Updated quarterback rankings for the Colts after the NFL Combine

The NFL Combine has concluded and the Indianapolis Colts got a glimpse at their future on Saturday when the quarterbacks dropped back and were able to air it out.

With the 2023 NFL Combine finished, a few quarterbacks were able to stand out in what was an impressive showing. Meanwhile, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young elected to watch and just take meetings with teams.

There were a few big storylines to come out of the weekend, including Young's size, where he measured in at 5'10-3/4" and 204 pounds. Many believed that he would weigh in under 200 pounds, but his team was able to get him to a more manageable measurement. Le'ts see how that is maintained all the way until draft day.

Other stories include Anthony Richardson's impressive day with his athleticism and deep balls in the throwing drills. As well as C.J. Stroud looking like the most pure passer in the draft. Meanwhile, Will Levis looked a little shaky at times when compared to Stetson Bennett.

How much stock goes into the combine with teams? Is it largely used to conduct meetings with players from all over the country or does the skill during the drills actually matter? Detroit Lions' head coach said that he grades players off of tape, not running the 40 in pajamas, and even Indy’s general manager, Chris Ballard, admitted that he’s not putting too much of an emphasis on the quarterback’s combine workouts.

Was Jim Irsay at the combine watching his future quarterback? If he was, he certainly wasn't showing any sign of who they are looking at on Twitter. Most of his tweets from the weekend are of concerts for his foundation.

With just the college pro days and individual workouts left before the NFL draft, where do the Colts stand at the quarterback position? Is it anyone's race? Is there a leading candidate? Or will the Colts be fine to sit at four and get whichever quarterback is there for the taking?

Let’s look at how the quarterback prospects are ranked following the Combine.

Will Levis didn’t shine in weak grouping at the Combine

The quarterbacks were broken into two groups at the combine, and Levis wasn't grouped with the other potential top picks in the draft. Levis was grouped with Tyson Bagent, Stetson Bennett, Malik Cunningham, Max Duggan, Jake Haener, and Jaren Hall.

At first, Levis was shining in the short throwing drills. His footwork looked great, his passes looked pure, and he was making great reads with the receivers.

Once throws got 20+ yards down the field, it looked less natural. His throwing motion looked decent, but his accuracy was just all over the place. Levis just didn't wow the crowd when he went deep in comparison to some of the other quarterbacks.

"Because I got a cannon, and I wanna show it off."

Will Levis on why he is participating

Levis just didn't show the cannon that he claimed to have at the combine and was out-thrown by Georgia QB Stetson Bennett. Levis' deepest completion was between 50-55 yards down the field. During warmups, his fastest ball clocked in at 59mph, which was tied for the third fastest with just about everyone else at the combine.

Levis just appeared to be average compared to the rest. He certainly is good and has the talent to be taken in the top 10 of the draft, but he should not be the first option for the Colts based on the Combine.

Bryce Young showed up for meetings and that was it

Bryce Young didn't really do much for his draft stock other than meet with teams. It sounded like from reporters that he had good interviews with the teams that he did meet with. We’ll have to wait until Alabama’s pro day to see Young throw, but that will be a much more scripted and controlled setting than if he threw at the Combine.

The fact that Colts new head coach Shane Steichen has referenced him indirectly when it comes to the type of quarterback he likes to coach is a good sign for him. But not being able to see how Young measures up on the field compared to the other three does hurt him a little bit.

When Young was seen on the jumbotron in Lucas Oil Stadium, he drew a very large cheer, but that was just the one time. He didn't seem to draw the same kind of cheers as when Will Levis, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson were on the field.

Young certainly has shown he has the footwork and is one of the purest passers in the draft, but his size is what is hurting him right now. If Bryce measured the same way as the other three, he would be the consensus first pick in the draft, and the Bears would have plenty of teams trying to move up.

Anthony Richardson showed out in Indianapolis

Anthony Richardson had probably the most impactful week at the Combine. He had such a great day, that you could overhear fans wearing Ohio State gear getting excited about his throws.

Richardson started his day by breaking a combine record for quarterbacks with a 40.5" vertical, followed up by tieing the broad jump record with 10'9". After the day, he was asked if he was happy and Richardson responded with "No" and alluded to wanting a 41" vertical and 11' broad jump. He then ran a 4.43 official 40-yard-dash time, beating all other quarterbacks and many wide receivers.

It appeared that Anthony was never satisfied with his efforts at the combine, something that you like to see in a quarterback who just wants to continue improving his game.

Daniel Jeremiah stated on the broadcast that teams should use the "Mahomes plan" when drafting Anthony Richardson and let him sit a year and learn the offense and what it's like being in the NFL. It seems like that plan has worked for Kansas City, after three trips to the Super Bowl, winning two of them.

Jeremiah later said that he remembers pre-game workouts when facing Dante Culpepper in college and Richardson reminds him a lot of Culpepper in his preparation for each game.

All of that is great, but how did he do throwing the ball? His shorter routes quieted the excited crowd a little bit as they often were a bit high or to the wrong shoulder of his receiver. His fastest ball was second highest and clocked in at 60mph, only behind UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson at 62mph.

Richardson hits his guy a little higher than the others, which is good when you have athletic tight ends and receivers that prefer the ball thrown a little higher out of the reach of defenders. It would be a perfect fit for Indianapolis.

The deep ball game was the best part of the combine. Richardson and Stroud were back-to-back and just started launching the ball down the filed. Richardson threw three balls at 60 yards and not only did it look easy and effortless, it hit the receiver in the breadbasket each time.

After Stroud got another deep ball in, Richardson stepped up to the line to launch another 60 yarder for his fourth straight completion.

Richardson is a unicorn in this draft and he could either be the golden quarterback or a bust. My bet is that he will be the top quarterback in the draft 10 years from now.

CJ Stroud is the purest passer and is NFL ready for Colts

Stroud being paired up with Richardson was like comparing apples and oranges. Both were very good at the combine, but for different reasons. Everything that Richardson excelled at, Stroud was a step behind. Stroud excelled at everything else that Richardson did not though. At the end of the day, Stroud did exactly what he needed to do in the combine.

The only thing that would have helped Stroud is seeing him run the 40, but he elected not to run. If he could have ran under 4.50 seconds, he would have launched himself into the top pick easily.

Stroud looked great throughout the day, though. His short passes were as perfect as they could get and he was able to get the ball put into the exact spot no matter what he was looking at each time. His feet were perfect and throwing motion was just about as smooth as you could imagine.

When it came to the deep ball, he went head-to-head with Richardson and looked a little off, though. His first throw was short and wide, but the receiver was able to track it down and make the catch. He missed the second, but was able to connect with Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba for a 60 yard throw down field.

His deep balls weren't perfect like Richardson, but he did get back up to throw another 65-yarder and connected on it.

At the end of the day, Stroud is a pure passer and will be ready for Week 1 in the NFL if a team drafts him. He will need offensive line help to keep him up right, but Stroud is the best quarterback in the draft right now.

Any of the four quarterbacks in this draft will be good for the Indianapolis Colts. It just comes down to who Chris Ballard and Shane Steichen want leading the charge.

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