2023 NFL Draft: Underestimated QBs Stetson Bennett and Others

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The 2023 NFL draft features several quarterbacks with great potential. Even among the later-round projections, there are several potential late-round steals. One such steal is Stetson Bennett out of Georgia. Bennett lead the Bulldogs to their national championship win over TCU last season.

Stetson Bennett -Quarterback–Georgia

Bennett has a quick release and plenty of arm strength. His ball placement is second to none. With such accuracy and strength, how can he be a late-round projection? The answer is simple, his height is an issue He’s only five feet 11 inches tall. However, it’s important to remember that Kyler Murray is also the same height. One-time Super Bowl winner Russell Wilson is the same height as well. Wilson is known for his down the field passes in Seattle, not just his mobility and speed when running. One can’t simply dismiss Bennett as a quarterback who will never succeed in the NFL because he’s short. Although the preference is a quarterback who is no shorter than six feet 2 inches tall, there are exceptions.

Bennett shows good mobility as well with the ability to make throws under pressure, even taking hits in the process. His footwork when passing needs some work as he needs to make sure he plants his feet properly when passing. His footwork before passes is excellent but he needs to improve on maintaining good footwork throughout the process of throwing.

Max Duggan-Quarterback -TCU

Duggan is the epitome of how a dual-threat quarterback plays. His ability to keep defenses guessing could cause matchup nightmares at the NFL level. Duggan’s lowest rushing yard total was 352 in 2021. Last season he rushed for 423 yards. However, he wasn’t able to run at all against Georgia in the national championship as he ran for -52 yards. He passed for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns last season.

There’s no guarantee he’ll show the same dual-threat ability in the NFL. In fact, if the national championship was any indication, he won’t have too many games in which he’ll gain yards on the ground. He will need to rely more on his arm which will be extremely difficult if he doesn’t have a better completion percentage. He needs to throw his passes on target way more often in the NFL. That is something the scouts will question right away. However, if coaches think this is something Duggan will improve on, then he’s worth the risk.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson- Quarterback -UCLA

Good stats are hard to ignore. NFL general managers are going to have a hard time ignoring Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s stats. In the relatively difficult Pac-12, Thompson-Robinson’s stats were truly impressive. He passed for 3,164 yards with a completion percentage of 69.6 in 2022. His quarterback rating was 82.1, which was 11th in the nation.

He has very good mobility as well but really needs to improve his footwork when passing. Like Bennett, he needs to plant his feet properly when throwing. He’s outstanding at evading pressure and extending plays. He can be tough to take down when running. He’s not the fastest runner but he effectively uses jukes and spins.