Dane Brugler NFL Mock Draft: Stroud to Colts, Richardson to Titans, Levis to Texans

In his final mock draft before the start of the 2023 NFL draft on Thursday, Dane Brugler of The Athletic projected the big four quarterbacks to come off the board inside the top 12 picks.

Brugler stuck with the consensus of Alabama quarterback Bryce Young going No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers before having a more unique take than many other draft analysts on where the other top quarterbacks will land.

Rather than a team trading into the Arizona Cardinals' spot at No. 3 overall, Brugler has the Indianapolis Colts staying at No. 4 and landing the second-rated signal-caller in Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.

Then, just outside the top 10, Brugler predicted that the Tennessee Titans will get their developmental quarterback prospect behind Ryan Tannehill in Florida's Anthony Richardson at No. 11, followed by the Houston Texans taking Kentucky's Will Levis at No. 12 overall with their second first-round pick.

The Texans are clearly a team in need of a quarterback, but there has been plenty of smoke regarding them passing on a quarterback at No. 2, and Brugler envisions them going with Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. in that scenario.

That would open the door for the Colts to get their pick of the litter of any quarterback not named Young, and Brugler sees them going with Stroud.

After parting ways with veteran Matt Ryan, the Colts have a massive need at quarterback, and it is likely Stroud would start for them out of the gates.

There are some doubts about the ability of Ohio State quarterbacks to transition to the next level, but Stroud put up huge numbers in college and finished fourth or better in the Heisman Trophy voting twice, making him an enticing option for new Colts head coach Shane Steichen.

Many teams picking between No. 4 and No. 11 could potentially be in the market for a quarterback, but Brugler doesn't have the next one coming off the board until the 11th pick when the Titans snag Richardson.

Richardson dazzled at the NFL Scouting Combine and has ideal size for an NFL quarterback, but he only started for one year at Florida and had major accuracy issues, completing just 53.8 percent of his passes.

The dual-threat quarterback would benefit from going somewhere that he can sit and learn behind a veteran, and the Titans could give him that, as Ryan Tannehill could start for all of 2023 before transitioning to Richardson in 2024.

In Brugler's mock, the Texans' decision to pass on a quarterback at No. 2 works out well for them, as they land Levis at No. 12.

Levis struggled at times in college with turning the ball over and taking sacks, but he didn't have a ton of skill-position talent around him, nor did he have a great offensive line.

He is perhaps the most naturally talented passer in the draft and among the most mobile quarterbacks, so he has the ceiling to be the best QB in the 2023 class if he lands in the right situation.

The Texans have a lot of draft picks in the coming years to build around Levis, plus it wouldn't be a must for him to start right away since Davis Mills could hold down the fort until he is ready.

The quarterback picture will come into focus Thursday night when the first round of the 2023 NFL draft kicks off at 8 p.m. ET.