Every year, there are at least a couple of teams everyone knows will draft a quarterback. It’s the most important position in football. But the NFL has a way of surprising us. Here are five sleeper teams that could draft a quarterback higher than expected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Which NFL Teams Might Surprise and Draft a QB?
New England Patriots
To say it was a tumultuous sophomore campaign for the Patriots’ 2021 first-round pick would be an understatement. Mac Jones went from leading his team to the playoffs to a losing record. And that wasn’t anywhere near the worst of it.
For a brief period, Jones was benched for rookie Day 3 pick Bailey Zappe. To make matters worse, fans were outwardly cheering for Zappe to play over Jones.
MORE: FREE Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
Since then, there have been several reports of rifts between Jones and the coaching staff. As reported by NESN’s Zack Cox, Jones allegedly called old buddies on the Alabama coaching staff for advice on the Patriots’ offensive struggles, angering Bill Belichick.
While the veracity of these rumors is unknown, the mere suggestion that the Patriots could be shopping a guy they drafted in the first round just two years ago is jarring.
The Patriots’ first pick is at No. 14 overall in this year’s draft. I can’t imagine them using that pick on a quarterback, but it wouldn’t be a total shock if they spent a Day 2 selection on the position, not being sold on Jones.
Las Vegas Raiders
It’s no secret the Raiders are in win-now mode. As they should be after trading for now-30-year-old Davante Adams last season, as well as signing Jakobi Meyers and franchise-tagging Josh Jacobs.
Following their falling out with Derek Carr, the Raiders replaced him by signing Jimmy Garoppolo to a three-year deal.
The thing is, they can very easily get out of Garoppolo’s contract after two years. If they’re willing to take an $18.7 million dead cap hit, they can cut him after just one season.
At 32 years old, Jimmy G still has plenty of football left in him. But the 49ers were never sold on him as the answer. Perhaps the Raiders aren’t that confident, either.
The NFL Draft is quite long. Plenty of teams take shots on quarterbacks — some earlier than expected. The Raiders are another team that could throw a dart at hitting on their QB of the future, just in case Garoppolo doesn’t work out.
Tennessee Titans
Perhaps this one isn’t as much of a surprise anymore. However, the Titans have plenty of needs outside of quarterback. While Ryan Tannehill may not be the best option, he’s at least competent and has proven himself capable of leading this team to the playoffs.
The reason the Titans may be looking at spending a higher-than-expected NFL Draft pick on a quarterback is their open acknowledgment of the failed Malik Willis experiment.
I don’t recall seeing a single mock draft that didn’t have Willis at least in the second round — if not the first round — last year. Instead, he fell all the way to Round 3 before the Titans took a chance. Because that’s all Willis was — a dart throw. He was a project, and one the Titans appear ready to admit did not work.
MORE: NFL Draft Top-30 Visits — The Most Interesting or Telling Visits for All 32 Teams
As a rookie, Willis best resembled a quarterback we should be watching play in the XFL or USFL right now. After filling in for an injured Ryan Tannehill, head coach Mike Vrabel felt he had no choice but to sign journeyman Josh Dobbs off the street and immediately give him the starting job in a win-and-in game.
2023 sure smells like Tannehill’s final year with the Titans. As a result, they could surprise by taking a Day 2 quarterback. And it wouldn’t totally shock me if they went so far as to take one in the first round.
Seattle Seahawks
Heading into the 2022 season, it sure looked like the Seahawks were going to punt the season and take a quarterback with an early 2023 draft pick. Instead, Geno Smith had an unprecedented late-career renaissance, earning him a three-year contract extension.
On the surface, it appears as if the Seahawks have committed to Smith as their answer under center. But he’s still a 32-year-old quarterback who was never good before last season. As such, they designed his contract in a way that they can realistically get out of it after one or two years, similar to the Raiders and Garoppolo.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Daniel Flick, the Seahawks may have their eye on Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker as a potential first-round pick.
It would likely come as a surprise to most for a team that just gave its quarterback $40 million guaranteed to then spend a first-round pick on another signal-caller. However, it’s definitely in the range of outcomes for the Seahawks.
Los Angeles Rams
When it comes to things like season-long prop futures, I imagine we may be waiting a while before we get any lines on Rams players. That’s because of the cloud of uncertainty hanging over Matthew Stafford.
After the Rams made history by having the worst season after winning a Super Bowl of all time, there were rumors that head coach Sean McVay and Stafford might both retire.
McVay opted to return and has indicated Stafford will be back, but behind the scenes, reports are concerning surrounding Stafford’s health. Allegedly, his back is a real problem. According to Matthew Berry, a source told him Stafford “could barely throw last year” and that “retirement is still not out of the question.”
MORE: 2023 NFL Draft Big Board
While this was over a month ago, we haven’t heard anything definitive since then. In 2019, we saw Andrew Luck shock everyone by retiring in the middle of August.
I’m not saying Stafford is going to do the same thing, but given the circumstances, would it be the most surprising thing in the world if Stafford went through training camp, got to mid-August, and came to the conclusion he just can’t do it anymore?
What would be more surprising is if the Rams’ front office isn’t aware of the possibility Stafford retires in the not-too-distant future. Therefore, they could shock the world and take a quarterback earlier than expected.
