Todd McShay debates Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis on who is QB1 in the 2023 NFL Draft

As the regular season ends in college football, it will quickly become NFL Draft season. The 2023 NFL Draft Class is full of great potential at the quarterback position, some of which seem like more of a sure thing than others.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay was asked about the first-round talent at the quarterback position. For him, those three are the only first-round grades at quarterback in this year’s NFL Draft.

“Three, and I don’t think it will change,” Todd McShay said. “In some order, it will be Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis. I have Young as the QB1 right now, thanks to excellent poise under duress and the arm flexibility to make off-platform throws. His size (6-foot, 194 pounds) and durability might be issues for some teams, but I think Young is a special prospect who is capable of transforming a franchise.”

So, Young should be the first quarterback taken, despite his height. After that, Stroud and Levis are the second and third options as of right now. Levis, in particular, has a turnover issue that’s holding him back.

“Stroud has fast eyes and excellent touch, timing and placement to all three levels of the field. But his efficiency dips a bit when pressured, and he’s at his best working within the confines of a structured offense,” Todd McShay continued.

“Levis has the strongest arm and the sturdiest build (6-foot-3, 232 pounds) of these three quarterbacks, though he needs to improve his pocket presence and turnover avoidance (10 interceptions).”

Quarterbacks tend to be overvalued in the NFL Draft. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if other quarterbacks go in the first round too.

Deciding between defensive players in the draft

For Mel Kiper Jr, there are two defensive players who are clearly ahead of the rest of the pack, Will Anderson and Jalen Carter. The question is, which of the two is the better option?

“As for which defender goes first off the board, it’ll come down to team fit,” Kiper said.

“Anderson is atop most boards right now, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carter go to the first team that needs a defensive player. You might be surprised by my Big Board on Thursday.”