Where Would Love Rank Among 2023 NFL Draft Quarterbacks?

The Green Bay Packers might be ready to turn the page to Jordan Love. Where would he rank among this year’s hyped class of NFL Draft prospects?

Author:
Bill Huber
Publish date:
Mar 13, 2023 5:04 PM EDT

In this story:

Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers might be poised to trade their four-time MVP quarterback, Aaron Rodgers, to the New York Jets. With that, Green Bay for the first time since 2008 would be entering a season with a giant question mark at quarterback.

Jordan Love was a polarizing pick as Green Bay’s first-round selection in 2020. Aside from the decision to use the top draft pick on a player who wouldn’t help a Super Bowl contender take the next step, there was the issue of Love’s quarterbacking acumen. He was brilliant in 2018, when he threw 32 touchdowns vs. six interceptions, but erratic with 20 touchdowns vs. 17 interceptions in 2019.

A longtime scout closely monitored Love at the time as well as the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. Where would the Love of 2020 rank among this year’s class?

Fourth, he said.

The scout would put Love behind Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Florida’s Anthony Richardson. Love is “far better” than the fourth of this year’s first-round contenders, Kentucky’s Will Levis, he thought.

The rookies, of course, will be rookies in 2023. Love will be entering his fourth year and in a much better position to make plays immediately. While he hasn’t played a lot, he’s watched Rodgers the past three seasons and took significant steps forward in 2022 alongside quarterbacks coach Tom Clemens, who will be back for a second season.

As one Packers executive said recently, Love made “holy (bleep)” throws at practice most days.

At the Scouting Combine, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Love was “ready” for the next step of playing.

“I think he’s probably expressed that he wants to start every season,” Gutekunst said. “I think he’s eager to play. So, he wants that opportunity and sometimes those things are out of your control like they have been for him the last few years. But I think he’s ready and excited.”

Love, who won’t turn 25 until November, played meaningful snaps in only one game in 2022. That was in relief of an injured Rodgers at Philadelphia. He went 6-of-9 passing for 113 yards and one touchdown. That playing time accounted for 10 of his 26 snaps for the season.

“He looked like the guy that I worked with at Utah State,” David Yost, who was Utah State’s offensive coordinator in 2017 and 2018, said recently. “He looked very comfortable. It looked quite a bit different than the Chiefs game a year earlier, where he looked tight and it looked like they were trying to protect him and not ask him to do too much.

“But, at some point, the quarterback’s got to make a play. No matter what offense you run or how you do it, at some point, the quarterback’s got to make a play. He just looked much more at ease in that Philly game than he had before, which is a credit to him for preparing himself for it.”