2023 Senior Bowl QB Rankings, Breakdowns & Team Fits

The 2023 Senior Bowl is underway, and FantasyPros is on the scene in Mobile, AL to watch all of the practices. Here are initial quarterback rankings, breakdowns and team fits from Thor Nystrom, Derek Brown and Crissy Froyd.

• 2023 Senior Bowl Guide
• Thor’s 2023 Senior Bowl Preview: Offense
• 2023 Senior Bowl Preview: Defense
• DBro’s 2023 Senior Bowl Primer: Dynasty Rookies to Know

Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles

2023 Senior Bowl QB Rankings & Team Fits

Hendon Hooker (QB – TEN)

• Thor Ranking: 1
• DBro Ranking: 1
• Crissy Ranking: 1
• Team Fits: Saints, Commanders, Seahawks
• NFL Draft Projection: Round 3-4
• Player Comps: Joshua Dobbs, Daniel Jones

Summary:

• Hooker has the prerequisite arm strength to make all the NFL throws, but he doesn’t have a cannon by any means. His short area accuracy can be sporadic, with him airmailing touch passes within ten yards of the line of scrimmage.
• He is a “see it and throw it” quarterback. Hooker is not an anticipatory thrower. He does tend to stare down his first read, which results in corners jumping routes in the NFL. Hooker wasn’t asked to go through full-field reads, with many plays having a predetermined option and, at the most, Hooker having to get to his second option. The Vols also gave him a ton of stacked formations where his 1-to-2 progression was easy.
• Hooker displayed rushing upside in college. He is adept at letting his blocks set up in front of him with adequate vision. He is not an explosive or dynamic rusher in the open field, so I wonder how much rushing production will translate to the NFL.

Jake Haener (QB – Fresno State)

• Thor Ranking: 2
• DBro Ranking: 2
• Crissy Ranking: 3
• Team Fits: 49ers, Dolphins, Jets
• NFL Draft Projection: Round 5
• Player Comps: Bailey Zappe, Kellen Moore

Summary:

• Max effort thrower. Haener has average arm strength. His offense catered to his quick release and accuracy on short and intermediate timing throws.
• The best-case scenario would be an offense that asks Haener to operate as a quick processing point guard. He profiles as a solid backup that could keep the offense afloat in a pinch. Please don’t ask him to go out and play Superman or be a floor-raising QB.
• His outside the numbers accuracy can be spotty. His arm strength limitations show up here, but he does display the ability to layer throws versus zone coverage.

Clayton Tune (QB – Houston)

• Thor Ranking: 3
• DBro Ranking: 3
• Crissy Ranking: 6
• Team Fits: Buccaneers, Raiders
• NFL Draft Projection: Round 7 / UDFA
• Player Comps: Jake Fromm

Summary:

What I appreciate about Tune is his consistency. Last year, he remained extremely steady despite circumstances around him beginning to crumble. No passer in this class was more victimized by drops (31), and Tune was forced to stay sharp playing with one of the nation’s worst defenses – every game turned into a shootout.

Tune is a heady, accurate passer who knows how to run a system, and he doesn’t get rattled by pressure. But he shied from testing tight windows, instead taking what the defense gives him. Was that a system-based preference? Or was he hiding his arm? Either way, Tune is more dangerous in the short-and-intermediate sectors than he is deep.

Quarterbacks like this are easy to discount. But the right one with the right staff is Brock Purdy.

Max Duggan (QB – TCU)

• Thor Ranking: 6
• DBro Ranking: 4
• Crissy Ranking:  2
• Team Fits: Eagles, Steelers
• NFL Draft Projection: Round 7 / UDFA
• Player Comps: Will Grier

Summary:

Max Duggan is a productive, tough quarterback who makes sound decisions with the football, shows appropriate touch on his passes, and offers the ability to pick up yardage with his feet on designed runs or as a scrambler. However, he has below-average physical tools, relatively pedestrian arm talent, and occasional issues with ball placement that either result in incompletions or limit yards after the catch. Those limitations may make him more of a backup/spot-starter at the pro level, projecting as more of a mid-round selection.

Jaren Hall (QB – BYU)

• Thor Ranking: 4
• DBro Ranking: 5
• Crissy Ranking:  5
• Team Fits: Titans, Giants
• NFL Draft Projection:
• Player Comps: Jordan Love, Taylor Heinicke

Summary:

The tools are there. Hall has an exciting mix of athleticism and arm oomph. On his best reps, he looks like a potential top-50 pick. On his worst, he looks like an XFL backup.

Hall was a multi-sport athlete who comes from a family of athletes. That’s apparent when watching him. Hall has a big-league arm and can throw on the move. A former baseball player, he’s comfortable – even natural – throwing from different arm angles, and off-platform.

But Hall has never equaled the sum of his parts. And he regressed in 2021, with his PFF big-time throw rate dropping from 6.7 to 5.5 while his turnover-worth play rate rose from 2.1 to 2.7. Hall’s play under pressure summarily crumbled, with a grade of 61.3 falling to 44.9.

Toolsy but undisciplined – think a well-behaved Johnny Manziel – Hall has fans in the league but needs a big week to win more converts. Will he leave Mobile as a priority Day 2 developmental target? Or seen as an undisciplined late-Day 3 longshot?

Tyson Bagent (QB – Shepherd)

• Thor Ranking: 5
• DBro Ranking: 6
• Crissy Ranking:  4
• Team Fits: Falcons, Broncos
• NFL Draft Projection: UDFA
• Player Comps: N/A

Summary:

You know that old NFL adage that the most popular player on every team is the backup quarterback? Well, the most popular player on every Senior Bowl roster is the mystery quarterback. This year, that’s Tyson Bagent.

Even though Bagent was West Virginia’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2018, he was an unranked recruit out of high school. So he signed with D-2 Shepherd and proceeded to put up literal video game numbers – Bagent’s 159 career TD passes are an NCAA record for any division of football.

Shepherd’s staff was very open about having built its entire offensive system around Bagent’s skillset. That is both high praise and an evaluation hurdle. That system was heavy in RPO and play-action candy, giving Bagent the ability to show off his arm on throws to his first- or second-reads but not typically asking him to survey the entire field.

Malik Cunningham (QB – Louisville)

• Thor Ranking: 7
• DBro Ranking: 7
• Crissy Ranking:  7
• Team Fits: Ravens, Giants
• NFL Draft Projection: UDFA
• Player Comps: Dennis Dixon

Summary: 

• Dynamic rusher. Cunningham can make defenders miss in tight quarters while also benign able to shed arm tackles.
• Cunningham’s biggest strides need to come as a passer. His arm strength is average. He is at his best when delivering quick hitters to his receivers in stride. His deep ball accuracy is erratic, and receivers are left waiting on passes many times.
• His penchant for superhero plays will get him into trouble in the NFL. Cunningham will force throws and attempt passes while he’s getting wrapped up by a defender. The results were disastrous at times. The more he comes to terms with the fact that it’s ok to dirt a ball or throw it out of bounds, the better off he’ll be.

Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles

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