Last year, the 2023 NFL Draft showcased four players who could potentially be franchise quarterbacks on the next level, with many believing Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis could lead a team under center.
Ultimately, Stroud turned out to be the stud of the group, as he led the Houston Texans into the NFL playoffs and to an impressive first-round win over the Cleveland Browns, dropping 45 points on Myles Garrett and company.
Richardson also showed a lot of promise as he seemed to be a potential scoring machine for the Indianapolis Colts before going down with a season-ending injury, but he could be the future face of the franchise.
Young was somewhat of a dud for the Carolina Panthers, with the team limping to the finish line and potentially blowing things up to start from scratch next year and Levis showed some promise when he finally got his shot and looks like the starter for the Tennessee Titans moving forward.
This year, all eyes are on USC’s Caleb Williams heading into the NFL Draft, with Joel Klatt of FOX Sports believing he’s the best quarterback prospect since 2012, which is a bold statement.
If I were to rank, as prospects, the QBs since 2012 (Andrew Luck, RGIII) here is how they would stack up
1) Caleb Williams
2) Trevor Lawrence
3) Joe Burrow
4) Drake Maye
5) Bryce Young
*note: evaluation of Mahomes was difficult & no QB had suceeded from that offense prior)— Joel Klatt (@joelklatt) February 19, 2024
Klatt isn’t the only one who thinks Williams can be a franchise player on the NFL level, as he’s gotten a lot of high praise for what he showed during his time with the Trojans.
The question is whether the Chicago Bears will keep the No. 1 overall pick and go with Williams while trading Justin Fields or stick with their current starter and continue to build around him by trading the top pick for a second straight season.
At this point, it’s safe to say that the Bears seem to be leaning toward trading Fields and bringing in Williams.
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Nick Wright Makes His Thoughts Clear About Patrick Mahomes Debate
