Id like to think, Levis is the 4th QB to go, but i see, Stroud,Young and Richardson (Colts) going right away with defensive prospects next of, Carter, Anderson Jr and Wilson (Lions) going early also... thats why Im picking Levis to fall to the Raiders. The Raiders better hope so too.
The two things that would make the top of the board swing drastically: 1. The Texans sign Jimmy G and pass on taking a quarterback with the #2 overall 2. The Cardinals trade down to a team wanting to get ahead of the Colts. Option one would make it possible for a team a little lower in the draft to try and jump ahead of the Raiders for what may be the third passer taken. Option 2 could lock in 4 straight passers to start the draft.
I really hope that no one has Levis in that high a place, but I did watch Trubisky and Wilson get drafted well before they had any right to, recently, so...
I have a hard time imagining four passers going that early. Richardson is such a project - is the league that desperate, that he'd be considered a top 4/5 pick? Yikes.
I think it’s possible, but some of that would be based on recency and how current events play into the minds of evaluators. Lamar went really late, became an MVP, is going to get handsomely paid…. But struggles staying on the field. Richardson is a tank, a freak athlete with a ton of untapped arm potential. You can see it when he’s in his comfort zone. The ball comes out quickly, easily, and has the best zip on it in this class. Someone is going to fall in love with the potential, and if they are somewhere in the top 10…
If the Giants were willing to draft Jones as early as they did, then give him that new contract… I think Levis not only has the chance to go early, but Reich may be looking at him as the type of guy he wants to rebuild with in Carolina.
Tim might back me up on this. Why you’d consider him that high has nothing to do with readiness, and everything to do with upside. I go back to the context of the Trubisky draft, and the upside of a somewhat unknown Quarterback named Mahomes. Obviously now we know he’s a legend. But in context, no one was sure of anything. Not only 9 other players drafted before him, but two other Quarterbacks. Richardson broke athletic records at the combine. And his arm strength can go shot for shot with Mahomes. Plus he benefits from recent *successes of guys like Cam, Lamar, and Hurts. He needs his footwork and mechanics essentially rebuilt. But the highlights are already tantalizing. If a team really believes in their QB coach and has a decent interview with him I think he’s absolutely worth a risk in the top 5. And as much as I HATE adding this clićhe caveat, for a GM on the hot seat, it probably buys you an extra year, if that’s valuable to you. Because everyone knows he ain’t ready day one
If I remember right, the critiques on Mahomes coming out of the draft were that he played for an air raid offense that didn't project well to the NFL - that his numbers looked good and he played well because he was in such a QB-friendly offense. Richardson is not coming out of college with the polish of Mahomes. No doubt the physical potential is there, but he has MUCH farther to go before being an NFL starter, let alone in the conversation with Lamar, Mahomes, or any of the athletic freaks people want to compare him to. Maybe he ends up being that guy. I just don't see how "rebuilding his footwork and throwing mechanics" nets a top 5 pick. But like I said, I might just be underestimating today's NFL - plenty of other QB's I didn't think were worth it have gone early.
He would be in the conversation with Levis and Richardson imho. I think he still has a shot at being a first round pick. Ravens and Buccs come to mind… possibly the Packers.
The bigger thing with Mahomes is funny to think about, because the same off schedule, random wildness that he gets praised for now was a big knock on him coming out. There were also some that referenced his tape from the year prior to his draft and were concerned that he might not be a good enough caretaker with the football, and they also questioned his drop in rushing totals. The system he played in did little to help uncover some of the details in his game. It can’t be underestimated how valuable that year behind Alex Smith was for Patrick when he entered the league.
Sometimes he looks like a lesser athletic version of Cunningham, and he’s been a really enjoyable watch to scout this year.
I think this is a key component… All FIVE of the top QBs in this class are articulate and their football IQ is off the charts. I could see the interviews going so well that top 5 GMs looking for a QB might wait for Herndon…if they have two first round picks {cough} TexansSeahawks… It’s why I keep saying this draft is so interesting to me BECAUSE of the QBs. I’m not in love with any of the picks in this draft. Probably because the Browns don’t have a first rounder and I haven’t given them a chance. But, as an outsider looking in, so much of this draft can be thrown in literally a hundred different ways depending on the 5 QBs. The top 4 will dictate the top ten, then Herndon can make some noise being available in the second half of the first round based solely on an injury, imo.
I've always felt this way. KC was a playoff team his rookie year and the year before. They traded up to get him so they had the pieces. He's great but he got the right situation.
I actually thought the Colts would be the team that moves to #1. If you had your pick of the litter, which way would you want Indy to go? It really surprises me that so many people are downplaying the size and build of Bryce Young. Recent history alone should have red flags waving everywhere IMO. These QB's with the smaller frames have a very difficult time holding up to the punishment. Baker, Tua and Murray come to mind immediately, but it just seems that no matter how many rules they invent to protect QB's, the smaller guys will get crushed at some point. And it usually leads to missed games. We see Josh Allen at 6/5 240, just taking on defenders and hurdling and stiff arming, and it's just not in the repertoire of these smaller QB's. It's a completely different thing. Think of that, and then think of what we saw happen to Tua last year on multiple occasions. Size matters in the NFL....Maybe I'm overly leery about this after seeing what happened with Mayfield, and knowing that we could have used that pick on Allen instead.
Im still not convinced on the Cardinals going QB and I think they are tossing around, Carter and Anderson Jr (Anderson Jr would be my pick)... if thats the case, the Colts will have a QB pick decision of either Richardson or Levis, thats still not bad. Clearly im no expert, just conversating and trades could be another factor at anytime. Even if the Cards go QB, I think the 'leftovers' QB guy is still going to be a viable option fot the Colts.
So, after reviewing the passers and the conversation here for a bit, it seems the discussion will probably revolve around what is considered the top 4. All 4 have some obvious flaws. 3 have issues that can be corrected with coaching. 2 of those 3 have issues that are more difficult to correct. 1 of those 2 is farther from the endpoint than the others. Quiz Time: Give me the obvious flaws of Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson. Which one has a flaw(s) that cannot be corrected. Which one has the most correctable issue(s). Which one has the least correctable issue(s).
BRYCE YOUNG - Non prototypical size for an NFL QB CJ STROUD - Not the greatest 'Houdini' when under pressure, just a great kinda pocket passer. WILL LEVIS - Not top notch pocket presence and maybe turnover prone. ANTHONY RICHARDSON - He's just raw, undisciplined accuracy, little wild on throwing to targets, inconsistent. lol, Young, His God given stature is what it is. Thats it tho for all 4. I believe the 'top 4' are very teachable in all aspects... thats why i like these guys. CJ Stroud. In my opinion he is the best of these top 4. Ive seen him a lot more than the others to, so I dont have the full picture or fairest assessment to be honest, but i truly and honestly think he is the one with the least detrimental flaws and they are to me the easiest to correct. Toss up between Young (size aint going to change) and Richardson, just based on a hunch that he may be a wild horse that might be stuck in wild mode... not sure. ________ ________________ Just thought Id attempt to answer these questions based upon the little knowledge I have on 3 of them. Ive seen nearly all, if not all, of CJ's starting games and Im completely sold on him being the almost prototypical NFL passer, but I also believe at the same time, ant QB needy team can not go wrong with any of the 4. Some just need more maturation than others, but based on team or schemes or the right system, all 4 have the potential to kill it in todays NFL. Its a special class, imo. Im not 'feeling' a Trubisky/Tebow type draft with any of them.
