Man oh Man...What a smorgasbord
10 college quarterbacks to pay attention to in 2023. Caleb Williams, USC: He might've been the No. 1 pick this year if he were draft eligible. A lot can change over the next year, but drafting him would likely require Minnesota either earning a top pick through a miserable season or trading the farm to move up and get him.
Drake Maye, North Carolina: Blessed with a rocket arm, Maye is right there with Williams among the two most hyped quarterbacks eligible for the '24 draft. Again, getting him would probably require a very high pick.
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan: This is Todd McShay's pick for the Vikings in his way-too-early 2024 mock draft. The Michigan quarterback and throw with accuracy, has a strong arm and has the ability to run.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington: He played four years at Indiana and flashed potential before blossoming at Washington with more than 4,300 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. He'll be 24 shortly after being drafted but if the lefty puts up numbers like he did in 2022 he'll be a potential first-round pick.
Quinn Ewers, Texas: He's the unquestioned starter at Texas despite Arch Manning entering the fray as a true freshman. He only threw for 15 touchdown passes as a true freshman last season, but the table is set for the former No. 1 recruit in the nation to have a big season.
Bo Nix, Oregon: Nix has dual-threat ability and is known for his ability to make plays when protection breaks down. He put up big numbers in his first year at Oregon after transferring from Auburn and there's quite a bit of hype for him to be in the Heisman race next season.
Jordan Travis, Florida State: After throwing for 25 touchdowns last season, Travis was graded as Pro Football Focus's No. 1 quarterback among Power Five players. He's a dual-threat, too, so a big year in 2023 could make him another player the Vikings can consider.
Jayden Daniels, LSU: He threw for 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions in his first season at LSU after transferring from Arizona State, and if he can polish his passing skills to match his running ability – 885 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns last season – he could hear his name called in the first round.
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina: Still only 22 years old, Rattler is entering his fifth season of college football and it is primed to be his best as every word out of South Carolina is that Rattler will be much improved on a solid 2022 season thanks to a better offensive line, receiving weapons and a second year knowing the playbook.
Sam Hartman, Notre Dame: ESPN's Pete Thamel reported earlier this year that Hartman would've been a sixth- or seventh-round pick if he entered this year's draft. Instead, he's going to Notre Dame after setting ACC passing records at Wake Forest. The idea is that playing in a pro-style offense will improve his draft stock.
Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
it seems like its that way every year about this time, around half wont have a good year as something will get figured out about their game and will get exploited, a couple will have injury issues, and couple more will just wilt under the spotlight, which will leave the usual 2 or 3 that has everyone clamoring for a top 5 pick, but alas the cost to move up from the low 20s will once again be to large and ask and we will land ourselves another nice player, but not that elusive franchise QB to build around.
@"JimmyinSD" said: it seems like its that way every year about this time, around half wont have a good year as something will get figured out about their game and will get exploited, a couple will have injury issues, and couple more will just wilt under the spotlight, which will leave the usual 2 or 3 that has everyone clamoring for a top 5 pick, but alas the cost to move up from the low 20s will once again be to large and ask and we will land ourselves another nice player, but not that elusive franchise QB to build around.Even harder to move up from 32, but I agree with you. This year's QB class was supposed to be generational, but it was hardly that. Caleb Williams might be the best talent among both classes, but more than half these guys will fall by the wayside.
I'm not a draftnik, but talk is this is one of the better QB classes in a very long time.
Certainly stronger than this past year.
@"JimmyinSD" said: it seems like its that way every year about this time, around half wont have a good year as something will get figured out about their game and will get exploited, a couple will have injury issues, and couple more will just wilt under the spotlight, which will leave the usual 2 or 3 that has everyone clamoring for a top 5 pick, but alas the cost to move up from the low 20s will once again be to large and ask and we will land ourselves another nice player, but not that elusive franchise QB to build around.and there will be 2-3 that nobody is talking about and will be incredibly overvalued by the time draft day rolls around based on intangibles, upside, a scouting report, a big game, or a good pro day...
@"purplefaithful" said: I'm not a draftnik, but talk is this is one of the better QB classes in a very long time.Certainly stronger than this past year.
this past years draft class was spoke well of a year or two ago... this is nothing new. its actually more odd to have a year where they arent talking about the upcoming crop of QB candidates.
@"purplefaithful" said: I'm not a draftnik, but talk is this is one of the better QB classes in a very long time.Certainly stronger than this past year.
2022 wasn't anything to write home about either.
Maybe half that list will be of any real upside. I really like JJ McCarthy, not sure how accurate he is however.
@"StickyBun" said: Maybe half that list will be of any real upside. I really like JJ McCarthy, not sure how accurate he is however.He's got a ways to go. He's got a cannon, but he tends to let balls sail. Have to cut him a bit of slack because of his WR's. Would be nice to see him with some real WR talent. Michigan hasn't developed that in decades.
I like Williams, Maya, McCarthy, Travis
If we had some balls and were honest we could have dealt some vets for picks and had more flexibility for next year's draft
Would love to see JJ in purple
JJ to JJ
Jaren Hall would be slated #2 just behind Williams in this Draft....... :p
Williams amd Maye would have been the top 2 QB's off the board this year. I like Ewers but he won't be draft eligible. Penix made Joel Klatt's top 10 draft prospects for 2024 recently and he's a Lamar Jackson type player. Outside of that there's not a whole lot that excites me off that list and the chances of the Vikings being bad enough to have a shot at Williams or Maye is slim to none.
Ewers so far has been more ewww than performance. Liked what I saw of Daniels (think DTR but farther along at his age than DTR was). Rattler exploded down the stretch last year. Still, with Hall already in the fold, I don't see the Vikings taking another QB in '24 unless it's a serious 1st round move. Another 3-5th round guy would just clutter up the room.
@"RS Express" said: Ewers so far has been more ewww than performance. Liked what I saw of Daniels (think DTR but farther along at his age than DTR was). Rattler exploded down the stretch last year. Still, with Hall already in the fold, I don't see the Vikings taking another QB in '24 unless it's a serious 1st round move. Another 3-5th round guy would just clutter up the room.Totally agree w/ this. Adding another developmental QB makes no sense. OTOH, if they have a high first round pick & can add a QB w/ more potential than Hall then pull the trigger & don't look back. All they would have wasted is the 5th round pick that they used on Hall & the probability of any 5th round pick signing a second contract is less than 10%
@"Knucklehead" said:not me, I am going to keep going to that well until I have all the water I need. the refusal to continually draft the QB position is why we got in the situation we are in. I dont care if we had taken a high round QB this year, I would have followed it up with a mid to later round guy this year. IMO you need 2 young guys in the developmental situation, with hopefully 1 of them in the back up role. if Hall cant fill at least the #2 role next year then he wasnt the right guy to begin with. I dont want to see him thrust into a full time starting gig, but if he isnt ready to play some meaningful snaps after 1 full year of training, then that IMO puts even more pressure on moving up and getting that blue chip prospect in the 24 draft.@"RS Express" said: Ewers so far has been more ewww than performance. Liked what I saw of Daniels (think DTR but farther along at his age than DTR was). Rattler exploded down the stretch last year. Still, with Hall already in the fold, I don't see the Vikings taking another QB in '24 unless it's a serious 1st round move. Another 3-5th round guy would just clutter up the room. Totally agree w/ this. Adding another developmental QB makes no sense. OTOH, if they have a high first round pick & can add a QB w/ more potential than Hall then pull the trigger & don't look back. All they would have wasted is the 5th round pick that they used on Hall & the probability of any 5th round pick signing a second contract is less than 10%
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