Hello everyone and welcome to the week two quarterback rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft! Though some of the performances weren't as good as what we had last week, especially from some quarterbacks in the top five, this list is relatively unchanged from the last one.
Though this hasn't changed that much, it was hard to try and rank the quarterbacks because again, some of the performances were a far cry than what we saw last week. That being said, I think in the grand scheme of things, the quarterbacks who had a suspect week two are naturally better than the quarterbacks behind them, which is why some stayed in the same spot they were last week.
This week, we will see if Bryce Young stayed at number one despite the one point win against Texas and see if Stroud's performance against Arkansas State was enough to move him up. We could also see Jaren Hall move up thanks to a nice double overtime win against Baylor and see which other SEC quarterbacks rank towards the bottom of the top 10.
All that being said, I just hope you enjoy this weeks list. If not, I apologize, but without further ado, here is our week two quarterback prospect rankings! Enjoy!
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Pictured: CJ Stroud, Ohio State; Bryce Young, Alabama; Jaren Hall, BYU
1. Bryce Young, Alabama
Wk 2 - 27/39 213 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/7 carries 38 yds 0 touchdowns @ Texas (20-19 W)
Season - 45/67 408 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 138 yds 1 touchdown
As someone who really like Bryce Young, I can honestly say this was not his best performance. Something else I can be blatantly honest about is that I, and I'm assuming many others, thought Alabama would steamroll the Texas Longhorns on Saturday. Hell, Alabama was a 21.5 point favorite over the Longhorns, even the people in Vegas thought Alabama would blow them out. Though a lot of people though Bama would obliterate them, Texas, and the Longhorn faithful, came to play on Saturday. With 105,000+ in attendance, a stadium record, an on-field temperature of 110 degrees, and a back-up quarterback, Texas shocked the nation with a one point loss, which is weird to think of, 'shocking the nation' after a loss, but I would say that's true. With Bryce Young at the helm, Alabama will, and should be, the favorite in every game they play, even though they may not always live up to those expectations. Throughout Saturday's game though, Young was constantly under pressure, as Texas' d-line and linebacking core generated great push back against a normally stout Bama o-line. As well as that, with Bryce Young's ability to stretch the field, the deep pass was pretty much eliminated from the game, and it shows with the stats, as Young was the only QB in the SEC on Saturday without a single completion that traveled 15+ air yards, with 9 other SEC quarterbacks completing 6+ of those passes. He was 0-6, with only 2 of those attempts being outside the hashes. For comparison, last year, Bryce Young was 10th Nationally with 49 completions of 15+ air yards (per Jordan Rodgers). This past offseason, Bama lost wide receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie, running back Brian Robinson, and left tackle Evan Neal, all going to the NFL, and it shows. With a whole new group of weapons, who are mostly transfers, Young had to play the hero in this game, and he led Bama back to win. People want to bitch and moan about him 'checking it down' at the end, but if that's what the defense is giving you, you'd be stupid not to take it. Take what the defense gives you, Young did that, and they won the game (though there were some questionable calls/non-calls in this game). Young showed off his arm talent and his maneuverability throughout this game, breaking off some impressive drive extending runs and some game saving passes. Though Alabama was expected to dominate, and though Young's numbers weren't necessarily astounding, he's still the best quarterback in college football, and is still the top quarterback in the class.
Pre-Season - 1
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - v UL Monroe
2. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Wk 2 - 16/24 351 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -1 yd 0 touchdowns v Arkansas State (45-12 W)
Season - 40/58 574 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns
As we said last week, this game was going to be a nice 'stat padding' game for CJ Stroud and the Ohio State offense. I'm sure they would've liked to put up some crazier numbers week one, but they still played well and won the game. This week, though the Red Wolves were in the game at the beginning, Ohio State's class showed as the game progressed and they came out big victors, even without star wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Throughout the game, Stroud just picked apart Arkansas State's defense, throwing for 351 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers, which is the main thing you look for in games like this. You're expecting to put up good numbers, but you can't take games like this for granted and get all lackadaisical with the football, which Stroud didn't. Again, without JSN, receivers such as Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka stepped up with both of them hitting triple figures in receiving yards with Harrison catching three of Stroud's touchdowns, with Egbuka catching one. The thing that made this game fun for Stroud was that he showed off some great ball placement, with the most impressive of his passes coming on Marvin Harrison Jr.'s third and final touchdown of the day, hitting Jr. at the pylon with two defenders around him, placing it only where the receiver could get it. He even had to flash some of his athletic ability, as he had to evade a pretty decent pass rush from the Red Wolves early in the game. Overall, this is the type of game you wanted to see from Stroud, and I expect similar-ish things in Ohio State's next game against Toledo. Though the Rockets have looked good to start the season, Stroud should have no issue putting up great numbers this Saturday.
Pre-Season - 2
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - v Toledo
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Wk 2 - 14/35 143 yds 0 touchdowns 2 interceptions/6 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns v no.20 Kentucky (26-16 L)
Season - 31/59 311 yds 0 touchdowns 2 interceptions/17 carries 110 yds 3 touchdowns
After having one of the more impressive debut games in week one against Utah, Anthony Richardson didn't put up anywhere near the same numbers as he did against a tough Utes defense. I don't know what it was, but Richardson just looked very off on Saturday night against the 20th ranked Kentucky Wildcats, in one of the more anticipated quarterback match-ups at this point in the season, more on Levis later. In that impressive week one performance, Richardson ran for 106 yards with three touchdowns, while completing about 70% of his passes against, again, a good Utes defense. This week, Richardson totaled just four yards on the ground and registered his first and second interceptions of the season. The first one was kind of lazy, as Richardson basically just handed it to the Kentucky defender. The second one, though it could go down as a miss communication between Richardson and his receiver, even if the receiver was running a hitch instead of a vert, the defender still would've jumped the route, and much like this one, almost 100% of the time if a defender jumps that route, it's going back for six in the opposite direction. Though the interceptions weren't the greatest, Richardson still made some decent passes throughout the game, i.e. his throw to Xzavier Henderson down the sideline, which he placed in between two defenders. He also had a very tough throw from the opposite hash to the sideline on a third a 10 play that, if thrown incorrectly or not placed near perfectly, that is also going the opposite direction for six. Look, though Richardson didn't put forth his most constant game or his best statistical performance, I don't think anyone below him really did much to displace him here at number three. And look, to put this in perspective, in the three starts Richardson has made throughout his Florida career, all of them were against top 25 opponent, with two of them being in the top 10 at the time they played them, with his first collegiate start coming against the number one Georgia Bulldogs last season. Like we've said before, Richardson has all the tools to be an elite quarterback at the college level, he just needs to stay consistent, but that'll come with time, I'm sure of it. Hell, when the Gators played South Florida last year, Richardson totaled 267 yards of offense with three touchdowns without starting, let's see what he can do as Florida's main man this time around. Excited to see how the rest of the season goes.
Pre-Season - 5
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - v South Florida
4. Will Levis, Kentucky
Wk 2 - 13/24 202 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/7 carries -12 yds 1 touchdowns @ no.12 Florida (26-16 W)
Season - 34/56 505 yds 4 touchdowns 2 interceptions/14 carries -30 yds 1 touchdown
Like we said with Richardson earlier, last Saturday's game between Florida and Kentucky was hyped as being one of the first possible first round quarterback dual of the season, with Anthony Richardson taking on Will Levis. Though he still comes in behind Richardson in the week two quarterback rankings, Levis won where it really mattered, on the football field, coming away with a 26-16 win against Richardson's Gators at 'the Swamp' in front of 88,000+ screaming fans. That being said, though he came out on top, much like Richardson, Levis didn't necessarily have the greatest game of his career, throwing for just over 200 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while also failing to register a single positive yard on the ground, which is something he has now failed to do for the second straight game (third if we're dating back to last season). In his first year as the starter at Kentucky, Levis had only failed to rush for 10 or more yards three times, failing to gain a single yard only twice, those two times coming in the first game of the season and in the bowl game against Iowa. To start this season, he's already done it twice, which is very strange given how athletic he is for a quarterback of his size. Now, again, like Richardson, Levis still was able to show off some of his arm talent that everyone knows he has, hitting freshman wide out Dane Key in the end zone for a nice 55-yard bomb to put the Wildcats up early in the second quarter (through it was arguably a better catch by Key to high point the football). Though this quarterback dual didn't necessarily live up to the hype as far as the quarterbacks are concerned, the Wildcats still managed to get a very impressive double digit win against a 12th ranked Florida team on the road, which I'm sure is the only thing Levis and his teammates really care about. Now a top 10 program, coming in at number nine in the latest AP poll, Levis should be able to put up better numbers against a fairly decent 2-0 Youngstown State team.
Pre-Season - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - v Youngstown State
5. Tyler Van Dyke, Miami (FL)
Wk 2 - 21/30 263 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/6 carries -16 yds 0 touchdowns v Southern Mississippi (30-7 W)
Season - 34/46 456 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries -19 yds 0 touchdowns
Compared to the other quarterbacks in the top five, one could make a fairly decent argument that Tyler Van Dyke has had the easiest schedule up to this point in the season, as him and the Hurricanes have played Bethune-Cookman and Southern Mississippi. But hey, like we said with CJ Stroud early, and Bryce Young last week, just because you play a team that you're supposed to beat, doesn't always mean you're going to have the best performance. The most important thing to do in these types of games is to not take the 'weaker' opponent for granted, because as we saw this week, those 'weaker' teams can have a decent bite on them, and early on in this game, Southern Miss came out biting. Hell, it wasn't even until late late in the second quarter that Miami took the lead, going into half leading by the score of 10-7, before eventually waking up and beating the Golden Eagles 30-7. But in that first half, there are some things I'm sure Van Dyke would love to take back, mainly the interception, where he waited way to long for things to develop, leaving the receiver flat footed, causing the defender to easily jump the route and end up with an interception. In the first half, Van Dyke was behind a lot of his receivers, which is somewhat of a testament to his arm strength, because he's not wanting to over throw them, but it caused for some shakiness in the first half for Miami. The second half, things started opening up, with Miami hitting a nice little flea-flicker about two thirds through the third quarter, with Van Dyke hitting a wide open Key'Shawn Smith to put Miami up 24-7. All in all though, I don't really think this was Van Dyke's best performance, as I'm sure there are a lot of throws that he wished he had back, with a few nearly ending up in the defenses hands. This week though, Van Dyke and the Hurricanes are taking on an A&M team fresh off a 17-14 home loss to Appalachian State, so Kyle Field will be ready to give it to the Hurricanes offense. Kyle Field is already a tough place to play, especially at night, so I hope Van Dyke is up to the task. Regardless, it should be a very fun game.
Pre-Season - 4
Wk 1 - 5
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - @ no.24 Texas A&M
6. Jaren Hall, BYU (+1)
Wk 2 - 23/39 261 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/10 carries 28 carries 0 touchdowns/1 reception 22 yds 1 touchdown v no.9 Baylor (26-20 W 2OT)
Season - 48/71 522 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/15 carries 43 yds 0 touchdowns
I really wish I was able to stay up for the entire BYU v Baylor game on Saturday, but when a game starts at 9:15, and it's two teams you don't particularly care about, motivation to stay up super late can be hard to come by. Now, in saying that, I do really wish I had that motivation to stay up because any game played in Provo, Utah, at night, always makes for an exciting game. For whatever reason, LaVell Edwards Stadium is an absolute fortress. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're ranked, if you travel to Provo for a night game, you're more likely than not to come away with a loss, and that was the case for Baylor. Though the Bears came away with a 38-24 win in Waco last season, BYU came in motivated in front of a very electric home crowd, which helped propel the Cougars to a 26-20 overtime win this time around, giving BYU their first win vs a top 10 team since beating Wisconsin 24-21 in 2018. From the word 'go,' BYU and quarterback Jaren Hall looked ready to go. Though their first drive, kind of, stalled out with a field goal, the Cougar offense moved the ball with relative ease, not even getting passed second down until the drive ultimately stalled out at the 12 minute mark in the first quarter. After that though, BYU struggled moving the ball, with three of their next four drives ending after BYU failed to get a first down. But, as halftime loomed, Jaren Hall threw a beautiful ball to the left side of the end zone, placing it only where his receiver could get it, with just two seconds left in the half. It was an overall fantastic play, as Chase Roberts made an NFL-esc catch along the sideline, just a great play. A couple of drives later, Hall got in on the receiving action, catching a nice little reverse pass by the aforementioned Chase Roberts for a 22 yard touchdown. Then, as it looked like Hall led BYU to a win in regulation, driving 72-yards in two minutes, seeming to set up a proverbial chip shot for kicker Jake Oldroyd. Sadly, Oldroyd missed it wide left. On that drive, Hall was methodical. Making a few plays with his feet before hitting, guess who, Chase Roberts down the left sideline on a nice 37-yard pass. Then, after another missed field goal in first overtime, Hall got the Cougars down to the red zone, where running back Lopini Katoa punched it in from the three yard line, which turned out to be the game winner. Like we said before, though the Cougars had some drives stall out in the first half, Hall stayed within himself and made big plays when his team needed it, whether it was in the run or pass game. He threw some beautiful balls down the sideline which proved huge as the game went on. His ball placement on his throws is very nice, and I'm excited to see how him and the Cougars do on the road in Eugene next weekend, taking on a Ducks team that is fresh off a loss to Marshall. I think Hall and co. are up to the tough task ahead.
Pre-Season - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - @ no.25 Oregon
7. Tanner McKee, Stanford (-1)
Wk 2 - 20/35 220 yds 1 touchdown 2 interceptions/8 carries -12 yds 1 touchdown v no.10 USC (41-28 L)
Season - 42/62 528 yds 3 touchdowns 3 interceptions/8 carries -12 yds 1 touchdown
There was a small part of me that was hoping for Stanford to pull off another upset win against a conference foe. Last season, when Stanford faced off a then third ranked Oregon Ducks team early in the season, the Cardinal came out 31-24 victors in overtime. As fun as that game was, the chances of that happening this time around were almost slim to none, as this version of USC is insanely talented with one of the best quarterbacks and offenses in all of college football. Stanford weren't playing Anthony Brown this season, Caleb Williams is a different kettle of fish, and it showed, as USC came out 41-28 victors in Stanford on Saturday. Now, they scoreline may seem a little favorable in favor of Stanford, as they scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to make it look at least somewhat competitive. As a whole, Stanford just struggled to keep up, and McKee just never really looked that comfortable in the game, and it showed as he threw an interception on third play of the game. McKee tried to hit his tight end Benjamin Yurosek over the middle but sailed the ball over the 6'4" tight ends head, and after a couple of USC bounces, the pass was picked off by Max Williams. Then, on Stanford's second drive of the game, after a close call that went against Stanford, McKee threw a jump ball down the left sideline and he was interested again. All that being said, the game did get a little better for McKee, as he didn't throw an interception after those first two drives. As the game progressed, McKee hit some darts over the middle and threw a very nice back shoulder throw to Brycen Tremayne. All in all, this wasn't great game for Stanford, as a whole, not just McKee. Stanford shot themselves in the foot a fair few times in this game, making it very easy for USC to score as much as they did. I think a bye week will serve McKee and the Stanford Cardinal well, and get them ready for a road trip up to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies.
Pre-Season - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - BYE
8. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Wk 2 - 27/42 325 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/15 carries 27 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.17 Pitt (34-27 W OT)
Season - 45/67 546 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/20 carries 39 yds 2 touchdowns
Revenge is sweet, ain't it? When Pitt and Tennessee met at Neyland Stadium last season, Kenny Pickett led the Panthers to a 41-34 win. This time around, both teams had different starting quarterbacks, with Hooker now the unquestioned starter for the Vols, though he came in for an injured Joe Milton in the second quarter last year, and Kedon Slovis transferring from USC to Pitt this past offseason. Much like the changes at quarterback, there was a change in the scoreboard, as this time around, Hooker led the Vols to an impressive 34-27 overtime win in the newly named Acrisure Stadium. Though Tennessee started off a little slow, not getting their first first down until their third drive of the game, they woke up in the second quarter, scoring 17 unanswered point before half. Their first touchdown of the second quarter came by way of a beautiful Hendon Hooker touchdown pass down the left sideline, placing it right in the bucket of Bru McCoy. Even their second touchdown of the quarter was set up by a great deep ball by Hooker down the opposite sideline, culminating in a one-yard run by Jabari Small. I think I could make an argument that Hendon Hooker throws one of the best deep balls in all of college football. They're super high arcing passes, but they always seem to perfectly lead the intended receiver. Though his second touchdown didn't come until overtime, Hooker still played a very solid game and came away with a big time dub for Tennessee, who came in at 15th in the latest AP poll. Hendon Hooker and the Vols should have a decent game against an Akron team fresh off a 62-0 loss to Michigan State. Confidence for Tennessee should be very high right now.
Pre-Season - 10
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - v Akron
9. Will Rogers, Mississippi State (+1)
Wk 2 - 39/49 313 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/3 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns @ Arizona (39-17 W)
Season - 77/98 763 yds 9 touchdowns 2 interceptions/7 carries -25 yds 0 touchdowns
To me, these final two guys are really tough to compare. Where Arkansas' KJ Jefferson is a massive human who is a threat to run the ball, Mississippi State's Will Rogers is just not that. At 6'2" 210 lbs., Rogers is essentially the size of me, and I don't think a lot of people at the SEC level would fear me running full bore towards them. That being said, for what Rogers 'lacks' in running ability, or athleticism, he makes up for with be a very precise passer, being able to pick apart the opposition with relative ease. He is a very smart and deliberate quarterback who, usually, won't do anything to put the ball in the oppositions hands. Now, Rogers did turn the ball over on Saturday, but it was an on target pass that hit the receiver in the hands, but it bounced out and landed in the arms of an eager Arizona defender. Other than that, Rogers was near perfect. Like, I don't think I've seen a slant route work as well as it did in this game. If it weren't for a penalty, three of Rogers' passing touchdowns would've come on slant routes to Austin Williams, instead he'll have to settle for just two to Williams. The other of Rogers' touchdown passes went to Caleb Ducking, who Rogers' hit in the same corner of the end zone, though one came in the first and the other in the fourth. Normally, I'm not a fan of fade routes when in the red zone, but Rogers' placed the ball beautifully on the first one, leading Ducking perfectly to the back corner, and then utilized Ducking's 6'5" frame to his advantage, letting him to go up and high point the ball, which essentially sealed the game for the Bulldogs. Like we at the beginning, Rogers is a very efficient quarterback and can rip apart opposing defenses with relative ease. This week though, they'll be traveling to 'Death Valley' to take on the LSU Tigers, who are off of a pretty dominating win over Southern on Saturday. This'll be the second straight evening road game for the 'Dogs, but I think Rogers and co. will be up for the challenge.
Pre-Season - N/A
Wk 1 - 10
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - @ LSU
10. KJ Jefferson, Arkansas (-1)
Wk 2 - 18/21 162 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/19 carries 67 yds 1 touchdown v South Carolina (44-30 W)
Season - 36/47 385 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/37 carries 129 yds 2 touchdowns
I really wish Arkansas would let KJ Jefferson cook. One of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in college football, Arkansas seems more inclined to hit the shorter passes, and make gains in the run game, rather than utilize Jefferson's hose for an arm. Which is fine, of course, if it's working there's no real sense on changing it, especially when Jefferson is completing a very high percentage of those passes. Just because they're 'easier' throws, doesn't mean they'll always be gimme plays. In this game though, Arkansas thoroughly dominated, and I feel like the Razorbacks should've put it on South Carolina more than they did. I know they won by 14, but with how they were playing, again, I think it could've been worse. Now, a lot of Arkansas' conservative plays come from the fact that they are clearly a run first team, as they ran the ball 65 times for 295 yards on Saturday, but the fan in me just wants to see Jefferson cut it loose. Now, though they rarely went deep, Jefferson did throw a couple passes down the sideline, with one being a preverbal walk in touchdown that was dropped by one of the wide receivers down the left sideline. Running the ball, as we've said before with Jefferson, is just a match-up nightmare. As SC head coach Shane Beamer said, they couldn't prepare for someone who runs as well as Jefferson for how big he is, saying they'd have to make a d-end play quarterback for them to scout him properly. Jefferson is a match-up nightmare for opposing defensive coordinators to prepare for, and once Arkansas start allowing him to hit the deep ball, he could be damn near impossible to stop. This week, against Missouri State, though they're a decent outfit, I don't feel Jefferson and co. will have many problems against Bobby Petrino and the fighting Bears.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - 9
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - v Missouri State
Others
*in order of last name
Jake Haener, Fresno State
Wk 2 - 29/45 360 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/4 carries 4 yds 0 touchdowns v Oregon State (35-32 L)
Season - 65/87 737 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/10 carries 1 yd 0 touchdowns
Devin Leary, NC State
Wk 2 - 16/25 238 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 20 yds 2 touchdowns v Charlestown Southern (55-3 W)
Season - 33/58 449 yds 5 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 21 yds 2 touchdowns
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina
Wk 2 - 22/30 308 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/12 carries 13 yds 0 touchdowns v Gardner-Webb (31-27 W)
Season - 34/47 482 yds 6 touchdowns 1 interception/18 carries 40 yds 1 touchdown
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue (NEW)
Wk 2 - 17/19 211 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Indiana State (56-0 W)
Season - 47/79 576 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -17 yds 0 touchdowns
Cameron Rising, Utah (NEW)
Wk 2 - 17/23 254 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/1 carry -5 yds 0 touchdowns v Southern Utah (73-7 W)
Season - 39/55 470 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/8 carries 86 yds 0 touchdowns
Thank you for taking the time to read through the list! Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, give the article a like and comment down below how you felt!
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