The 2023 NFL draft class is going down as a historic one at the quarterback position. It started on draft night. During the 2023 NFL Draft, a record 12 quarterbacks were taken in the first five rounds. There were a number of elite prospects that went high in the draft, like Bryce Young (first overall), CJ Stroud (second overall), and Anthony Richardson (fourth overall). The success of former Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, also led to a philosophy of taking rookie quarterbacks later in the draft that had a chance to come in as spot starters.
With so many quarterbacks taken in the draft, expectations were sky-high for the rookie class. While not everyone was perfect – as rookie struggles can be expected from first-year signal-callers – the rookie class has lived up to expectations so far. Ten rookie quarterbacks started at least one game this season, and that was an NFL record for non-strike seasons.
Those ten quarterbacks had varying levels of success, and we decided to rank them. This ranking paints a picture of how we feel about the quarterbacks' futures in the NFL, and it is not necessarily a ranking of their overall numbers in 2023. For example, Young started in 16 games for the Carolina Panthers this season, but he ranks lower than Richardson as the Indianapolis Colts' rookie was more impressive in his limited action on the field before suffering a season-ending injury. Therefore, it is fair to say Anthony Richardson instilled more confidence that he will be a great quarterback going forward than the former number-one overall pick did. Overall numbers matter, but what these quarterbacks showed when they were on the field matters more.
10. Clayton Tune
Coming into the season, Clayton Tune had a prime opportunity to start for the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray on injured reserve. Instead, journeyman Josh Dobbs was named the started as Tune was unimpressive in the preseason. Still, it seemed Tune would eventually take over the reins, as Dobbs was clearly not a part of the Cardinals' long-term plans. The latter statement was proven true, as Dobbs was traded to the Minnesota Vikings midway through the season. The trade happened too late for Tune to have much of a chance to prove himself, though, as Murray came back from injury after only one start by the rookie.
Tune didn't do anything in his lone start to warrant future opportunities. Tune went 11-22 for 58 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in Week 9. Granted, this was against a very good Cleveland Browns defense, but Tune's performance was among the worst in recent memory. He was even sacked seven times in that game. Tune finished his rookie season with only a total of 62 passing yards, and his QBR for the season was 1.1.
The Cardinals are going to have one of the top picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, and they may look to draft a new quarterback. It is also possible they stick with Kyler Murray (a former number-one overall pick) under center. Whatever they do, Clayton Tune being a future contributor in this league seems unlikely after the rookie quarterback's first season.
9. Jaren Hall
Jaren Hall had a prime opportunity to prove his worth and establish himself as the quarterback of the future with the Minnesota Vikings when he took over for an injured Kirk Cousins. Unfortunately, Hall was quickly injured himself in his first career start. He had another chance in Week 17, though, but the results were not pretty. Hall went 5-10 with 67 yards before being benched at halftime. The sample size is small, but Hall didn't do anything to make one believe the Vikings will be giving him any opportunities in the future.
8. Dorian Thompson-Robinson
Dorian Thompson-Robinson's first game was a disaster, but he picked it up throughout the season. The quarterback threw three interceptions in a 28-3 loss in his first game.
The struggles could be justified, though, as the rookie wasn't named the starter until hours before the game. He made two more starts and only threw one more interception, so he cut down on the turnovers. Thompson-Robinson also only threw one touchdown during the season, though.
He finished the year with 440 passing yards on 60 completions. His main contributions didn't come as an every-play quarterback, though. The Cleveland Browns often used Thompson-Robinson as a weapon who could rush the ball in the red zone. This gives the team an added dimension that teams will have to worry about in the 2023-24 playoffs and perhaps beyond.
7. Tyson Bagent
There were a number of rookie quarterbacks who had fun, Cinderella-story-like runs for a few weeks in the NFL before falling back down to Earth. Tyson Bagent fits this description. Bagent played Division II football in college and went undrafted in 2023, yet he was so impressive during training camp that he earned both a spot on the Chicago Bears roster and the nod as their backup quarterback.
He then earned a chance to play when Justin Fields missed time with an injury. Bagent made his first start after the Bears started their season 1-5, and he led the team to only their second victory of the season during his first start. The Bears' fanbase rallied behind him, and he put up better numbers than he did in his first start over the next two games. Bagent had 452 yards in Week 8 and 9 combined, but the magic faded a little as the team lost both of those games.
The rookie ended on a high note, though, as the Bears won in Week 10, Bagent's final start of the season. Bagent's numbers were uninspiring, but winning is all that matters in the NFL, and Bagent won some games that no one expected him to. That fact alone means he likely has a place in the NFL, but his role is most likely as a backup going forward.
6. Tommy DeVito
Like Bagent did with the Bears' fanbase, Tommy DeVito stole New York Giants fans' hearts after leading a historic team that was struggling to a couple of wins after Daniel Jones tore his ACL. The Giants started off 2-8, but they won three games under the leadership of DeVito. The Italian-American captivated the nation, and his signature celebration was used across sports for a few weeks.
In his best game, DeVito had 246 passing yards and three touchdowns. Like Bagent, though, he was also relegated back to the bench after the winning ways disappeared, as his production didn't pop off the page. He still had 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023, though. Those statistics were better than Daniel Jones' numbers despite the fact that the two started the same amount of games.
5. Aidan O'Connell
There is a big jump up in these rankings for the top five. The rest of the quarterbacks on this list started more games than they didn't. Aidan O'Connell was a surprising draft pick by the Las Vegas Raiders for many, as the team took the Purdue product in the fourth round. He proved his worth during his rookie season, though.
O'Connell wasn't flashy, but he was a steady presence for the Raiders, and he was talented enough that the team was confident playing him over Jimmy Garoppolo, a quarterback who the team gave a three-year, $67.5 million deal to in the offseason. O'Connell had 2,218 yards and 12 touchdown passes in his 10 starts.
It is not a guarantee that O'Connell will be the quarterback of the future for the Raiders, but it seems more likely than not that the team will run it back with O'Connell under center next season. This is especially true, considering he played his best football over the last month of the season. He helped the Raiders beat the Denver Broncos for the eighth straight time with 244 passing yards and two touchdowns in the last game of the season, and he threw four touchdown passes in a 63-21 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in what was one of the best games in franchise history during Week 15.
4. Bryce Young
It is way too early to call Bryce Young a bust, but his rookie season certainly didn't go the way anyone wanted it to. Young only ranked 20th in passing yards (2,877), 28th in touchdown passes (11), 15th in completions (315), and he only completed 59.8 percent of his passes.
Young made a number of rookie mistakes that fans hope he will be able to fix with time. He also showed some glaring weaknesses that were viewed as areas of concern during the draft process. This includes his height and limited ability to throw over the middle of the field.
His disappointing season was enhanced by the fact that C.J. Stroud played at an MVP level for much of the season. Young still has tons of talent, though, and there was a reason he was the first pick in 2023. His accuracy should improve, and the Panthers will surround him with more talent.
3. Will Levis
Will Levis was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2023 NFL Draft, but he didn't get a chance to start from day one like the quarterbacks drafted ahead of him were able to. When the Titans finally handed Levis the keys, though, he proved he was clearly the best quarterback on Tennessee's roster. Levis has a cannon for an arm, and he plays the game with passion.
He is far from a perfect player, as accuracy problems that haunted him in college were still prevalent in the NFL, but Levis gave his team the ability to make some big plays down the field. That was something that was lacking with Ryan Tannehill under center this season. Levis had 1,808 passing yards and eight passing touchdowns in nine games. His best game was his first game. In fact, it was one of the best quarterback debuts in NFL history. Levis threw four touchdowns in that game.
2. Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson only played in four games for the Colts before spraining his AC joint, but the Florida product looked like a future star in his time on the field. Richardson had 577 yards and three touchdowns through the air in the early portion of the season.
However, it was with the rushing attack that he most thrived.
Richardson looked like he could be the best rushing quarterback in the league going forward based on what he displayed in his four starts. The quarterback had 136 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. He did it with both speed and power, and it was tough for defenders to tackle the 6-foot 4-inch 244-pounder. The quarterback most thrived as a rushing weapon in the red zone.
His tendency to run (and pick up extra yards) also resulted in him getting hurt frequently, though. In addition to his season-ending injury, Richardson was knocked out of Week 1 action late with knee soreness before suffering a concussion in Week 2.
Injury concerns seem like the one thing that can slow down Richardson next season, and he will have to protect his body better, but he still seems like the second most talented quarterback from the 2023 NFL Draft class. In addition to his rushing, Richardson also has a rocket of an arm. Richardson may not have had the second-best season of the rookie quarterbacks, but he set himself up to have the second-best career of the signal-callers drafted in 2023.
1. CJ Stroud
CJ Stroud not only had the best rookie season of the quarterbacks this year, but he had one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history. It seems certain that MVPs are in Stroud's future, and he even played at an MVP level for much of this season.
Houston won three games last year, but Stroud led the team to a division title and a playoff birth in his first year. Stroud is accurate at all three levels of the field, and he truly can make any throw for his team. The big plays were evident, but he was also extremely cautious and protective of the football. Stroud became the first rookie to ever lead the league in touchdown-interception ratio. Turnovers are usually a problem for young quarterbacks, but the rookie mistakes were not there for Stroud.
Additionally, Stroud led the NFL in passing yards per game. He had 273.9 passing yards per game, and he joined elite company by becoming the third player in the last 50 years to lead the league in passing yards per game and touchdown-interception ratio. Joe Montana and Tom Brady are the two other players that have accomplished that feat.
Stroud's rookie year was memorable, and he will likely be named the Offensive Rookie of the Year despite Puka Nacua having a historic rookie season. That goes to show you how good Stroud was this season, and he seems destined to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league for a long time.
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