Really good point about Bama vs. tOSU. I think Stroud may be the one, though. Maybe not a top-5 QB kind of player but a legitimate top half of the league starter in a couple years. I have nothing in particular against Young, either. I think both those guys could be pretty good.
I see warts on all of them.
Bama's QBs have generally had more NFL success than tOSU's, but with the exception of Hurts they're not turning into franchise guys. Jury is still out on Tua and Jones, but they don't look like guys that are taking their teams to Super Bowls. In reality, they probably had a higher level of talent around their teams in college than they do now, and their own performances don't elevate their teams enough. Young doesn't look that much different from those guys to me...and he doesn't look enough like Hurts.
Stroud looks a little more like Hurts, but I don't see a team at the top of the draft that's likely to play that style of ball. And, Buckeye QBs have not tended to make the leap very well.
Richardson is high risk. He might be a physical freak with a high ceiling, or he might be a bust. He just doesn't have enough film in the can to really predict which way he's going. Someone is going to take him and will look like either a genius or an idiot in 5 years.
I think Levis is interesting, but not in the top 5...probably not even top 10. He's got talent, but I think he's another who will eventually play himself to the middle of the pack - a decent starter, but not a guy who's going to take you all the way.
As a GM with a top 5 pick, I'd be paralyzed. I rarely see anyone that I think is such a no-brainer that they're worth that pick. Especially seeing how the Bears fleeced the Panthers for #1 this year, I'd
definitely be looking to trade down. Getting 2 1's, 2 2's, and a starting WR in exchange for moving down 8 spots and
still picking top 10? Yes, please. The Panthers now
have to get this pick right, because they've given up all of their room for error. The Bears get a good player, have 4 extra shots at good players in 2024-25, and still get a shot at a
really good player this year. They certainly could blow it, but they get 5 tries to hit a home run...the Panthers get 1.