Baker and Kyler have cannons, which helps them overcome their small stature, I'd put Young in the Tua category for arm strength, maybe a teeny bit more.
If you could guarantee me (which you can't) he could stay healthy, this would be the pick because he knows how to play in structure at a high level AND when the play breaks down he is absolutely incredible.
C.J. Stroud fails the pressure test. When under duress he is not the same QB, and that is what he will play like more often than not in the NFL. At Ohio State, the sideline tells him were to go with the football pre-snap, and he can deliver it accurately and on time. This is not how NFL football works, it is very Goff like. When his first read is taken away, he wilts. He needs to go to a team that has a Shanny, or a McVay, where they can consistently scheme his first read open and tell him the coverage over the headset. Like how McVay used to do for Goff. That is not Seattle.
Will Levis has the juice in terms of what you're looking for physically. Cannon Arm, Mobility, prototypical size. He immediately jumped out to me when watching him. Only he has a 10 cent head. Very much like a Carson Wentz. If any of these guys become something in the NFL I would bet Levis, but I wouldn't be willing to put my job on the line and draft him in the top 10. Like with Josh Allen you're gonna suck with him early, and then pray and hope the lightbulb comes on in a season or two.
Levis will be 24 years old. He should be more polished, not this rough of a prospect at this juncture. Like Wentz he takes a lot of unnecessary contact. An underrated trait most don't mention when talking QBs. Avoiding hits is incredibly crucial. Will Levis fails, and will be injured a lot at the next level. He needs to be drafted by a QB guru. Think Holmgren, Favre. Andy Reed, Mahomes. A very talented prospect, but needs the boneheadedness coached out of him.
Anthony Richardson is too damn raw. He could be a Lamar Jackson/Justin Fields type if you're willing to change your offense into that. Insanely dumb for him to come out this early, he needed at least 1 more year, 2 recommended. Like Trey Lance before him, experience matters. The NFL is a whole 'nother beast. Brock Purdy isn't anywhere close to Trey Lance physically, but he is smart, experienced, and most importantly mechanically sound. Those traits matter more. Of course you're looking for it all, but focusing too much on a QB's athleticism is a fool's errand.
In terms of the mid round guys I looked at, the only one that caught my eye was Clayton Tune, but only mildly. I'm not pounding the table for him or anything like that. But he is competent with ideal size, footwork, arm strength, and accuracy. He's my bet from the mid/late rd draft pool, that could become an NFL starter down the road and have himself a nice career.
This QB class is underwhelming. I'd recommend drafting a QB only if they fall and they can nab them at the end of the 1st / early 2nd. If even at all. I wouldn't lose a wink of sleep if they passed on all of 'em.