Three Quarterbacks to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Devy Leagues

The 2023 NFL Draft is fast approaching. The calendar has turned to April and now we begin to cross off the days until day one kicks off on April 27th in Kansas City. Landing spots will be known and the wait will be over to find out where this year’s crop of rookies will begin their NFL careers next season. Compared to last year, the 2023 rookie quarterback class has four prospects projected to go in the top ten, headlined by CJ Stroud and Bryce Young – both of whom are expected to go within the top three.

But it’s never too early to get familiar with the next crop of QBs currently in the college ranks.

This is the first edition of our Dynasty League Football Buy/Sell/Hold devy series. If you’re in a devy league, hopefully this can help you decide whether you want to sell off a veteran QB on a short-term deal, or want to acquire a top-rated incoming recruit to build for the future.

Let’s take a look at who you should consider for each move, along with an additional bonus suggestion.

Buy: Drew Allar, QB Penn State

The former five-star recruit out of Medina, OH will get his chance to shine this upcoming season. Allar sat in his true freshman year behind sixth-year senior Sean Clifford, but will now take over as the QB1 for the Nittany Lions in 2023. Allar steps into an intriguing situation, as he will not have to do everything by himself.

Penn State returns two true freshman running backs (Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen), the best offensive tackle in college football (Olu Fashanu), and a deep tight end room. The wide receiver situation will be a development to watch, but Allar has the type of profile that can make others around him better.

Despite the exciting situation, Allar has all of the tools to be one of the best QBs in college football next year. I think it makes for a smart acquisition now before it becomes a high-cost.

Sell: Bo Nix, QB Oregon

Nix currently sits as the devy QB8 over on the DLF devy rankings page, and quite frankly, I think that is a bit too high for him. Nix struggled in his time at Auburn, finally breaking out for the Ducks last season.

He will be 23 as a fifth-year senior by the time next season starts. He will have an avalanche of pressure on him in Eugene to build off his only productive year in his college career and get the Ducks back in contention for the College Football Playoff. Nix has struggled to put it all together, and I think it is best to take a wait-and-see approach before investing in him at that price point.

I’d consider moving him for a future second-round rookie pick, or packaging him and a future pick for a current backup NFL QB in a precarious situation with its current starter. Jacoby Brissett (Commanders) and Bailey Zappe (Patriots) are two names that come to mind.

Hold: Michael Penix Jr, QB Washington

I know I might be in the minority, but I am not as high on Penix as I am on the rest of the marketplace. I do see him and Nix in the same tier of devy QBs, but I really like the situation he finds himself in 2023 for the Huskies.

After transferring to Washington from Indiana, Penix found a place where he was put in the best position to be successful week to week. He was also able to unleash his natural arm talent and had the best supporting cast around him that he’s had in his career. Most of that talent returns, which will give Penix every opportunity to build off his 2022 and maybe find himself in the 2023 Heisman conversation.

He currently sits as the devy QB12 – four spots behind Nix – and I’d rather have Penix over Nix for next season and during the 2024 draft season. If you’re a Bo Nix owner, you might be able to acquire Penix plus an extra asset right now.

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Photo: DLF Devy Rankings.

Bonus move – Sell (or Hold): Quinn Ewers, QB Texas

Ewers never appeared to be the same last season after he left the game against Alabama in week two. He threw for under 200 yards five times and finished with a 58.1 completion percentage. He broke out against Washington in the Alamo Bowl, but still only threw for one touchdown.

Enter now Arch Manning in 2023. Despite Manning not having played a snap in college football yet, he will have every chance to compete and be the Longhorns’ starter in 2023. Manning was the consensus top overall recruit and five-star prospect, and brings a legendary lineage of bloodlines to Austin next season.

I would keep an eye on this situation, as it is also very feasible that Manning still needs time to develop and may not be quite ready in the beginning. I think Ewers is more of a sell than he is a hold, and may be able to fetch you a high-end dynasty QB2, or an incoming four/five-star recruit.

nicholas muzzillo
Three Quarterbacks to Buy, Sell, or Hold in Devy Leagues