Welcome to the Thursday edition of the Pick Six newsletter and May the Fourth be with you.
With everyone talking about Star Wars today, I thought about ranking every Star Wars character from all nine of the main movies, but I fell asleep during the last two, so I'm not qualified to do that. Instead of ranking Star Wars characters, though, we're going to rank every starting quarterback in the NFL today, which is way more exciting if you think about it.
We're also going to look at 10 moves that need to be made around the NFL now that the draft is over. Oh, and it also looks like we have some schedule leaks. Everyone loves a good schedule leak.
As always, here's your daily reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. To get them signed up, all you have to do is click here. All right, let's get to the rundown.
1. Ranking every starting QB in the NFL
Now that the draft is over, we have a good idea of who the NFL's 32 starting quarterbacks will be in 2023 and since we know that information, it only makes sense to rank them all. Cody Benjamin handles our QB rankings during the regular season, so obviously, we also had to put him in charge of our offseason ranking.
Here's a look at Cody's top 12:
1. Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs)
2. Joe Burrow (Bengals)
3. Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
4. Josh Allen (Bills)
5. Justin Herbert (Chargers)
6. Aaron Rodgers (Jets)
7. Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
8. Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)
9. Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
10. Deshaun Watson (Browns)
11. Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
12. Brock Purdy (49ers)
If you're wondering who ranked last on the list, that would be Washington's Sam Howell. If you want to see how the rest of the list turned out, you can check out the full ranking here.
2. Ten moves that need to be made now that the NFL Draft is over
Just because the NFL Draft is over doesn't mean the rest of the offseason is going to be boring. As a matter of fact, we could see a lot of excitement over the next few weeks and that's because there are plenty of big free agents still out there and there are also plenty of players who could get traded before we get to training camp.
With that in mind, Cody Benjamin created a list of 10 moves that NFL teams need to make now that the draft is over. Here are the top four on his list:
- Trey Lance to the Vikings. "All indications are San Francisco is already souring on Lance after two injury-riddled seasons. If they're truly averse to using him, the Vikings make all the sense in the world as a next destination. Not only do they play in Lance's home state, but they're set to engage the QB market with Kirk Cousins entering a contract year and forward-thinking general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah potentially eyeing a more dynamic successor."
- Malik Willis to the Cardinals. "A year after spending a third-rounder to land him, the Titans have evidently moved on, spending the No. 33 pick this year on Will Levis. The Cardinals already have a young starter in Kyler Murray, but he may not be ready to start 2023 due to injury, leaving only a slew of aging reserves -- Colt McCoy, Jeff Driskel, David Blough -- to hold down the fort. New coach Jonathan Gannon witnessed Jalen Hurts grow as a dual threat in Philadelphia, and he might be willing to take a flier on Willis as a developmental project behind Murray."
- DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs. "Kansas City is more than capable of staying cheap at this spot, letting Patrick Mahomes lean on Travis Kelce and elevate whomever else they deploy, but when you're in a perpetual Super Bowl window, you also take big swings, and Hopkins has already suggested he'd embrace a move to Arrowhead."
- Chase Young to the Bears. "The Bears are flush with cap space and have been committed to restocking their own front. Despite signing ex-Titans starter DeMarcus Walker, they could still use an elite-traits edge presence to put in front of their lucrative new linebacker corps."
If you want to see Cody's full list of moves that need to happen now that the draft is over, then be sure to click here.
3. Most questionable pick by each team in the NFL Draft
After covering each team's best pick in the draft and each team's worst pick in the draft earlier this week, we are now going to take a look at each team's most questionable pick.
The list of most questionable picks was put together by CBSSports.com draft guru Josh Edwards, who somehow still had the energy to write this piece even though he worked 115 straight hours over draft weekend. With that in mind, let's check out five of the players that made his most questionable picks list:
- Bears: OL Darnell Wright (10th overall). "Wright was improved in 2022 but still felt more like someone who should have been considered around the late stages of Round 1 or early portion of Day 2."
- Jets: EDGE Will McDonald IV (15th overall). "There are serious concerns about his play strength and ability to contribute in run support. If he is a liability in that department, it will be difficult justifying his position on the field on early-down situations."
- Lions: LB Jack Campbell (18th overall). "Detroit had an opportunity to address a few premium positions in the first round, but chose to take a running back and linebacker instead. Campbell fits the temperament that the Lions have coveted in that building but he was someone I valued on Day 2."
- Raiders: WR Tre Tucker (100th overall). "Tucker has the added value of return ability but it was shocking that he was taken prior to his teammate, Tyler Scott. Las Vegas really does not need wide receivers in the top 100 with Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Jakobi Meyers on the roster."
- Browns: UCLA QB Dorial Thompson-Robinson (140th overall). "Thompson-Robinson is a player who was ranked lower for me personally but it is easy to follow the thought process. He has developmental traits and comes at a more affordable rate than the other backup quarterbacks on the roster; with Deshaun Watson's rising cost, that is important."
If you want to see the full list of questionable picks from Edwards, be sure to click here. By the way, Edwards just welcomed his second child into the world on May 2 and he hasn't slept for two days, so for that reason alone, you should click over and read his story.
4. Biggest post-draft question facing each NFL team
With the NFL Draft now in the rearview mirror, that might make it seem like we're headed into the slow part of the offseason, but we're not quite there yet. There's still a lot to figure out and I know that because Tyler Sullivan came up with 32 different questions that still need to be answered before the start of the season.
Sullivan came up with one big question for each team and you can see five of them below:
- Browns: What will Deshaun Watson look like in 2023? "After coming back from his suspension, Watson struggled, completing just 58.2% of his passes. With the suspension behind him and now a full offseason to work with the Browns, it'll be fascinating to see if Watson can return to being arguably a top-five quarterback like he was during his early days with the Texans."
- Cowboys: Who will their kicker be? "The Cowboys wanted to come out of the 2023 NFL Draft with a kicker but were unable to do so. So, it stands to wonder who'll be carrying those kicking duties this upcoming season. Does Dallas go back to Brett Maher or do they find another veteran kicker on the market and bring him aboard?"
- Broncos: Will they trade away a receiver? "Currently, the Broncos have 12 (!) wide receivers on their roster, including Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims, Tim Patrick and K.J. Hamler. There has to be an odd man out right? Now that the draft is over, it'll be interesting to see if a team that struck out on getting a receiver decides to call up the Broncos to try to pry one of the pass catchers away."
- Saints: Will Alvin Kamara get hit with a suspension? "The Saints running back was indicted on two criminal charges earlier this year, including battery resulting in substantial bodily harm, stemming from an incident in February 2022. While Kamara, who pleaded not guilty, still needs to see his case played out, this situation does open the back up to possible suspension by the NFL."
If you want to see all 32 questions that still need to be answered, be sure to check out Sully's full story by clicking here.
5. NFL schedule rumors: Details of Germany games may have just leaked out
The NFL hasn't officially announced it yet, but the 2023 schedule is expected to be released exactly one week from today (May 11). With 272 games on the schedule, there's a good chance we're going to see a lot of leaks over the next week and those leaks started today with rumored details on the two German games that are being played this year.
We already knew that the Patriots and Chiefs would be serving as the "home" teams in each game, but now it seems that we have a few more details thanks to The Bild, which is a newspaper in Germany.
Here are the full details on each game:
- The Patriots will be playing the Saints.
- The Chiefs will be playing the Bears (This was previously reported in early April, so it feels like a lock at this point).
- Both games will be played in Frankfurt, marking the first time in NFL history that Frankfurt has hosted a regular-season game (The Buccaneers-Seahawks game last season was played in Munich).
- The two games will be played in consecutive weeks with the first one coming on Nov. 12 (Week 10) followed by another game on Nov. 19 (One thing that's not clear is which game will be in what slot).
- The Chiefs will also be heading to Germany in 2024, and for that game, they're expected to play the Panthers in Munich.
There you have it. There are 272 games on the schedule and it appears that we now know two of them. Although the report seems pretty solid, nothing is official until the NFL announces it, so don't go booking a flight to Germany just yet if you're a fan of one of the four teams involved in this year's games.
6. Extra points: Deshaun Watson could soon be facing a lawsuit
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL, and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Deshaun Watson could be hit with lawsuit. When Watson agreed to settle his sexual harassment lawsuits, there were two women who refused to settle with him and one of those women, Lauren Baxley, is on the verge of taking her case to civil court. For more details on the situation, be sure to click here.
- Ravens add veteran corner. The Ravens added some major cornerback depth this week by signing Rock-Ya Sin to a one-year deal that could be worth up to $6 million. The 26-year-old has started 38 games over his four-year career in the NFL.
- Chiefs sign veteran offensive tackle. The Chiefs made a major move on Wednesday by signing Donovan Smith to a one-year, $9 million deal. It was a major move because there's a good chance that Smith will end up being the team's starting left tackle this year. The Chiefs also signed Jawaan Taylor earlier this offseason to possibly play left tackle, but he's played most of his career at right tackle and they would probably prefer to keep him there if possible.
- 49ers signing leads to Bengals getting a new backup QB. For the past three years, Brandon Allen has been the backup QB in Cincinnati, but that won't be the case in 2023 after he decided to sign with the 49ers. With Allen now in San Francisco, the Bengals signed Trevor Siemian on Wednesday to serve as Joe Burrow's backup.
- Mike Vrabel voted into the Patriots' Hall of Fame. The Patriots will soon be honoring the Titans head coach after Vrabel was voted into New England's Hall of Fame this week. Vrabel spent eight years with the Patriots during his playing career and won three Super Bowls over that span. He's just the 34th player to be inducted to the team's Hall of Fame.
- Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will be teeing it up in "The Match." The two Kansas City teammates will be teaming up on the golf course to face off against Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in this year's version of "The Match." The golf event will go down on June 29 and you can see all the details here.
