How many quarterbacks could go in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

While it’s early in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle, the question of how many quarterbacks could land in the first round is already circulating. Potentially driven by last cycle’s widely derided class that spawned just one first-round passer and partly driven by the importance of the position, quarterbacks often dominate the NFL draft conversation. With C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young set to lead the way, how many QBs could go in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

To listen to this podcast, click on the player below and keep scrolling to read more about what you’ll find in this episode.

How many QBs could go in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

Since the year 2000, 66 quarterbacks have been selected in the first round of the NFL draft. As the NFL has developed into a passing league, the importance of the QB position has evolved. Team success, and therefore head coach and general manager success, is inextricably linked to the quarterback. As a result, finding the face of the franchise in the NFL draft has become increasingly critical.

After a historic 2020 class — in which five quarterbacks were selected in the first round — last year’s cycle produced just one first-round signal-caller. Kenny Pickett was oft-considered the most “pro-ready” prospect, and the Pittsburgh Steelers clearly thought so as well, making him the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. Despite opinions that demand outstripping supply would force first-round picks last year, it never happened.

Which brings us nicely to the 2023 NFL Draft quarterback class. How many quarterbacks could go in the first round next April? In the June 14 episode of the Pro Football Network Premier NFL Draft Podcast, we posited that as many as five quarterbacks could fly off the board within the first 32 picks. There are several factors that go into that early assumption.

“It’s kind of like an economics equation. It’s supply and demand,” PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings begins. “There’s two factors. The demand — how many quarterback-needy teams are there, and there’s a few situations we’re waiting on to resolve. The supply — and it’s not just supply of quarterback prospects but supply of first-round worthy prospects.”

Which quarterbacks could be selected in the first round?

The demand very much will depend on how the 2022 NFL season plays out. If Davis Mills and Daniel Jones don’t prevent the Houston Texans and New York Giants, respectively, from picking early in the 2023 NFL Draft, that is two spots opened up. Are the Seattle Seahawks really set on Drew Lock or Geno Smith? Is Kyle Trask the long-term successor to Tom Brady? What will the Detroit Lions do? Already that’s five potential quarterback landing spots.

It is, of course, ludicrously early in the 2023 NFL Draft cycle. However, that doesn’t stop us from projecting the names that could fill those spots next April. The supply already feels significantly better than last year. Stroud and Young will undoubtedly be first-round prospects. They appear to already be head and shoulders above the rest. Yet, there are a plethora of potential passers already being discussed in this class.

“It does look like, on the surface, that this 2023 NFL Draft quarterback class is stronger,” Cummings enthuses about the five first-round QBs in his recent 2-Round NFL Mock Draft.

“You’ve got guys like C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young already looking like very good prospects. You’ve got guys with upside like Will Levis and Anthony Richardson. Then, you’ve got guys beyond that like Cameron Ward who went to the Seahawks in this mock. You’ve got guys like Tyler Van Dyke who’s had that hype so far.”

According to NFL Mock Draft Database, there are already 14 quarterbacks who have been selected in the first round of 2023 mock drafts. Some of those names will remain in the mix throughout the cycle. Others, like new West Virginia QB JT Daniels and Stanford’s Tanner McKee, might not. However, the sheer number of names included at this early stage demonstrates the dire need for some teams to find their QB of the future next April.