2023 NFL Mock Draft: C.J. Stroud makes his case as QB1, Raiders land Will Levis at No. 7

For some strange reason, much of the draft-related discussions during college football season was about Bryce Young, Will Levis, Anthony Richardson … and, oh yeah, C.J. Stroud.  This had less to do with Stroud, who had a stellar campaign for the Buckeyes, and more to do with the other three names; Alabama’s Young is historically undersized, Levis had a forgettable season for Kentucky, and Richardson probably should’ve returned to Florida after an uneven year.

Stroud, meanwhile, proved during Saturday night’s College Football Playoff semifinal matchup against Georgia that he deserves to be a legitimate contender for QB1. We all knew he was a better passer at this point in his college career than his predecessor, Justin Fields, but questions remained about his athleticism. Such concerns were (repeatedly) put to rest against the Bulldogs, including on the final drive when Stroud’s legs put the Buckeyes in position for the game-winning field goal try.

In fact, former Vikings general manager — and the brains of the “With the First Pick” podcast — Rick Spielman and I talked about Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud on an recent episode:

Put another way: Don’t be surprised if Stroud is in the running for the first quarterback drafted, and deservedly so.

In less rosy QB news, there will be 729 days between the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft and the 2021 version, when the Jets took Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick. We mention that because it sure feels like the Jets could again be in the franchise quarterback business. In part because Wilson has struggled, even when you compare him to other QBs from his draft class, but also because — fair or not — there’s very little room for patience in today’s NFL.

And it’s that last point that could inform the organization’s decision in the coming months. In fact, we put this very question to former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, who crushes it every week on the “With the First Pick” draft podcast, and here’s what he said when it comes drafting QBs in the first round:

“The rule was, you always give them three years. And especially at the quarterback position, you may want to give them four. But you want to see if they’re trending in the right direction. If they continue to make the same mistakes — and no matter how hard you coach them or how much time you spent [working with them] and they still don’t get it, eventually you have…