Tracking the QBs Seahawks should take in 2023 NFL draft: Week 12

Seahawks 2023 QB targets: Tier 1

These guys will all be taken in the 1st round, and will all be viewed as franchise quarterbacks.

Number 4: Bryce Young 

NFL Comp: Mix of Tyler Huntley and Tua Tagovailoa

Bryce Young rebounded from a difficult and season-altering loss at LSU, to playing really well that last two weeks at Ole Miss and against Austin Peay, going for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Governors.

It has not been the season that Alabama and Young had hoped for, but it remains a team that can win 10+ games and gets to a NY6 bowl. The Tide may end up in the Cotton Bowl in a rematch with Cincinnati, or an Orange Bowl against rival Clemson. Either should be a good final test for the Heisman winner.

Young looks the part when he throws the football, but there will always be size concerns. We’ve seen the worst from Russell Wilson, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray recently. I’m curious if that could potentially affect his draft position going forward.

I’m a fan of Young and would be excited if he fell to the Seahawks, but there are quarterbacks that I feel more comfortable with in Seattle for the future.

Number 3: Will Levis

NFL Comp: B version of Josh Allen

Will Levis has and will continue to be the prospect darling for many in the scouting and NFL community. He has every physical tool you could ask for, he plays in the Los Angeles Rams offense at Kentucky, and he’s facing the best in college football week in and week out.

The problem? He and Kentucky haven’t looked great, which has many wondering how good he really is. The answer? He’s a beast and will be great, but he’s in a bad place at Kentucky right now. Kentucky met greatness on Saturday when they hosted top-ranked Georgia in Lexington. The Bulldogs won 16-6, but Levis did everything he could to keep his team in the ballgame.

The numbers won’t show, but he looked good when running the ball, he threw the ball well considering the little time he had, and he led a 99-yard drive that gave Kentucky life for a brief moment in the game.

There were still concerns, however, like his interception in the 2nd quarter when the game appeared to be swinging Kentucky’s way. With the ball in Georgia territory, Levis threw a pretty terrible ball up to the right corner of the end zone, and future first-round pick Kelee Ringo easily intercepted the pass. That’s an NFL dude, and you can’t make throws like that or else more NFL dudes will have you sitting on the bench very quickly.

Get healthy, kill the combine, and watch Levis potentially be the top pick in the draft.

Number 2: Anthony Richardson

NFL Comp: Prime Cam Newton

Another week, another game where AR15 shines in limited opportunities as Florida once again disappoints in a shocking loss to Vanderbilt. I continue to bang the drum that Anthony Richardson is the most talented player in college football. No player has the ceiling on the offensive side of the ball that he has.

Put Richardson at Tennessee, Georgia, or Ohio State, and he’s the Heisman winner and top overall pick in the draft. Instead, he’s in a very run-heavy college offense that isn’t very talented. He’s raw, but everything is there for him to be a superstar.

I believe he would be a perfect one-year wait for Seattle. Draft him, let him sit behind Geno for a year, then go Mahomes on everyone.

Number 1: CJ Stroud 

NFL Comp: Joe Burrow

C.J. Stroud has been my top quarterback all season for the Seahawks, and that doesn’t change now. Let me be clear, I like Richardson’s ceiling more than Stroud’s, but if Geno is gone next year, and the Seahawks need a QB that can help them win in 2023, Stroud is the clear choice for me.

Calm in the pocket, moderately mobile, reads the field well and throws with the highest accuracy of any player on my list, Stroud can be the plus game manager that Seattle could role with and win with around a great team and defense.

Stroud is looking at the possibility of playing Michigan, TCU and Georgia in the span of a month and a half if Ohio State makes it from the Big Game, through the playoffs to the championship game. If Stroud plays well, he should hold off these other great QBs for the top pick. If the Seahawks have a top 3 pick, it’s going to be really tough to pass on the win-now quality that C.J. Stroud would provide.