• Bryce Young comes out on top: Thirty-four draft-eligible FBS quarterbacks faced pressure on at least 50 dropbacks last season. Young ranked first among that group in PFF grade (70.8).
• Anthony Richardson was best at avoiding sacks: The Florida QB took a sack on just 9.2% of his pressured dropbacks last season, the second-lowest rate among players in the draft class.
• Download the PFF draft guide today: Be sure to download the latest edition of the PFF draft guide, which is loaded with more than 300 pages of PFF-exclusive advanced stats, grades and analysis on some of the top prospects expected to enter the draft.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
As long as the sun rises in the east, quarterbacks in the NFL will have to deal with pressure from the opposing pass rush.
The best at the position will always find a way to overcome, either by making pre-snap adjustments and getting the ball out quickly or by using their legs to turn a negative into a positive.
It's a critical part of a quarterback's game.
Let’s look at how the top 10 signal-callers in the 2023 NFL Draft class fared when it came to passing under pressure in 2022. For a more detailed look at all the top quarterbacks in the class, download the 2023 PFF draft guide.
1. Bryce Young, Alabama
PFF QB Rank: 1
PFF Big Board Rank: 1
Passing grade under pressure: 70.8
Thirty-four draft-eligible FBS quarterbacks faced pressure on at least 50 dropbacks last season. Young ranked first among that group in PFF grade (70.8), and he ranked second in adjusted completion percentage (70.9%).
The Bama signal-caller was impressive under pressure all season and continued to push the ball down the field even when he was forced off his spot. He recorded a 14.1-yard average depth of target on throws under pressure and just 26.4% of his attempts were thrown short of the sticks, fifth and fourth, respectively, among players at the position.
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2. Clayton Tune, Houston
PFF QB Rank: 9
PFF Big Board Rank: 167
Passing grade under pressure: 65.9
The Houston quarterback recorded a 6.7% big-time throw rate on pressured dropbacks in 2022, the best rate among the top 10 signal-callers in the 2023 NFL Draft class.
He threw just 21.9% of his passes under pressure short of the sticks, the lowest rate among the 34 draft-eligible FBS quarterbacks who faced pressure on at least 50 dropbacks last season.
Click here for advanced stats, grades and a deep-dive analysis
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