https://theathletic.com/3656529/2022/10/07/nfl-draft-cj-stroud-bryce-young-will-levis/ After conversing with several front-office members, it’s remained apparent Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young and Kentucky’s Will Levis should be first-round picks. Others may enter the fray in the coming months, but there’s a clear dropoff after those three. Even still, Stroud, Young and Levis have to continue to play well to solidify their status. Scouting departments will be monitoring plenty of factors as they visit campuses, interview coaches, attend games and study film. …For this story, NFL national insider Jeff Howe spoke with league general managers and executives while The Athletic’s top NFL Draft reporter, Dane Brugler analyzed Stroud, Young and Levis through the first five games of their seasons. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (6-3, 207) Five games in 2022: 92-for-134 (68.7%), 1,376 passing yards, 18 touchdowns (all passing), 2 interceptions Brugler’s analysis: If you believed Stroud was the top draft-eligible quarterback for the 2023 NFL Draft over the summer, not much has changed over the first month of the 2022 season to change that. While he was a little up-and-down in the opener against Notre Dame, Stroud quickly got back on track against Arkansas State, Toledo, Wisconsin and Rutgers. Within structure, Stroud plays with outstanding rhythm in the Buckeyes offense. He has a smooth stroke and shows the same composure each snap, regardless of score or situation. Although he doesn’t play with the athletic range or creativity you ideally want in a top-tier prospect, Stroud isn’t a statue and is comfortable moving the pocket when necessary. Talking to an opposing head coach who faced Ohio State this season, he said the most impressive aspect of Stroud’s game is his accuracy. The third-year sophomore doesn’t have elite arm strength, but more importantly, he understands ball placement and touch. Stroud’s feel for layering passes between levels of the defense is outstanding and shows up on each game tape. There is no doubt Stroud benefits from the offensive ecosystem in Columbus. His supporting cast of pass-catchers, running backs and blockers is elite, and coach Ryan Day is a crafty play caller. Whether designing RPO variations or inserting play tags that attack vulnerabilities, Day knows how to create conflict for the defense. However, the onus remains on the quarterback to make correct, on-time reads and put the ball in position for his receivers to make a play — and this is what Stroud does consistently. And really, it is no different than a quarterback who struggles to produce big numbers in a lackluster offense — evaluators must reconcile his individual skills with his surroundings. There are countless factors to consider when scouting a quarterback, which is a more dependent position than most tend to admit. NFL’s take: “Stroud to me is not as polished. He’s got a tremendous skillset but still needs development. He’ll definitely be in the mix (in the first round).” — NFL general manager “C.J. is more of a traditional pocket passer. I’d like to see him really work some underneath throws a little bit better in terms of being able to take something off some of his throws. He throws a really good deep ball and excels with that, but I want to see how he can consistently manage the short and intermediate throws that are going to be true NFL-type throws.” — NFL executive Bryce Young, Alabama (5-11, 197) Five games in 2022: 90-for-134 (67.2%), 1,202 passing yards, 17 touchdowns (14 passing, 3 rushing), 3 interceptions Brugler’s analysis: Similar to Stroud, if you believed Young was the top quarterback in the class entering the season, nothing has happened to make you think otherwise. The Alabama offense has sputtered at times in the early going, but that isn’t too surprising when you consider they lost their leading rusher, several key offensive linemen and five of their top six receivers from a year ago. Despite the struggles, it has been Young’s steady play that has kept the train on the tracks. His Texas tape was a great example. There is a narrative that Young played poorly against the Longhorns when the opposite is what shows up on tape. Alabama didn’t play well, and Texas should have won the game. But it was Young who overcame drops, blown protections and general subpar play around him to lift the Tide late. …With his rapid release and quick processing ability, the game isn’t too fast for Young. If you blitz him, he understands his hot reads and where the void in the defense should be. If you sit back and play coverage, Young can carve you up with his accuracy and ability to move the pocket and improvise. While technically-sound as both a passer and runner, his body has a lot of energy, which allows him to change arm angles and reset his throwing mechanics regardless of the platform. The positives are easy to spot on tape. And so are the negatives. Young doesn’t have the elite physical traits — if he did, we would be talking about him as the no-brainer, No. 1 overall pick. His arm strength is good, not great, but it is his size that makes him an outlier. He is expected to measure under six-foot, but unlike other shorter quarterbacks in the NFL like Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray, Young also lacks bulk on his frame, and his body type leads to durability questions. On Saturday against Arkansas, Young was knocked out of the game in the second quarter after he fell on his right arm when being tackled. The official diagnosis is a sprained AC joint to his throwing shoulder, and he is considered day-to-day. Quarterbacks much bigger than Young have suffered the same injury, but an issue like this won’t help the durability concerns. The best compliment I can give Young is he is a problem-solver. No matter what the defense throws at him, his preparation and instinctive feel for the position helps him come up with a solution time and time again. NFL teams in search of a problem-solver with a slow heart beat at quarterback will look past the size and bet on Young. NFL’s take: “The knock on him will be his size. But man, he is really, really good. It’ll be about durability. … You see great pocket awareness, his ability to move and slide keeping his eyes downfield and delivering the ball on time. Yes, he’s got great athletes around him, but he does a lot of nice things himself. I think he’s the real deal.” — NFL general manager “For Bryce, I want to see how he will continue to hold up physically. He’s not a prototypical size guy, but he’s got really good ability in the pocket to avoid contact and make throws. He’s an accurate passer. He’s got a really good ability to extend plays, even though that’s not his No. 1 asset or trait.” — NFL executive
Will Levis, Kentucky (6-4, 230) Five games in 2022: 97-for-141 (68.8%), 1,405 passing yards, 14 touchdowns (12 passing, 2 rushing), 4 interceptions Brugler’s analysis: If you are easily seduced by physical traits and covet a quarterback who is being projected by some to maybe-possibly-perhaps grow into a version of Josh Allen, then Levis is your guy. The chance that happens feels small, but you know the infamous words of Lloyd Christmas … Am I skeptical that Levis will grow into a top-five quarterback in the league like Allen? Very. Should he still be drafted in the first round? Yes, because he has starting-level traits and has shown encouraging progress along with room to continue developing. Levis is the prototype in several physical categories. He looks straight out of central casting with his size and play strength while also moving with the quickness of a much smaller athlete. Not only can he extend plays and be a rush threat, but his pocket footwork has gotten better and better over the last year. Levis also plays with the toughness and durability that offensive coaches covet in the NFL. With his powerful arm, the ball shoots off his hand, and Levis is able to drive his throws with velocity anywhere on the field. He routinely shows on film that he doesn’t need a firm base to deliver with arm strength or placement. While he has clearly shown on-field growth, Levis is still a work-in-progress from a mental and reactionary standpoint. Whether it is anticipating windows or reading the coverage, his process needs to be quicker. Levis tends to trust the play design to a fault, predetermining and forcing throws that aren’t there. However, Levis is showing progress with his passing rhythm… …Despite some of his inconsistencies, Levis’ production has been encouraging with 47 total touchdowns in 18 games since becoming a starter in the SEC. Kentucky also has a 14-4 record when Levis starts — some don’t think “quarterback wins” are a stat, but many in the NFL do, which makes it a relevant data point when projecting how high he will be drafted. Like Young at Alabama, Levis was tasked with leading an offense this season with several new faces. He lost four of his top five pass-catchers, including his top target from a year ago (Wan’Dale Robinson), and a pair of starting linemen (Darian Kinnard, Luke Fortner), who were both drafted. But maybe the biggest adjustment has been Kentucky’s new play-caller Rich Scangarello, who left the NFL to replace Liam Cohen, who was hired as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. There are more similarities than differences with the two coordinators and their offensive philosophies, but it is evident the quarterback and play-caller are working through an adjustment period. While I have some reservations, I certainly understand why some evaluators are sky-high on Levis and his upside. He has enticing physical traits with the work ethic and coachability that give NFL teams optimism about what he will look like three years from now. Finding another Josh Allen is unlikely, but that won’t stop NFL teams from chasing the potential. NFL’s take: “Skill set-wise, Levis is the most pro-ready. I think we have to figure out, what does he really know? How much can he comprehend and manage the offense?” — NFL general manager “He made a serious jump from playing at Penn State’s offense to the system that Liam Coen brought in from the Rams. And now we’re going to see it with Rich Scangarello. Will has continued to show that he can play in the pro style offensive system after making the transition from Penn State. For him, it would be consistently watching his ability to make plays from the pocket and continue to work through his progressions. He’s a big, strong dude who is athletic, can run the ball and lower his shoulder. It’s transcending more into the NFL game now with the quarterbacks that you see.” — NFL executive
^But you can point a lot of Josh Allen's success to Brian Daboll as his OC for the first few years. I'm not sure drafting Will Levis would work with the current coaching staff
I don't know, the college QB discussion is only going on in about 13 different threads. Get busy reading, or be like me and try to ignore it until January.
Has Max Duggan made himself into a prospect? Good arm, 4.4 speed, great production this season and solid size
Haven't watched the game today (OU/UT) but atm he's the receiver I would like most on the Texans next year.
Even without Jaxon Smith Njigba, Stroud has elite receivers. Really want to see Stroud against better defenses.
Not trying to be intentionally dense and I understand the difference in talent levels between powerhouse programs and mid majors like Rutgers, but they do have the 14th ranked defense nationally. Juuuuust sayin'. Similarly with Toledo being in the top 50 total defense last I checked. Wisconsin sits at 26th nationally with a more recognizable win. CJ Stroud dissected them all and in the same vein I cant use the Notre Dame "good defense" excuse for game 1 anymore since they have fallen off a cliff. Iowa is currently ranked 9th total defense in the nation. That should be a good test. Im eager for the Michigan game myself since it would check more boxes for everyone.
