Ranking 5 prospective quarterbacks to determine the best fit for the Colts

If the Indianapolis Colts are going to draft their quarterback of the future in the 2023 NFL draft which prospect would be the best fit in Indy?

Considering where the Indianapolis Colts are likely to land in the draft following the 2022 NFL season, it would be more fruitful to draft an offensive lineman over a quarterback considering you could get one of the top tackles in the draft. That would force Indy to stick with Matt Ryan for another year.

However, it is destined that this is likely going to be the year that the Colts go all-in to get the quarterback of their dreams. It all makes sense considering there will be a new head coach and maybe even a new general manager if Jim Irsay has seen enough.

What would it take for the Colts to get a top-talent quarterback in this year’s draft? It might not take much, considering how many of the teams likely to be in front of the Colts are sitting with their franchise quarterback already on the roster.

Are any quarterbacks off the table in this year’s draft if the Colts decide to go all-in finally? A few drafts ago, we saw the Chicago Bears give up two firsts, a fourth, and a fifth-round pick over two years to move up and select Justin Fields from Ohio State.

That move by the Bears did not seem fruitful at first, but Fields is starting to grow into his position on the Bears and has the chance at being a top-five quarterback in the NFL once the Bears can fill out the team.

Assuming that no quarterback is off limits in this draft, including the two players that will likely go first and second overall, let’s rank which quarterbacks are the best fits for Indianapolis to succeed in the NFL.

There are many Colts analysts that are wanting to see the Indianapolis Colts draft Kentucky QB Will Levis in 2023. Levis is a quarterback that can get a team hyped up and ready to compete each week, but do his mistakes outweigh the hype?

The Colts have sent scouts to Kentucky games four times this season, likely to watch Levis play. Last year, the Colts had sent scouts to Cincinnati games and their Pro Day, in what everyone thought was Chris Ballard watching Desmond Ridder. However, it was proven on draft day that they were focused on wide receiver Alec Pierce instead.

One can understand the hype after having unwatchable quarterbacks the last few years, but a simple search for Will Levis on Twitter will result in many videos and tweets talking poorly about Willis.

Don’t be shocked if Will Levis jumps up or down the draft boards heading into April 2023. Everyone saw the hype that Zach Wilson received after making some flashy plays on his BYU Pro Day. That has proven to not be as fruitful as the Jets were hoping.

Peyton Manning-approved Tennessee Volunteer, Hendon Hooker, has made splashes in college football this year. Hooker has had many impressive wins and even led the Volunteers to the No. 1 ranking before losing a big game to Georgia.

Now, Hendon is down for the remainder of the season after tearing his ACL in a tough loss against South Carolina. In his final season of college football, this is a tough blow for the 24-year-old who will not be able to go through full workouts and combines to get ready for the NFL.

A team that wants to take their chances on Hooker this season will have to base their entire future on game tape that he has put up over a five-year playing career between Virginia Tech and Tennessee.

Considering the Colts are hiring former players to coach, maybe the Colts draft Hendon Hooker and bring in Peyton Manning as a quarterbacks coach or offensive coordinator. It would be no surprise if Jim Irsay was able to work with Jeff Saturday, Reggie Wayne, Cato June, and Robert Mathis, then bring Manning in to be the general manager if they move on from Chris Ballard.

If Peyton were the GM, Hooker has to be the pick at 14 for the Colts. I could see them risking a season to have Hooker in the future. This would also allow for their rookie to watch behind Matt Ryan for one more season while Ryan is under contract.

This might be a player that won’t even enter the 2023 NFL Draft and remain at Florida for his senior season. If Anthony Richardson decides to not enter the draft, he has the chance at being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

With the way injuries happen, would Richardson risk doing that? Coming out in this year’s draft might be smart considering you can land anywhere between picks 5-20.

Richardson heads into bowl season as the third quarterback in these rankings. His play style is similar to Patrick Mahomes and if he is able to pull off that type of career, the Colts could have the future of the NFL in Indianapolis.

Imagine the Colts pairing Anthony Richardson and Jonathan Taylor to create the best play-action duo since Peyton Manning and Edgerrin James.

That seemed to work in the past to set the Colts up for a Super Bowl, could they do it again with this pick? Richardson can be drafted as high as fifth to the Detroit Lions, so it might take a trade to get there. The Colts could also sit at their pick and hope he falls to them.

Historically, the Alabama Crimson Tide has not been good at producing NFL quarterbacks. Excluding current quarterbacks in the league, Alabama’s last great quarterback was Joe Namath. However, they have recently started putting together some good quarterback rooms which have improved the outlook on Bryce Young.

With Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones (I still consider Jalen Hurts to be an Oklahoma QB), it’s starting to look up. Even if you consider Jalen to be an Alabama quarterback, that’s three starters in the NFL that are doing fairly well.

Why can’t Bryce be the next great QB from Alabama? A little smaller than you’d want in a QB, Tua and Jalen have proven that it doesn’t matter.

Young has been very consistent with the ball this year by throwing 24 touchdowns and only four interceptions through 10 games in what has been one of Alabama’s worst seasons this decade.

Bryce has the ability to be a leader in the locker room and compete for the starting position on day one, even if the Colts are still rostering Matt Ryan.

The issue is that Bryce will be either the first or second pick of the draft this year going to either the Texans or Raiders. This is going to take a historic trade to land him in Indy. The likely trade partner would be the Raiders, as the Texans will not trade what should be their future to the Colts.

The first non-SEC quarterback to make the QB rankings, C.J. Stroud truly has the ability to go first overall in the NFL Draft.

A few weeks ago, being compared to Justin Fields was probably not a great outlook on an NFL career, but the former Ohio State Buckeye has proven that once you build the team around him, he will produce.

C.J. might take a similar path in the NFL, being a quarterback that will truly turn around a franchise, as long as the team that drafts him does not try to conform him to their playing style. Stroud has the ability to be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

The issue, like Bryce Young, is that C.J. will go either first or second in the draft and it is going to take an “all-chips in” mentality to go out and get your guy. The Colts’ best hope in the draft is for the Raiders to fall to the first-overall pick and trade up to get Stroud.

Considering the Raiders still have Derek Carr under contract and believe they have the offensive weapons to compete in the playoffs, they may look to move their pick for draft capital to build up pieces around them.

If Houston ends up with the first overall pick, it’s not going to happen. C.J. Stroud is currently the projected first-overall pick and it’s going to take a bit to change that. Maybe he can fall similar to how Justin Fields did, but that’s doubtful considering the way Fields has progressed in year two.

Top 5 2023 NFL Draft prospects to keep an eye on for Colts

It's never too early for the Indianapolis Colts to start thinking about the next NFL draft, even if it is a little over eight months away.