Todd McShay NFL Mock Draft: Texans, Raiders, Panthers Get Stroud, Levis, Richardson

Four quarterbacks went off the board in ESPN NFL draft expert Todd McShay's latest 2023 NFL mock draft released Wednesday.

McShay projected the Indianapolis Colts to move up from No. 4 to No. 1 in a trade with the Chicago Bears to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. McShay also mocked Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud to the Houston Texans at No. 2, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7 and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson to the Carolina Panthers at No. 9.

If the draft plays out like that, it will be a far cry from the 2022 NFL draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers made Kenny Pickett the only first-round quarterback taken.

With four signal-callers included, here is a rundown of McShay's current projected top-10 picks for the 2023 NFL draft:

1. Indianapolis Colts (Projected Trade with CHI): Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

2. Houston Texans: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

3. Arizona Cardinals: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama

4. Chicago Bears (Projected Trade with IND): Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

5. Seattle Seahawks: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech

6. Detroit Lions: Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson

7. Las Vegas Raiders: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

8. Atlanta Falcons: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

9. Carolina Panthers: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

10. Philadelphia Eagles (via NO): Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson

Multiple teams picking inside the top 10 have an obvious need at quarterback, and it wouldn't be at all surprising to see many of them address the issue early in the draft.

The Texans gave Davis Mills an opportunity to be the quarterback of the future in 2022, but he went just 3-10-1 as a starter and threw a league-leading 15 interceptions, necessitating a pivot.

Ohio State quarterbacks have been a mixed bag in the NFL in recent years, but it would be tough for the Texans to pass on Stroud at No. 2 overall.

After finishing fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2021 when he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions, Stroud finished third in 2022 when he completed 66.3 percent of his passing attempts for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six picks.

The Texans need to bring in more offensive weapons for Stroud or any other quarterback to be successful, but it can be argued that he is the best all-around quarterback in the draft.

After nine seasons, the Raiders have moved on from their all-time leader in passing yardage and touchdowns in Derek Carr, leaving a gaping hole at the most important position in football.

Provided Young and Stroud are both off the board and the Raiders don't move up from No. 7, Levis could be a boom-or-bust consideration at that spot.

In terms of pure arm talent, Levis clears the rest of the quarterbacks in the draft, but his production didn't come close to matching Young or Stroud in college.

Last season, Levis completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, giving him a total of 23 interceptions over his final two collegiate seasons.

Levis is a project who has a lot of growing and developing to do as a quarterback, but the Raiders may be willing to take a chance on him, especially if they can land a veteran quarterback to serve as a bridge.

Of all the projected first-round quarterbacks, Richardson's draft status is the most uncertain. There was a time when he wasn't thought to be a first-round prospect, but his stock has been rising, initially placing him at the bottom of the first round and now all the way inside the top 10.

Over the past couple of seasons, the Panthers have cycled through numerous quarterbacks, including Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, P.J. Walker and Cam Newton. None of them have been the answer, meaning it may be time to roll the dice.

Richardson has ideal size at 6'4" and over 230 pounds, a big arm and the type of mobility that none of the other first-round quarterbacks possesses.

In his first full season as a starter in 2022, Richardson completed just 53.8 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions, but he also rushed for 654 yards and nine scores.

Accuracy is a huge concern for Richardson, but the skill set is there, and if the Panthers fall in love with his tools, he could be a top-10 pick.