1. Will Anderson Jr., DE, Alabama
As of right this second, Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. is the best player in college football, and I’m not sure you can really make a convincing case for anyone else. Anderson was dominant in his sophomore season with the Crimson Tide, living in the backfield and striking the fear of both God and Nick Saban into the souls of opposing offenses. Anderson looks the part, has an especially frightening blend of athleticism, motor, and football IQ, and may just make a Heisman run this winter.
My only worry with Anderson nabbing that undisputed top spot in the 2023 draft is that, much like his biggest barrier to the Heisman trophy, he’s a defensive player. If Anderson was eligible last season, when good quarterback prospects were much fewer and further between, he’d be nothing short of a shoe-in for the draft’s top spot. Instead, he’ll have much stiffer competition this season in terms of offensive players at the top of the class.
2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Bryce Young was ready for the NFL by the time last season finished. The sheer amount of polish on his game has captivated me and many other scouts alike and has allowed him emerged for many as the top quarterback in this class by quite a wide margin, despite his lack of size. Young’s passing acumen has been buffed out to nothing short of a mirror sheen. His buttery smooth football delivery to just the right spots in short, intermediate, and especially in the long passing game, makes him hard to deny.
Still, I think Young has a bit of a barrier to entry in terms of becoming the clear-cut No. 1 draft pick. Young is going to scare away a lot of the traditional “old guard” of football scouts due to his small stature, and so locking him in as the No. 1 pick feels like way too big a roll of the dice before we even know the draft order. Some teams would be perfectly fine with Young being the top guy, and probably have him penciled in already. I’m just not too sure how many teams would think that way.
3. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
I have C.J. Stroud projected to become the top quarterback in this class, but right now, I wouldn’t say he’s there. Instead, his size is his biggest advantage in this competition over Young. While Young might be the better pure passer, Stroud gives any offense the ability to do more by being a strikingly quick learner of the game of football. Stroud showed throughout last season that he can pick up, execute, and quickly master any offensive concept within a matter of weeks. Imagine what he can do with a full offseason of work as a starter under his belt.
Of course, something can always go wrong. Stroud is not a finished product, in fact, far from it. His polish is nowhere even close to the level of Young’s, and so I can’t rank him as the top quarterback in this competition just yet. I have faith that Stroud can eventually become the draft’s clear-cut top pick, but he simply is not ready to be slotted into that spot yet. We’ll see how the season progresses, and don’t be surprised to see him at the top of this list very soon.
Narcissistic Penguin 
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