The best QB prospect is staring the Indianapolis Colts right in the face
This is never an easy decision, but it’s pretty obvious which QB the Colts need to take in the 2023 NFL Draft
Picking at the top of the NFL Draft is always bittersweet. Sure, certain teams are in line to get blue-chip players that can immediately come in and make an impact. And more importantly, said players can become a foundational piece for the next decade.
But picking at the top of the draft also reflects one -or both- of two things: a team is coming off a very bad year and/or it's consistently mired in ineptitude (think the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2018-2021).
Regardless, this year bodes well for teams in need of a top rookie QB thanks to four big-time prospects in Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, and Florida's Anthony Richardson. All four players are currently expected to go in the first round come April.
All four could go within the top-10 picks, as well.
That's because seven of the top-10 teams in this year's draft could use a franchise QB. The Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers are players and all seven of them -especially the Seahawks and Lions- are in good shape to make a move with the Chicago Bears or Arizona Cardinals to get one.
Granted some teams need one more than the others. But overall, it's logical to think all seven are in play.
Regardless, there's one quarterback that makes the most sense for the Colts and that's Young.
For starters, Jim Irsay has already publicly declared Young's presence on the franchise's radar. But smokescreens and draft talk aside – not only is Young the most complete prospect, but he has exactly what Shane Steichen, the Colts' new head coach, values most.
"I think accuracy, decision making and the ability to create [offense] are the three things that I look at in a quarterback," Steichen said during his introductory press conference. "I think those all three things are very important but obviously, above the neck, the players that I've been around – Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert and Philip Rivers, they all have one thing in common. They're obsessed with their craft. If you can find that in a quarterback, you'll probably have some success."
A to Z Sports film analyst, James Foster, recently broke down Young's game and sure enough, all of those traits are some of Young's best traits:
Bryce Young's best trait is his ability to extend plays from inside and outside the pocket. When he gets pressured up the middle he can break the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield and he delivers the ball accurately on the run…
He just has that field vision where he knows if he gets pressured he's going to sense it and be able to escape it. So there's no reason that he can't continue to work inside the pocket…
When he's making plays outside of the pocket, he has this really rare ability to reset his feet on the move.
This is ultimately what makes Bryce Young such a great quarterback prospect: it's the combination of processing and ability to work from inside the pocket within the confines of the offense. And the ability to extend plays when he gets pressured and make things happen from outside the pocket.
A lot of times quarterbacks will have one of those, but not the other. But Bryce Young can execute what coaches put on the play sheet and save them when the original play doesn't work.
According to Foster, there's one main negative and it's the one everyone agrees on: Young's size. It's not ideal when considering how many hits he's going to take over the course of his career.
The only real negative with Bryce Young is his lack of size… What I do worry about when it comes to his size is how that affects his durability. It's just difficult for quarterbacks under 200-pounds to sustain the amount of hits that you're going to take in an NFL season without picking up any injuries.
And on top of that, Bryce Young is at times, too aggressive, and he takes too many unnecessary hits… It's going to be the biggest negative for a lot of teams.
It's easy to see why Young is the perfect candidate for Steichen. He will hit the ground running, so to speak, and per ESPN's Stephen Holder, the Colts are very confident Steichen can work with any quarterback. It doesn't matter the traits or the fit – Steichen will get it done.
So, why not give him the best option?
Yes, the size worries are real and legit. But, as we've seen in the recent past, the Colts are willing to address the offensive line before anything else.
And a rookie contract makes that all the more realistic.
Young is the guy for the Colts, barring something drastic happening. It's just a matter of how they're going to position themselves to make sure they get him.
You can check out Foster's full breakdown, below:
Featured image via Kelly Wilkinson/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK
