Mel Kiper Jr. is out with his early-season quarterback rankings, and he has 4 SEC quarterbacks in the top 10 of his rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft, led by Will Levis from Kentucky.

Levis is the second quarterback in the projected class behind Ohio State’s CJ Stroud, and other SEC QBs include Alabama’s Bryce Young (3), Florida’s Anthony Richardson (4) and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker (8).

Kiper, the ESPN NFL Draft guru, wrote that he gives Levis a comparison to Matthew Stafford. Kiper wrote that he was impressed with Levis in the 16 starts he evaluated.

“He has a rocket launcher for an arm; the Penn State transfer makes some “wow” throws. That has gotten him into trouble at times — he has four picks in three games this season — but it’s clear watching him that he believes he can fit the ball into any window. My comp is Matthew Stafford. Levis plays in a pro-style offense at Kentucky, and he’s not going to need much time to adjust to the NFL. He doesn’t have a great supporting cast of playmakers around him, but he makes it work. He can maneuver the pocket and throw on the run. He’s the real deal, and he’s going to battle to be the top signal-caller in this class, though I want to see him clean up the mistakes and limit his turnovers.”

Kiper’s concern about Young is his size and frame. Meanwhile, he’s not given up on Richardson because he said this ranking is based on potential and talent.