| Score | Overall |
| 93.8 | 2 |
| Position | Day |
| 1 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 93.8 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Weight: | 244 lbs |
| Hands: | 10.5 | Arms: | 32.75 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.43 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 |
| Vertical: | 40.5 | Broad: | 129 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 10.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.43 |
| Weight: | 244 lbs | Arms: | 32.75 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 |
| Broad: | 129 | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 40.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 10.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.43 | Broad: | 129 | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 244 lbs | Arms: | 32.75 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 | Vertical: | 40.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
Richardson grew up in Gainesville, Florida, and was a highly touted four-star recruit out of Eastside High School. He finished his high school career with 37 passing touchdowns and 41 rushing touchdowns in just 32 games. He received offers from over 15 FBS schools including Michigan, Georgia, and Penn State, but chose to stay home and join the Florida Gators. In his first season as a starter in 2021, Richardson showcased his athleticism and potential as a quarterback, earning him a spot on the 2021 All-SEC Freshman Team despite splitting time in the role. In his first full season as a starter in 2022, he finished with 2,553 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 713 rushing yards, and nine rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
Arm talent is a huge selling point. There isn’t a throw Richardson can’t make. He has the arm strength to push the ball downfield with ease, attack all levels of the field outside the numbers, and fit the ball into tight windows. His deep accuracy and passing ability are currently way ahead of his work in the short parts of the field.
Out-of-structure and off-platform ability. Richardson is capable of delivering the ball effectively when throwing on the move and when he consciously doesn’t have his feet set. Richardson is good at extending plays when necessary and making good decisions when outside the structure of the play. I would suspect, however, that early in his career a coach may try to get him away from these types of plays as he works to improve his mechanics.
Incredible athlete who brings elite running ability to the offense. If you have watched Richardson’s tape for all of five seconds, you see the explosive ability in the run game. This gives Richardson a reasonably high floor as a player and tracks with the recent success stories of developing dual-threat QBs in Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Justin Fields, although I would say Richardson is further along than those guys at this point in the process. The value of having a quarterback take over a game with his legs (when needed) is massive.
Good feel for the game, especially in the pocket. Richardson is already very developed when it comes to some of the "smaller" details of playing quarterback. For one, he has amazing pocket awareness. He understands how to manipulate angles with slides and step-ups to maximize his blocking and buy himself more time. For a guy with his running ability, it is refreshing to see the refined pocket passing skills. Secondly, Richardson does a good job of coming off a read, immediately diagnosing the other side of the field, and quickly delivering a pass. He also has a bunch of reps throwing with anticipation as well as demonstrating restraint. He takes better care of the football than some of the other top QBs in this class.
Throw-for-throw accuracy needs improvement. Richardson’s biggest deficiency, by far, is his inconsistent accuracy. In the beginning of the season in 2022, Richardson threw everything like a fastball. As the season progressed he started learning the element of touch. Generally speaking, his mechanics lack consistency, which almost always correlates to when an errant throw is coming. He can get happy feet when standing in the pocket and when he doesn’t throw from a grounded position with proper weight transfer, things can get away from him. These are certainly fixable issues, though. For how long his arms are, I really do like his throwing motion.
Lack of experience in college. With fewer than 500 career dropbacks, Richardson would be in rare territory for level of experience coming into the NFL. This might be the true starting point for some of those accuracy woes. For how little he has played, though, he plays the game with a very high IQ as a passer.
Richardson looks like a Marvel superhero. He runs and jumps like one as well. Beyond the physique, though, you find a quarterback with a pretty refined skill set. His lack of consistent accuracy makes him feel like a "raw" prospect but the truth is that it's really his only pain point. I don’t consider that raw. When I think of raw, developmental QBs, I think of guys who process the game slowly or have issues with the basics of running an offense. I don’t see that with Richardson. He profiles as a franchise quarterback with endless athleticism and a monster arm who needs to clean up his throwing mechanics. The intangibles and high floor he brings to the table make him a relatively safe prospect on whom I would be willing to spend a top-5 pick. He scores as my top quarterback in this draft class.
| Score | Overall |
| 93 | 3 |
| Position | Day |
| 2 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 93 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Weight: | 204 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.75 | Arms: | 30.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 9.75 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 204 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 9.75 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 204 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
Young was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but raised in Pasadena, California. He went to Mater Dei High School and was California’s Gatorade Player of the Year after throwing for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns. He left high school as a five-star recruit — the nation’s #1 overall quarterback and #2 overall recruit. He chose to join the Alabama Crimson Tide after originally committing to USC. He became Alabama's starting quarterback in his second year with the team, and in his first season as a starter, he won the prestigious Heisman Trophy award and was named the SEC Player of the Year, leading his team to a National Championship. He was also named First Team All-SEC and awarded the Davey O'Brien Award, given to the best college football quarterback. Additionally, he received the 2021 Maxwell Award for the best player in college football, solidifying his place as one of the top quarterbacks in the country. Young continued to shine in his junior season, earning the title of Heisman finalist and Second-team All-American before declaring for the NFL Draft.
Excellent ball placement and accuracy. Throw for throw, Young is arguably the most accurate quarterback in this class, especially out of structure. Misses for him are incredibly rare. Young doesn’t just put the ball on target — he routinely hits his targets in stride, maximizing the result of the play. He also does a phenomenal job throwing away from coverage in tighter window situations.
Can attack all three levels of the field. Has the accuracy and timing to throw outside the numbers at all levels of the field. While he doesn’t have a massive arm, he is capable of compensating with timing.
Pocket mobility and ability to extend plays. This is probably his most attractive trait after the top-notch accuracy. Young is incredibly light on his feet, with exceptional change-of-direction skills allowing him to quickly evade pass rushers and keeps plays alive. He feels pressure naturally and knows how to use subtle movements to change angles in his favor.
Fantastic throwing mechanics provide repeatability. Young’s accuracy has most to do with his consistent throwing mechanics. He has a really nice compact throwing motion, almost always establishes his feet, and transfers weight properly.
High football IQ and care for football. Young has a great feel for what the defense is trying to do. He can make full-field reads and processes zone drops well, avoiding obstructions to the pass concept.
Obscenely slow trigger. Young reminds me a lot of Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and Jalen Hurts in this regard. He likes to hold the ball for extended stretches after the snap and prefers not to throw the ball until he sees it open. He rally doesn’t throw with anticipation often. This is concerning for multiple reasons. One: the pass rush in the NFL comes quicker than college. Once players win their block, they are also better at finishing. Two: coverage is a lot tighter, so by default he's going to "see it" way less. Ideally, at the next level, a steady diet of RPOs and quick game will help speed him up.
Massive outlier in terms of size. Young would be the smallest quarterback ever drafted in the first round. Even if you are buying his Combine weight of 204 pounds, he would still be the lightest. Realistically, he is 5’10" and 185 pounds, which is puny. It makes for a risky situation in terms of preservation.
Arm lacks top-end juice. Most of Young’s big plays downfield and outside the numbers come out of his hand super flat. He fails to drive the ball downfield at times and relies too heavily on his arm to get there.
Young offers teams a hyper-accurate passer at all three levels of the field. He has the IQ to get through progressions at times and take excellent care of the football. While he does have legitimate deficiencies as a player, learning to play within the structure of the play more often would go a long way in protecting himself. He officially scores as a top-5 player in the Draft and will be drafted as such.
| Score | Overall |
| 91.2 | 8 |
| Position | Day |
| 3 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 91.2 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Weight: | 214 lbs |
| Hands: | 10 | Arms: | 32.63 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 32.63 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 32.63 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
Stroud was raised in California, where was a standout quarterback at Rancho Cucamonga High School, ranked as the No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the country. He was the MVP of the Elite 11, which is a nationwide competition for high school quarterbacks. As a five-star recruit coming out of high school, he received numerous offers from FBS schools, and chose to commit to Ohio State. Stroud had a stellar college football career, earning numerous accolades: two-time Heisman Finalist, two-time Graham-George Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, two-time Griese-Brees Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, and two-time First Team All-Big Ten. He was also named Thompson-Randle El Freshman of the Year in 2021.
Ridiculous accuracy to all levels of the field. Arm talent is the strength of Stroud’s game. His compilation of elite-level throws can go toe-to-toe with any prospect in the last five years. Stroud has the arm to attack defenses deep outside the numbers with relative ease. He shows the ability to ramp up velocity and gun the ball into a tight window or rip it over a DB’s head, but also has a great feel for when to put air under the ball to layer a throw in or drop it into a bucket. Stroud puts the ball on his pass catchers in stride and consistently gets his guys into a position for RAC.
Demonstrable ability to throw with timing and anticipation. The ability to throw with anticipation is a highly coveted one, and Stroud shows it on tape. He is capable of reading the progression, hitting his back foot on his drop, and letting it rip before his WR is into his break or has cleared the defender. This is high-level stuff and shows he is capable of throwing his guys open. While I wish we had more examples of Stroud doing this, the tape we do have suggests he can, which is what matters most.
Does a good job of using his eyes to manipulate defenders. Stroud can either freeze defenders or force them off their spot to then throw away from their leverage. Again, this is pretty high-level stuff.
Mechanically sound passer. Stroud has a consistent throwing motion that lends to consistent accuracy. He doesn’t really display many off-platform throws or switch-ups to his arm angle. When he does play out of structure or throw on the move, he does a really good job of resetting his feet and getting those sound mechanics into the fold.
Not good under pressure. The wheels completely come off when Stroud sees pressure, something he didn’t have to endure much at Ohio State. The very concerning part is the relative gap in the ability of his offensive line vs. their opponents will probably never be higher than it was in his time at OSU. Stroud is going to have work on his poise and keeping his cool when he sees pass rushers, especially considering most of his likely landing spots have less-than-savory offensive line play.
General unwillingness to extend plays and use his legs. There is definitely a balance to be had with the amount a quarterback uses his legs to extend a play vis-a-vis hanging in the pocket and making a throw. Stroud’s hesitancy to use his legs is on the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of what's ideal. Pop on the Georgia tape (the best game of his career) and you can see why I want more — he is capable of being extremely effective out of structure.
Not a great pocket manager in general. A consistent theme from Stroud is his lack of control over his pocket. Stroud tends to drift in the pocket, allowing pass rushers to get positive angles and generate clean-up pressures. At the NFL level, this is going to invite unnecessary pressure into Stroud’s life, which we know he doesn’t do well with.
Beneficiary of elite surrounding talent. Over the past two seasons, Stroud has had the luxury of throwing to five potential first-round picks. Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave were both top-11 picks last year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is likely to go top-20 this year, and next year Marvin Harrison Jr. is currently projected to be the first WR off the board, with Emeka Egbuka also a projected first-round pick. It doesn't stop there, as he had two likely first-round picks at offensive tackle and a projected top-50 pick at center. This is no fault of Stroud’s, but it does raise questions about what happens when he is removed for the most ideal scenario imaginable.
Stroud is a very good quarterback prospect who should be drafted in the top-5 of the NFL Draft. He is a candidate to go first overall, and I scored him as someone worthy of that investment. He profiles as a franchise quarterback with enough arm talent and repeatable accuracy to be the centerpoint of an offense.
| Score | Overall |
| 88.7 | 22 |
| Position | Day |
| 4 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 88.7 | 4 | 1 | 22 |
| Height: | 6' 3 6/8" | Weight: | 229 lbs |
| Hands: | 10.63 | Arms: | 32 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | 34 | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3 6/8" | Hands: | 10.63 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 229 lbs | Arms: | 32 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 34 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3 6/8" | Hands: | 10.63 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 229 lbs | Arms: | 32 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | 34 | Shuttle: | -- |
Levis hails from Madison, Connecticut, and attended Xavier High School. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and had over 20 offers from FBS schools before choosing to begin his college career at Penn State, where he appeared in 18 games over two seasons, mostly backing up Sean Clifford. Levis decided to transfer to Kentucky following his sophomore season, since Penn State had no plans to give him the starting spot over Clifford. Levis had a standout season in 2021, throwing for 2,307 yards and 17 touchdowns. He also rushed for 428 yards and 10 touchdowns, becoming only the second quarterback in Kentucky history to rush for double-digit touchdowns in a season. Levis' impressive collegiate career earned him recognition as the Davey O’Brien QB Class of 2021 and 2022, and a spot on the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Division I Football Team Member of the Year.
Monster arm that can beat safeties. Levis has incredible arm strength from both a velocity and distance standpoint. It is arguably best in class, in fact. There isn’t a throw he can't make. If he catches a safety flat-footed or out of position, he can easily punish him and get the ball over his head. He also has the ability to zip the ball into tight windows.
Underrated and underutilized runner. He was great in the red zone as a runner, but outside of that, you don’t see him do much of it. I think he could be unleashed a bit more in this regard, and he has the big, chiseled frame to take some hits.
Shows high-level playmaking ability out of structure at times. When he has to slide in the pocket or get on the move in general, Levis has the tape reps of him delivering strikes. He can throw off-platform and be creative with how he exploits the defense.
Ran a pro-style offense at Kentucky. Levis is one of the few college QBs who have experience taking snaps from under center and operating on normal boots and rolls.
Throw-for-throw accuracy is really lacking. Levis can be frustrating to watch because, for how much arm talent he has, he wastes a lot of it with inaccurate throws. He will flat-out just miss his guy several times a game and isn’t really willing to throw with anticipation. He leaves a good bit of yards on the field by not getting the ball to his receivers in stride.
Inconsistent throwing mechanics in both upper and lower half. Levis’ throwing mechanics are weirdly tight, and he has almost too short of a motion at times. This causes many errant throws, including a few balls into the dirt a game. In his lower half, he relies on off-platform mechanics way too much and fails to get into a good base with proper weight transfer.
Doesn’t throw with good timing and isn’t a rhythm passer. Levis isn’t a guy who is super comfortable getting to the top of his drop and letting it rip. He is unsure of his first read and sometimes seems like he wants to see massive separation before delivering the football.
Levis is a big-armed quarterback with high-level playmaking ability and the means to make highlight reel throws anywhere on the field. He does have some notable and concerning deficiencies with his accuracy and decision-making. With that said, Levis is a swing-for-the-fences type of prospect. We have seen worse quarterbacks get drafted high and have success at the NFL level. He scores as a top-12 player for me.
| Score | Overall |
| 87.4 | 23 |
| Position | Day |
| 5 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 87.4 | 5 | 2 | 23 |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Weight: | 217 lbs |
| Hands: | 10.5 | Arms: | 33 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 10.5 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 217 lbs | Arms: | 33 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 10.5 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 217 lbs | Arms: | 33 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
Hooker, a native of Greensboro, North Carolina, attended James B. Dudley High School. He was named to the AP All-State team twice while in high school, and also was a three-time All-Metro conference selection for basketball. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school with offers from numerous FBS schools, including Tennessee, Clemson, and Oregon, but chose to commit to Virginia Tech. After spending one season as the starter for the Hokies and one season splitting time with Braxton Burmeister, Hooker decided to transfer to Tennessee for the final two years of his college football eligibility. He started as the backup in Tennessee before an injury made him the starter from the second game on, and then in 2022, he emerged as one of the best QBs in college football. Unfortunately, an ACL tear ended his 2022 season early, but he was still named SEC Player of the Year and earned Second Team All-American honors. Hooker was also a finalist for the prestigious Maxwell Award and a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award in 2021.
Arm talent. Hooker has the juice to attack all three levels of the field consistently and is excellent at throwing deep outside the numbers. There are plenty of reps of Hooker making opposite hash throws outside the numbers as well, a throw he won’t even have to make in the NFL, considering the wide hashes in the college game. Hooker isn’t going to be known as a gunslinger, but has plenty of arm to fit the ball into tight windows at the intermediate level.
Concise and consistent throwing mechanics lends to accuracy. Hooker has a tight, concave throwing motion that lends to getting the ball out quickly. His accuracy is upper-tier, and if he misses, it's of the safe variety — high and away. Hooker is great at interpreting space and throwing the ball away from coverage for his guy to go get it. He puts the ball right on his pass catchers’ frame, allowing them to quickly turn up field and generate RAC.
Decision-making is incredible. Hooker almost NEVER puts the ball in harm's way. He is top of the class in this regard. This is actually amazing, considering how aggressive his playstyle is and how the Tennessee offense attacked defenses vertically. Hooker has great field vision and quickly locates the open receiver, where he can promptly deliver the football.
Ability to extend plays with his legs and threaten the run. He is an incredible athlete with elusiveness and vision as a runner. He is very good at avoiding and escaping pressure in the pocket and turning those plays into positives with his legs. He will be a chain mover and a legit red zone threat in the NFL. The only issue I see here is once he decides to break the pocket, he almost never looks to throw the ball — Hooker really prefers to throw from his spot in the pocket.
Maturity and leadership qualities. This is one of the hardest things to quantify from my vantage point, but Hooker absolutely passes the vibes test. Every person in NFL circles I have talked to about Hooker has absolutely raved about his mental toughness, maturity, and ability to lead people. It’s arguably one of the most important quarterback traits, and Hooker seems to check the box.
Presumed transitional period coming from Tennessee offense. The ultra high-tempo, spread offense that Tennessee runs just doesn’t translate to the NFL well. It specializes in stretching the defense horizontally and getting receivers free releases into space. There will be a learning curve as Hooker will have to adjust to less space and more complicated route combinations/progressions in the playbook.
Rehabbing a severe injury. He tore his ACL towards the end of the college football regular season. While this doesn’t have long-term implications, it does put into question his availability for mini-camps and perhaps even the start of the 2023 season.
Is an older prospect. Hooker will be a 25-year-old rookie. While this isn’t that big of a deal at his position, it doesn’t present somewhat of a longevity ceiling. It also comes with many benefits, though — maturity chief among them.
Hooker is an excellent quarterback prospect who scored with a firm first-round grade from me, even after taking hits for his age and injury history. In Hooker, teams are getting an ultra-accurate pocket passer with the arm talent to make any throw. He also adds the quarterback run dimension, as he is very athletic with quick feet and the ability to make defenders miss in the open field. He possesses prototypical quarterback size with a refined skill set. While there could be a transitional curve for Hooker learning a more complicated playbook, he checks just about every box to be a good starter in the NFL. In an alternate timeline, Hooker doesn’t tear his ACL and is a lock top-10 pick.
| Score | Overall |
| 78.5 | 76 |
| Position | Day |
| 6 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 78.5 | 6 | 2 | 76 |
| Height: | 6' 5 1/2" | Weight: | 231 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.38 | Arms: | 32.88 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | 33 | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | 4.41 | Cone: | 7.22 |
| Height: | 6' 5 1/2" | Hands: | 9.38 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 231 lbs | Arms: | 32.88 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | 7.22 | ||
| Vertical: | 33 | Shuttle: | 4.41 |
| Height: | 6' 5 1/2" | Hands: | 9.38 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | 7.22 |
| Weight: | 231 lbs | Arms: | 32.88 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | 33 | Shuttle: | 4.41 |
McKee hails from Corona, California, and attended Centennial High School. He was a four-star recruit and the number three pro-style quarterback in the nation. He received offers from numerous FBS schools, including Alabama, USC, Georgia, and Florida State, but decided to stay home and commit to Stanford. Before his college football career, McKee spent two years on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During his time at Stanford, he was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Honor Roll in both 2021 and 2022. In 2021, he was also recognized as an All-Pac-12 honorable mention quarterback by the coaches.
Accurate passer to all three levels. Accuracy is easily McKee’s best trait, especially on his 2022 tape. He could stand to work on his ball placement a bit to maximize results, but for the most part, he isn’t going to miss many throws. McKee makes throws with good anticipation and will occasionally throw guys open on tightly covered back-shoulder balls or away from leverage over the middle of the field.
Adequate arm strength. McKee can drive the ball with a little extra zip when needed and can even make opposite-field throws outside the numbers. I wouldn’t say he is anywhere near the upper tier in terms of arm talent, but when he is in rhythm and throwing with timing, he can make most throws.
Prototype pocket passer size. McKee resembles a QB from 20 years ago. He can easily get eyes on the whole field and has the girth to play through passing tackle attempts.
Experience in a pro-style system. With so many quarterbacks going from up-tempo spread offenses that are predicated on getting guys free releases in space, McKee’s experience running an offense that closely resembles how the game is being played in the NFL is valuable. He made it work pretty well, too, considering the level of talent around him was horrendous.
Decision-making lapses. He will get a little loosey-goosey with the football sometimes and put it in harm's way. McKee didn’t finish the season on a high note in that regard either, seemingly throwing as many touchdowns as he was interceptions.
Folds when under pressure. This could be some self-awareness of his own limitations athletically, but McKee really struggles when he feels pressure closing. Sometimes it causes him to rush through his progressions and make hasty decisions. He really needs to work on using slides and climbs to reset the offensive line and buy himself time. In fairness, his line play was so bad in 2022 that this is not the easiest evaluation.
Messy footwork when working under center. McKee struggles specifically when working the play-action pass game on rollouts or boots. His footwork looks labored at times, and he struggles to get to the proper spot, sometimes even being easily caught by backside pursuit defenders who are unblocked intentionally.
Very limited athletically, can’t play out of structure. This is immediately obvious when you put on the tape. With such an emphasis in the modern NFL on having quarterbacks who can give a little extra, even if just extending a play for a few seconds, it is concerning that McKee doesn’t even bring that to the table.
Typically speaking, day-2 quarterbacks are considered traps. McKee might be one of the exceptions, though, as I believe he can be a high-level backup for the right team, with potential starter upside. His accuracy to all levels of the field and the ability to make most throws are very attractive traits. We also have to consider some of his deficiencies can be cleaned up with coaching and/or experience. We can’t forget he took a full two-years off to do his LDS mission and returned to one of the worst supporting casts in the Power 5. I think there is some developmental upside here that a good coach will seize. For me, he scores as a day-2 prospect, and I like him better than recent day-2 picks Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, Davis Mills, and Matt Corral.
| Score | Overall |
| 75.3 | 101 |
| Position | Day |
| 7 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 75.3 | 7 | 2 | 101 |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Weight: | 213 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.75 | Arms: | 32.25 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | -- | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 9.75 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 213 lbs | Arms: | 32.25 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 3" | Hands: | 9.75 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 213 lbs | Arms: | 32.25 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | -- | Shuttle: | -- |
O'Connell is from Long Grove, Illinois and attended Stevenson High School. He played both football and basketball in high school, but was not highly recruited. He initially committed to play Division III football at Wheaton College, but ended up backing out of that commitment to accept a preferred walk-on spot with Purdue. He did not play in 2017 or 2018, but he finally got some playing time in 2019, including starting three games. He entered the 2021 season as the starter, but played in only three games due to a season-ending injury. In 2021 and 2022, O'Connell was recognized with All-Big Ten Second Team honors for his outstanding play on the field. Additionally, he earned several academic accolades throughout his college career, including being named to the Academic All-Big Ten five times in his college career.
Elite ability to throw with timing and anticipation. O’Connell is definitely best-in-class as far as his demonstrable ability to throw with anticipation and timing. This really serves him well and helps offset a lack of arm strength.
Quick decision maker and unique ability to avoid sacks. O’Connell gets through his progressions/reads quickly and delivers the ball on schedule at will. When what he wants isn’t there, he has no qualms about checking down and getting to the next play. When he feels pressure, he does a good job of actively working to find an outlet or setting up for a throwaway. He refuses to take unnecessary sacks.
Throws with good accuracy short and intermediate. I really enjoyed watching O’Connell work short and intermediate concepts, especially over the middle of the field. He rarely missed at those levels of the field, showing good ball placement.
Experience in a pro-style system. O’Connell facilitated a super high-volume pro-style pass offense with relative ease. He looks very comfortable being the centerpoint of a game plan and leading the way.
Lack of arm strength. O’Connor just simply can’t make all the throws. He doesn’t have the juice to be late, ever. For him to complete balls downfield, he will need to maintain that ability to throw with proper timing and anticipation.
Must do better taking care of the football. O’Connell is way too comfortable throwing into insanely tight windows, and it cost him quite a bit with high interception totals. At the next level, he needs to understand the limitations of his arm and start to make decisions accordingly.
Mobility isn’t really his thing. O’Connell definitely isn’t a guy who will extend plays with his legs. If the processing ever slows down, he can become a sitting duck as well. Movements in the pocket look very labored.
O’Connell is a very experienced passer with over 1400 career dropbacks. He has essentially carried the Purdue offense for the past two seasons and is plenty comfortable handling a big load in the pass game. He has desirable traits with his accuracy and ability to facilitate at a high level, but also has some clear-cut deficiencies that will likely prevent him from becoming much more than a high-level backup. High-level backups are still very valuable in the NFL, though, and he reminds me of Gardner Minshew in a lot of ways. For me, he scores right on the day-2/day-3 cutoff. I am most comfortable drafting him early on day 3.
| Score | Overall |
| 74.5 | 110 |
| Position | Day |
| 8 | 3 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 74.5 | 8 | 3 | 110 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 207 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.38 | Arms: | 29.75 |
| 40 YD Dash: | -- | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Vertical: | 35 | Broad: | -- |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.38 | 40 YD Dash: | -- |
| Weight: | 207 lbs | Arms: | 29.75 | 10 YD Split: | -- |
| Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- | ||
| Vertical: | 35 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.38 | 40 YD Dash: | -- | Broad: | -- | Cone: | -- |
| Weight: | 207 lbs | Arms: | 29.75 | 10 YD Split: | -- | Vertical: | 35 | Shuttle: | -- |
Haener grew up in Danville, California and played football at Monte Vista High School. He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and committed to play college football at the University of Washington. Haener never received a starting job at Washington and entered the transfer portal in 2019. He ended up at Fresno State and sat out a season due to transfer rules, before becoming the starter in 2020. Haener received second-team All-Mountain West honors in 2021 and was a semifinalist for the prestigious Davey O’Brien Award. In 2022, Haener was named the first-team All-Mountain West quarterback after he threw for 2,896 yards, a 72% completion rate, and 20 passing touchdowns in 10 games.
Works through progressions well. Haener processes information quickly and works through route concepts, allowing him to make anticipatory throws consistently.
Throws a beautiful deep ball. Haener can put touch on the ball or throw line drives with accuracy. Underrated arm strength.
Accuracy to all levels of the field. He is capable of making tight window throws in the short and intermediate parts of the field and has the touch to layer throws in between levels. Haener could take a step forward with overall ball placement, but he doesn’t miss his target very often at all.
Pocket management is great. Haener feels pressure naturally and is able to slide away from danger and/or throw on the run if needed. I was surprised by his mobility, especially during Senior Bowl week.
Trigger can be a little slow. … especially when targeting pass-catchers in the middle of the field against zone or in congested areas. Against zone, Haener tends to be pretty risk-averse; he doesn’t want to throw the ball unless he sees it wide open.
Undersized quarterback. Haener is just a hair under 6’ tall. While quarterback height may seem arbitrary, being short does present clear limitations, and there isn’t a very large track record of successful quarterbacks under 6 feet.
Doesn’t have top-tier arm talent. I did say his arm strength was "underrated," but ultimately, Haener has trouble pushing the ball deep outside the numbers unless he is throwing with excellent timing. Sometimes, when he really drives the ball downfield, the ball comes out of his hand funny, giving it a little flutter.
Haener was a fun prospect to evaluate. He has a litany of beautiful throws downfield, and a bunch of which came while on the move or after a dramatic slide in the pocket to avoid pressure. He has some workable tools and is definitely worth drafting as a developmental/backup quarterback with a chance to become a low-end starter one day. His mental fortitude and toughness also make him an attractive option as a plus backup in the league. Officially, he scores as a day-2 prospect for me.
