We’re still early in the pre-draft portion of the NFL offseason. That hasn’t stopped mock drafts from being pumped out by every sports site.
We saw only one quarterback go in the first round last year, but that should change as we could possibly have five go on Day 1. Will it be smart for teams to go after these players at their current projection? Let’s look at some overvalued quarterbacks for this pre-draft season.
Check out all of our 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles 
2023 NFL Draft Prospects: Overvalued Quarterbacks
Will Levis (QB – Kentucky)
If Will Levis declared for the draft last year, he would have been the bonafide top quarterback and could have been a top-five pick. He and Kentucky had a fantastic 2021. Levis threw for 2,826 yards and 24 passing touchdowns and ran for 376 yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He was getting the Josh Allen comparison during that season.
2022 was a rough year for him. The Wildcats struggled, Levis played with multiple injuries, and his offense never had all the starters on the field. When you watch him play, there are still concerns. The raw talent is there, and he has the size of a prototypical quarterback, but the mechanics need work.
The accuracy isn’t there at all times: We have a lot of over and under throws, along with missing the right spot to hit the receiver, so they’re not interrupted by the defender.
Lastly, the decision-making isn’t NFL-ready. He goes through his progressions very quickly before deciding to take off and is turnover prone because he will try to move the ball through the air into double coverage.
He will not be ready to start in Week 1. So hopefully, wherever he gets drafted will have a veteran presence to learn from and a great coaching staff to teach the technical imperfections.
Anthony Richardson (QB – Florida)
I’ve discussed on Twitter that Anthony Richardson has a chance to be a top quarterback, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe being taken in the top-10 picks is too high.
He only has one year of starting experience. Remember that he and Emory Jones split snaps at quarterback in 2021. If Jones didn’t transfer, it would have been a competition in the spring.
Just like Levis, he has the build of an NFL quarterback, and for his size, he moves well. He also has a cannon for an arm, and we’ve seen glimpses of how far he can stretch the field.
He’s another quarterback who needs to improve his mechanics and decision-making. There were massive highs and lows. For the great performances against Tennessee and Texas A&M, there were games against Kentucky and South Florida where he looked terrible.
The return on Richardson has the potential to be lucrative, but it would be very risky for a team to spend a high pick on him.
Jaren Hall (QB – BYU)
Jaren Hall is similar to Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker in that he will be 25 years old on draft day. While Hooker could be an exciting prospect to investigate later in the draft, Hall may not be. He’s a former baseball player, and it shows in his throwing motion and accuracy.
The size is a concern. 6’1″ and 211 pounds isn’t the worst for a quarterback. But someone like Hall, who likes to run out of the pocket, is vulnerable to taking hits from players much bigger than him. Case in point, there is a history of injuries. He missed time almost every season with an injury, including two concussions and a hip injury.
There is also a concern with his decision-making. Hall is known to show panic when he can’t find any open receivers. His mechanics get shaky when he doesn’t see his quick option or has to make a longer throw.
He’s getting looked at as a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick. But I don’t think that a team should look to spend draft capital for the age, size and some weaknesses. Instead, they should look for him as a UDFA.
Tanner McKee (QB – Stanford)
The reason why I have Tanner McKee on here is not that I don’t like him as a prospect. I do. However, I don’t think he’s a fit for every team. He’s an intelligent player if he went to Stanford, and he’s shown to be a great field manager. Yet he also has physical abilities.
So why shouldn’t he be a first-round, top-10 pick? Simply he’s someone that needs to come into the right situation. Stanford was awful during McKee’s tenure. While you saw that McKee was good, he didn’t elevate this team.
Putting him in a rebuilding team situation could set him up for failure. Specifically, if he has a bad offensive line because he doesn’t have the mobility to counteract it.
A couple of teams have some great pieces but just need a quarterback. The Buccaneers immediately come to mind where McKee could flourish in a good situation. Depending on how they go about their current QB situations, the Vikings, Lions and Jets would also be ideal.
McKee could be a great Day 2 pickup with an immediate return for a team that isn’t on the cusp of building a playoff team.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | SoundCloud | iHeartRadio
