NFL Combine 2023: Grading Anthony Richardson, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis, plus other QB winners, losers

In addition to Bryce Young, top quarterback prospects like CJ Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Lewis took to the field on Saturday at NFL Combine 2023 to showcase not only their athletic prowess but their passing prowess in front of scouts, TV cameras and thousands of spectators. . fans at Lucas Oil Stadium. They didn’t disappoint.

Richardson did something we’ve never seen in a position before, Stroud was super accurate and Lewis was the most impressive shot in the first group of passers. Stetson Bennet of Georgia wanted to remind everyone once again not to forget about him.

Let’s take a look at their performance by declaring winners and losers after a busy day of watching an exciting group quarterback practice in Indianapolis.

Winners

Anthony Richardson, Florida | Excellent rating

Well, obviously. Setting Combine Records as a Quarterback would get an A every time, and Richardson did it in the vertical jump and long jump with a ridiculously fat 244 pounds. 4.43 in the 40th was also phenomenal. Throwing the ball, the speed was evident, and the three 60-yard bombs on the last drill of the day for the quarterbacks were great. Only a few misses in the exercises on intermediate routes prevented him from getting an A. back flip to end the day was a suitable exclamation point. Richardson is the most athletic and one of the biggest quarterbacks we’ve seen at the mill.

CJ Stroud, Ohio State | Rated excellent-

Score on the curve here with Stroud because we’ve only seen him on the field throwing the ball, which is by all accounts where he excels. This is the athleticism we wanted to see, but the Ohio stallion (probably wisely) decided not to do any sport testing.

On the field, throwing the ball, Stroud was a surgeon. I only noticed one clear miss on a deep turn and his light shot was so graceful. The ball also fell out of his hands. I feel that Stroud has deceptive arm strength. Stroud’s first long shot failed. The next two were ten cents.

Stetson Bennett, Georgia | Rated excellent-

No one expected Bennett to be incredibly slow, but his official time of 4.67 was impressive. Throwing the ball, Bennett clearly felt comfortable all day, shooting with accurate ball placement and showing amazing shooting power, especially on long balls, which were all great.

Bennett continues to win and feels like the quarterback who will hear his name called on draft weekend. Maybe even earlier on Day 3 than originally expected.

Will Lewis, Kentucky | Grade: B+

Lewis threw well. Not lavish. On a long-range shot on the “practice field,” to use Daniel Jeremiah’s broadcast term, Lewis’s first pass was missed, his second was slightly better, and it wasn’t until the third deep shot that Lewis actually missed the ball. it’s torn. On other shots, he was mostly accurate, not accurate.

The Kentucky star refused to run 40 yards and had a 34-inch vertical, which was the fifth-most of the nine quarterbacks involved in the drill. Good, but not great, especially for someone who is called a freaky sporty specimen. Now the 10’4″ wide was second behind Richardson. All in all, a good day for Levis.

Losers

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA | Grade: C

For Thompson-Robinson, things weren’t so bad. There really wasn’t. His 4.56 in the 40 for a quarterback and his 10-foot-1 in the long jump were the fourth best among quarterbacks. Throwing the ball, he resisted. Accuracy, timing, anticipation, rhythm, and it was even obvious that he did not have a powerful hand when he had to throw a deep out, corner and long ball.

Tanner McKee, Stanford | Rating: C-

I’m surprised McKee worked because he didn’t look like a good athlete on film by today’s quarterback standards. He had the lowest long jump at 9’6″ and his 33″ vertical wasn’t brutal but was the third highest in that position. On the field, McKee’s unique serve produced several inaccurate passes at all levels, and his arm strength was lacking.