Alabama, Ohio State lead charge for potential No. 1 pick in 2023

The race to be the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft has already begun with Alabama and Ohio State football stars in the mix.

Now that the 2022 NFL Draft is done and dusted, the 2023 NFL Draft can come right into focus.

It took 20 picks for a quarterback to come off the board this year. Next year, odds are a passer will be in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.

Already, projections for the top projections are being dropped with Ohio State and Alabama the most likely to add to their tally of No. 1s.

Alabama, Ohio State QBs lead odds for potential No. 1 pick in 2023 NFL Draft

Here are the odds for the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, per Bet Online (h/t Jaime Eisner):

1. Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud (+200)
2. Alabama QB Bryce Young (+250)
3. Alabama LB Will Anderson (+300)
4. Ohio State OT Paris Johnson (+900)
5. Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (16/1)
6. Boston College QB Phil Jurkovec (16/1)
7. Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke (16/1)
8. South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler (18/1)

Stroud and Young have been two of the biggest names in college football since each entered the picture. They both started

Stroud backed up former first-round pick Justin Fields in 2020 before taking over as the Buckeyes’ quarterback in 2021. He won national awards and is expected to put his team in contention for the College Football Playoff this season. If he follows through he’ll be a no-brainer to declare for the draft.

Young has already won a Heisman Trophy and is ready to follow in the footsteps of past Alabama quarterbacks who turned their college success into first-round attention. He could be the best of the bunch when all is said and done.

Along with Stroud and Young, quarterbacks to keep an eye on include Boston College’s Jurkovec and Miami’s Van Dyke. They’re dark horses but have the pro skillset to turn heads.

As for Rattler, he was projected as a potential No. 1 pick last year and he needs a bounceback season in South Carolina to reignite that flame.

For those eager to see a non-QB taken first again, Anderson has the look of a generational player while Ohio State could put Johnson or Smith-Njigba in the conversation.

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