In the Market: Looking at the top QB prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft class after Week 13
C.J. Stroud once again had a game to forget against Michigan in Ohio State’s regular-season finale. Let’s take a look at how the other top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft performed in Week 13 the latest edition of “In the Market.”
Rivalry week has come and gone, meaning that there are only going to be a select number of teams playing this upcoming weekend for their conference’s respective championships. It just so happens that every top quarterback prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft class participated in Week 13.
There were the highs of Bryce Young shining in potentially his final home game with Alabama. Then, there were the lows of C.J. Stroud once again being unable to get the job done for Ohio State against rival Michigan.
Without further ado, here is how each quarterback prospect performed in Week 13 of the college football season in the latest edition of “In the Market.”
Previous editions of “In the Market” can be found in the links below:
Taking Stock: How top 2023 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 13
Bryce Young, Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide fans packed inside Bryant-Denny Stadium this past Saturday potentially saw Bryce Young’s final home game, as the NFL Draft looms. As has been the case every year, Alabama’s regular season ended with the Iron Bowl against Auburn.
With this game, every time Auburn scored a touchdown, Alabama responded with three of their own in succession. Young had a solid game, showcasing his arm talent. Two examples are his 53-yard throw to wide receiver Jermaine Burton and a 32-yard drop-in-the-bucket touchdown pass to Ja’Corey Brooks.
In the game, Young completed 20-of-30 pass attempts for 343 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while running for 48 yards and a touchdown on five carries.
Young has at least one more game remaining on the season. It’s all a matter of which owl game they’ll be playing in.
His Alabama tenure is more than likely over and will be in contention to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
Ohio State’s biggest game of the year (besides a bowl game) is their regular-season finale against the rival Michigan Wolverines. In 2021, C.J. Stroud started at quarterback for the Buckeyes, and they were beaten 42-27 by the Wolverines.
With a shot at redemption (as well as a College Football Playoff spot and a Big Ten Championship Game berth) on the line, Stroud and the Buckeyes faltered for the second year in a row.
Stroud had led the team to a 20-17 lead in the first half, as he completed 17-of-26 pass attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns. A solid first two quarters for the potential No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The second half? One that Buckeyes fans would like to forget.
The Buckeyes were limited to just three points, while the Wolverines ran and threw all over them. Stroud completed 14-of-22 for 158 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions. Take a look at one of the interceptions, which Stroud threw out of desperation as he was being tackled to the turf.
Now, Stroud waits to see what bowl game he will get to play in in his potentially final contest in college before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Will Levis, Kentucky
Facing the Georgia Bulldogs last week, Kentucky’s Will Levis had a solid performance. It wasn’t spectacular, but he didn’t trip all over himself. This week, Levis had the chance to end his regular season on a high note by taking on the Louisville Cardinals.
Levis had some good throws against Louisville, such as his touchdown pass to Barrion Brown, which went high up in the air and dropped right in his hands while standing in the end zone. Then, there was his throw to Rashaan Lewis in the third quarter that would have been a touchdown had it not been broken up on a great play.
In the game, Levis 11-of-19 pass attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the 26-13 victory.
On Wednesday, Levis revealed that he intends to declare for the NFL Draft, which is probably the least surprising news of the week. Levis, however, said he was unsure if he’d play in Kentucky’s bowl game.
Anthony Richardson, Florida
Anthony Richardson could very well be selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft if he were to declare. He has the arm talent and the speed to be a legitimate dual-threat quarterback in the NFL, but there were some on-field decision-making errors that overshadowed them.
Richardson finished off his regular season against the Florida State Seminoles. On Florida’s second drive of the game, Richardson threw a huge 52-yard touchdown pass to Ricky Pearsall to tie the game up at 7-7.
There’s also his big run in the third quarter, where he ran for a first down and more while using his strength to push through a group of defenders.
Richardson did throw one interception in the second quarter, where he attempted to throw a pass to tight end Jonathan Odom, who was covered by defensive back Jarrion Jones.
Richardson attempted 27 passes in the entire game but completed just nine of them. Three of those completions were touchdowns. Overall, he accumulated 198 passing yards on those completions. Richardson also ran for 41 yards on 10 carries.
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami
Miami Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke had been dealing with a right shoulder injury that has bothered him on multiple occasions. Entering rivalry week, head coach Mario Cristobal expressed confidence that Van Dyke could play against the Pittsburgh Panthers.
That’s exactly what happened. Sadly, it was another shortened return, as his right shoulder injury flared up again.
Van Dyke played in just one drive against Pitt, which saw him lead the Hurricanes to the red zone. He took a hard hit and threw an interception. He once again injured his right shoulder, exited the game to visit the medical tent, and didn’t return for the rest of the game.
In his one drive, Van Dyke completed four-of-eight pass attempts for 83 yards and one interception.
Miami’s season is over, as their 42-16 loss to Pittsburgh eliminated them from bowl game eligibility. On the year, Van Dyke recorded 1,844 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 63.2 percent of his passes.
One 2023 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 13
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina
Once again, we have to highlight what Spencer Rattler is doing to end his first season with the South Carolina Gamecocks. Come on, after handing the Tennessee Volunteers their second loss of the season and eliminated them from College Football Playoff contention, he did the exact same thing against the Clemson Tigers, defeating them 31-30.
That’s not to say that Rattler was perfect. He did have two terrible interceptions. But they weren’t costly, as he kept South Carolina in the game. Certainly helps when he made some solid throws like his 72-yard touchdown pass to Antwane Wells Jr.
Rattler completed 25-of-39 pass attempts for 360 yards, two touchdowns, and the aforementioned two interceptions. The quarterback also ran for a four-yard touchdown.
It’s going to be interesting to see what Rattler’s plans are after this season. Will he declare for the NFL Draft? Or will he return to South Carolina for another season? One thing is for certain, Rattler has shown why he was long considered to be a top quarterback prospect.
One 2023 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 13
Anthony Richardson, Florida
This will be a tough choice, considering that none of these top draft prospects will be playing in Week 14. We would go with Will Levis, but he may not even play in Kentucky’s bowl game.
The second choice would be Anthony Richardson, as Florida is bowl eligible. However, it’s unknown if he’ll play in their game either, especially if he declares for the NFL Draft. It will be an interesting next few days, especially once we get the full bowl game schedule.
A strong bowl game could really help Richardson’s NFL Draft stock.
Who are buyers in the NFL?
Let’s take a look at the top 10 of the NFL Draft if the season were to end today, per Tankathon:
- Houston Texans (1-9-1)
- Chicago Bears (3-9)
- Detroit Lions (via Los Angeles Rams (3-8))
- Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos (3-8))
- Carolina Panthers (4-8)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via New Orleans Saints (4-8))
- Arizona Cardinals (4-8)
- Green Bay Packers (4-8)
- Las Vegas Raiders (4-7)
- Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns (4-7))
The Houston Texans have a two-game gap between themselves and the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick. After seeing the same results after benching Davis Mills for Kyle Allen, they should continue studying the top quarterback prospects extensively. The choice is theirs, and they need to make sure they get it right.
It’s still objectively hilarious that the Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks have top five draft picks albeit from the teams they traded their star quarterbacks to. The Los Angeles Rams are having the worst Super Bowl defense in history and the Denver Broncos are an absolute disaster. The Lions should without a doubt draft a quarterback to sit behind Jared Goff for the 2023 season. The Seahawks may pass on taking a signal caller if they’re seriously leaning towards re-signing Geno Smith.
The Carolina Panthers may get a top five pick to select a quarterback. But they’re one game back for first place in what is a wide open NFC South, and could very well win the division if they win a couple of games down the stretch. If they do, they can kiss a top 15 draft pick goodbye.
Besides those teams, there may be no other takers for a signal caller. The Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and the Las Vegas Raiders could select top-tier prospects on the offensive side of the line of scrimmage.
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