The 2023 NFL Draft is going to be much more attractive for quarterback needy teams like the NY Giants than the 2022 draft was. Indeed, 2022 was considered a dry year compared to others in terms of talent at QB. In the majority of years, in the run up to the draft, analysts and fans have a good idea on which quarterback will be taken first, and how many players at the position will be selected in the first round.
The 2022 NFL Draft was truly the opposite, with many differing uncertainties about each of the top QB prospects. If the crop of signal-callers was like any other year, the Giants would very likely have picked a quarterback in the first round, but new head coach Brian Daboll will give Daniel Jones another shot and the ultimate test to see if he could be the Giants future at quarterback. If Jones shows none or very little growth, then the Giants can move on.
The smart decision of not betting on a quarterback from the 2022 class, and waiting for the 2023 draft to pick their guy, could pay off big time for the G-Men with the way the top college quarterbacks are shaping up. Here’s a look at four QBs who could start in place of Jones next fall.
4. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
C.J. Stroud was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. Heavily recruited by many college programs, he decided to join Ohio State. Stroud played very little as a freshman in 2020 but saw his game time increase in a major way in 2021, becoming the Buckeyes starter and playing 12 games. The Buckeyes QB threw for 4,435 yards in the regular season, and also threw 44 touchdowns to only 6 interceptions.
Ohio State was the No. 1 offense in the country statistically with 561.2 yards per game whilst scoring 45.7 points per game. Stroud’s statically impressive performance led him to being named a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Standing at 6-3, Stroud has the ideal physique that NFL teams love in quarterbacks.
He can navigate the pocket really well and has elite ball placement. Presuming Stroud sees no drop off in performance in 2022, there’s a good chance he could be picked first in the 2023 NFL Draft. Will the Giants be their to take him? Only time will tell.
3. Alabama QB Bryce Young
Bryce Young is the next big quarterback talent to come out of Alabama, following in the footsteps of Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones, as he looks to be the next Crimson Tide QB to be taken in the first round. Young, a 5-star high school recruit, played in seven games in 2020 as a freshman, backing up the future New England quarterback Jones.
Young would explode onto the scene in 2021 as the next leader of the Crimson Tide offense. He ended up throwing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns. Young would lead Alabama to the National Championship Game, losing to the Georgia Bulldogs 33-18. Despite the failure of repeating a championship win, Young was named the Heisman Trophy winner for the 2021 season and was honored as the top player in college football.
Both Young and Stroud are considered favorites to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the 2022 college football season will see the comparisons between the two dominate the draft headlines. Young has the ability to become a generational talent in the NFL, he ticks a lot of boxes. The Heisman winner has big arm strength, elite accuracy and mobility, but is considered undersized, standing at 6-0 and weighing 194 pounds.
A lot of the criticism of Young is about how well can he perform behind a subpar offensive line at the next level. Young will miss Evan Neal (now with the Giants) on the offensive line in 2022. Young will look to overcome that and remind people from start to finish this fall why he’s one of the top QBs in the game.
2. Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke
Tyler Van Dyke was a 4-star recruit coming out of high school. Van Dyke joined the Hurricanes as a freshman in 2020, but only played in one game, where he only recorded two pass attempts. As a sophomore the following year, Van Dyke saw an increase in game time, and with that a boost in performance, playing in 10 games. He passed for 2,931 yards and 25 touchdowns.
After his first season as a starter, Van Dyke was named ACC Rookie of the Year and ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Hurricanes quarterback is considered to be an excellent prospect, with a strong arm and great accuracy. However, he is very raw and is too inconsistent to be considered an NFL-ready prospect like Stroud and Young.
Van Dyke will have the fortune of playing another season with Miami, allowing him to improve his skill set for the NFL. He should be better prepared with new offensive weapons around him for the 2022 season. Yup, 2022 will be a year for Van Dyke to perform and show that that he is a fully fleshed quarterback, and someone that could be drafted as high as the third QB in next spring’s draft.
1. Kentucky QB Will Levis
Unlike the other the other quarterbacks in this list, Will Levis is someone that transferred to another college. Levis was rated as a 3-star recruit coming out of high school, and opted to join Penn State. As a Freshman in 2019, Levis saw action in four games for the Lions, throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 213 rushing yards.
In 2020 as a sophomore, Levis played again in just four games, passing for 421 yards and only one touchdown. After two years with Penn State, Levis decided to transfer to Kentucky in a move that would place him in a scheme more fitted for his skill set. In his first season with the Wildcats, Levis played in 13 games, throwing for 2,826 yards and 24 touchdowns.
The 22 year old also increased his running game, finishing 2021 with 376 rushing yards. Levis is a prospect who really came out of nowhere. The move to Kentucky was a great decision that paid off, as he is now viewed as legitimate first-round talent.
Levis has great physical talent, with good accuracy and a quick but powerful release. The Kentucky talent also has a great running game, which is an ability desired in the current landscape of the NFL. Levis’ goals for 2022 will be to iron out parts of his game to become more polished. If he does this, then Levis will be a very popular prospect for NFL teams – including the Giants.