Jordan Laube
Apr 175 min
And so, we have reached the last positional breakdown of this PRR cycle! We finish our positional coverage with the quarterbacks in this class, and even though it is a bit overrated, there are still some solid prospects in this group.
Many teams need a QB, with about six looking for an immediate franchise answer, and multiple others who will need competition and serviceable backups. You can find all of that in this class, so let's see who made my top 10 for this years' gunslingers!
Photo: Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel
Jordan's age and injury will be a concern, as well as his inconsistent throwing mechanics where he doesn't fully follow through under pressure. With that said, he has a really solid athletic toolset, and arm talent that may be worth taking a chance on. He will most likely fall to day 3 or be undrafted, but he could be a solid addition for a team looking for QB depth.
Pro Comp: Felipe Franks
Tualia's better than expected, but there are still some question marks with his game. He is decent when he has a clean pocket and time to diagnose a defense, but he struggles the more he gets pressured as the game goes on. Tagovailoa is definitely a project, and may end up being a career backup, but he should be able to compete if he gets thrown into a game.
Pro Comp: PJ Walker
Spencer isn't bad by any means, but he's not polished either. He has a really good arm and is athletic enough to play at the next level. He showed a wide array of touch and bullet passes in college, but he needs to get much better under pressure to start at the next level. If he can do that and stop forcing throws, he should have a nice career.
Pro Comp: Drew Lock
Pratt was better than I thought he would be. He plays great within structure, and he has a strong arm to slice and dice defenses from any angle and against any coverage. He needs to play better under pressure and maintain his poise, but overall is a good athlete with a great arm; I think he has a chance to be a starter in the league at some point.
Pro Comp: Lite Dak Prescott
Photo: Derick Hingle/AP Photo
Bo exceeded my expectations. He does a great job taking what's open and pushing the envelope when he needs to. He also has solid athleticism and uses that to extend plays. He did play in an offense that catered to his skillset, and he will be asked to do a lot more as a potential NFL starter. If he lands in the right system, he can definitely make something out of his career.
Pro Comp: Jared Goff and Trevor Lawrence love child, but nerfed
Michael has a significant history with injuries, and is up there in age, which could deter teams from taking him earlier than expected. Other than that, he's a legit gunslinger who reads defenses well and can maneuver the pocket effectively. It'll help that he played in a relatively pro-style offense and had great weapons to target. He should be a starter for a considerable time.
Pro Comp: Deshaun Watson
Daniels is a "fun college quarterback" with a decent arm and incredible athleticism. He is able to exploit rushing lanes and break off huge gains, while also having a good enough passing prowess to keep defenses honest; but that's about where his pros stop. I felt underwhelmed by his tape outside of the big plays, even more so considering he won the Heisman this year. Pair that with being surrounded by two top-notch receivers in this class and one of the best offensive lines in college football, there are more red flags than I would like for someone to be drafted in the top 10, let alone the top 3. To boot, he didn't put together a great season until his 5th year playing college ball.
I said I would keep write-ups positive and not dive into the negatives too much, but there are too many here to ignore. If Jayden does go 2nd overall, it will likely continue a trend of QBs not panning out that were selected at that spot - minus one or two outliers. Despite this, he has the athletic upside and processing ability that gives him a tremendous ceiling, thus still landing him inside my top 5 QBs for this class.
Pro Comp: Justin Fields
Photo: Scott Clause/USA TODAY Sports
JJM has a great foundation to develop into a franchise QB. He has fantastic anticipation on his throws, unexpected command and control of the offense, and ability to handle pressure at a high level. Don't let box scores and lack of overall passing volume fool you - he had more first half pass attempts, is the most efficient 3rd down passer, and has one of the highest adjusted completion rates out of the draftable QBs in this class over the past two seasons.
His most glaring issues are inexperience and throwing mechanics, but that will get fixed with more reps. I love his game and believe JJ is definitely worth a first round pick to develop behind someone (*cough cough* looking at you Minnesota *cough*).
Pro Comp: Brock Purdy
Drake may have been QB1 in the past two classes. His ability to extend and create plays, navigate pressure, and throw with anticipation are all traits that NFL teams are looking for in a signal caller. His accuracy in 2023 could be a concern, but I think he works that out behind a better offensive line than he had in college. He'll be a day 1 starter and a wonderful franchise quarterback.
Pro Comp: Jordan Love
Some people are scared to say it, but I'm not: Caleb is the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck, and possibly is the best QB prospect we've ever seen. There are legit concerns with how much "hero-ball" he played, and if his play style will be sustainable in the NFL, but his out of structure ability is eerily similar to Patrick Mahomes - who has made a living off of doing unorthodox things at the pro level.
If you don't like him because he paints his nails or "gets emotional", that's on you. He's a great athlete who's passionate about the game, and most importantly, winning. He's a deadly passer from the pocket, has a massive arm to extend the field, great game speed to keep defenses playing scared, and when all else fails, he'll still find a way to make something happen. Caleb is the best player in this class, and has been since he first stepped on the field at Oklahoma in 2021. The Bears are finally getting their franchise QB.
Pro Comp: Alien
Photo: Ryan Kang/Getty Images
Final Notes:
The only other QB who I think may do well in the NFL is Austin Reed. In the right offense, he could thrive due to his solid processing, mechanics, and efficiency in the short and intermediate game. He's pretty vanilla as far as athleticism goes, but that forces him to be even sharper in structure than the majority of QBs in this class.
On Friday, I'll be dropping the last PRR in this cycle, where I cover my favorite players in this class. They aren't my top guys per se, but they are prospects that - in the right situation - could be difference makers for whatever team they land on. After that, I'll be dropping my big board filled with 250(!!!) prospects that I've scouted, as well as my final mock draft of the offseason!