Tracking the QBs the Seahawks should take in the 2023 NFL draft: Week 8
Week 8 of the college football season is in the books. In a week that saw four of our top-ranked quarterbacks (for the Seahawks in the 2023 draft anyway) on a bye, we surprisingly still have a lot to discuss. Clemson was able to survive their annual home game hangover, but the effects on their future going forward is now unclear.
Some of the quarterbacks expected to be taken in next year’s draft have been up and down for most of the year. There are also some surprises, like number 6 on this list. But the top few seem destined to be very good NFL players.
Tennessee and Ohio State continued to roll in what is shaping up as a race. Not just for the playoffs, but for the Heisman. How does it shake out in our rankings?
Top 10 quarterbacks the Seahawks should look to choose in the 2023 NFL draft: Week 8
Number 10: Jaren Hall
NFL Comp: Zach Wilson
Jaren Hall continues to be a mystery to me. After a hot start saw the Cougars up 14-3 after the first quarter at Liberty, the 7-1 Flames woke up and outscored BYU 38-0 the rest of the way for a 41-14 beatdown. Hall finished under 50% completing his passes for a measly 187 yards. The schedule is brutal, and BYU doesn’t have the weapons that Hall needs to use his skills properly, but I’d want my next QB to be able to keep the game a little bit more competitive than what I’ve seen recently from Hall.
Number 9: D.J. Uiagalelei
NFL Comp: B version of Trevor Lawrence
Yikes…like BIG yikes!
I have been more bullish than most on the potential and talent that D.J. Uiagalelei possesses. Since the Wake Forest OT win, he and Clemson had looked the part of a CFP team, while Uiagalelei had risen from a potential Clemson backup to a possible Day Two NFL draft pick. Fast forward to Saturday evening, and all the hard work done by D.J. has essentially been undone.
In a huge matchup at home against undefeated and top 15 ranked Syracuse, Uiagalelei almost single-handedly lost the game and season from Clemson. Uiagalelei was 13/21 for 138 yards and three massive turnovers in just three quarters. Two of D.J. ‘s eight incompletions were intercepted, but almost all of his passes could have been picked. His mechanics, something he has worked on tirelessly, looked broken again. His processing of the field and decision-making were just brutal. There was no doubt he was the worst player on the field.
Dabo Swinney made the right call and benched him for super prospect Cade Klubnik, who did not play well, but took care of the ball as Clemson survived 27-21. Clemson remains a CFP threat as long as they are undefeated, but will have a big decision to make that will impact Clemson and any hope Uiagalelei has of bouncing back.