Buffalo Bills: 4 bold predictions in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft

Bold Prediction #1: 5 quarterbacks will be drafted before the Buffalo Bills

Last year, there was only one quarterback drafted in the first two rounds and that was Kenny Pickett, who the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted with the 20th overall pick. The first quarterback drafted on Thursday night is certainly not going to wait that long as it essentially guaranteed the Carolina Panthers will be drafting a quarterback with the first overall pick.

The suspense though is around the fact that it is not clear who that quarterback will be as Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud are considered the likely candidates with Anthony Richardson potentially being a surprise pick. Regardless of who goes first, the other two quarterbacks won’t be far behind and these three, along with Will Levis out of Kentucky should all know their NFL teams by midway through the first.

However, I believe this year there will actually be five quarterbacks drafted in the first round as Hendon Hooker has a good chance of hearing his name called on Thursday night. There is a significant gap between Hooker and the next quarterback in this year’s class which could motivate teams needing a quarterback to make a move to select the former Tennessee quarterback.

The fact that it is such an important position and a large gap in terms of talent, I would expect a team to put themselves in a position to select Hooker and the Buffalo Bills see five quarterbacks drafted before they are on the clock.