The updated NFL QB market

Which teams will need a QB come draft time? (And what the strategy could be)

Originally Published: November 24, 2012
By Mel Kiper Jr. | ESPN Insider

In Week 1, I was asked to look way ahead and consider teams that might want to take a quarterback in the spring. You can take a look here. As I look at that article, I don't think anything has changed much. Kansas City, Arizona, Buffalo, Jacksonville and the New York Jets all fit the bill for various reasons, but I think a few more teams could be added to the mix.

As we approach the time of year when you can really begin to line up the needs that teams must address in free agency and the draft, I was asked how the QB market looks now, and specifically, which teams will definitely need to think about taking a quarterback in April.

Three things have really changed the picture:

1. Depressed draft market. Right now, I don't have a QB ranked among my top 20 prospects. Matt Barkley and Geno Smith are barely on the Big Board. It could create a situation where a team drafting No. 1 overall bypasses a QB even if it's an extreme need, because QBs will be available in Round 2.

2. Lack of need. Leaguewide, need at the position is way down, in part because of the 2012 draft. Russell Wilson, Brandon Weeden, Ryan Tannehill, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are all starting, so a handful of teams that had a need at the position won't be using an early pick on a QB.

3. Options via trade or free agency. Teams looking for a QB fix might opt to swing a trade (Matt Flynn?) or even grab a QB out of free agency (Michael Vick, Jason Campbell, Alex Smith?). There's no guarantee that a rookie will be starting in Week 1 of 2013, even though we saw five starting in Week 1 of 2012.

With this in mind, here are the teams (in alphabetical order) that I think will at least be considering a QB pick in the draft.


To read more from Mel Kiper on the teams that could be looking to take a QB in the 2013 NFL draft, you must be an ESPN Insider.

Mel Kiper Jr.

Football analyst
  • ESPN NFL Draft analyst since 1984
  • Contributes to SportsCenter and ESPN Radio
  • Writes weekly for ESPN Insider

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