Final 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Second Round

April 25, 2023

Here’s the second round of our 2023 NFL Mock Draft.

32 – Pittsburgh Steelers (CHI): Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.

Porter could very well be a first-round pick when all is said and done, but the Steelers would be an ideal landing spot for the young corner.

Porter is a long, physical and athletic corner who could use some refinement, but would give Pittsburgh’s secondary an impressive player to work with in the years to come.

33 – TRADE: Atlanta Falcons (HOU): LSU EDGE B.J. Ojulari

The Falcons pick up an additional second-round pick from the Texans’ trade I projected earlier.

Ojulari needs some refinement to his game, but rushing the passer is his clear strength. The Falcons really need some more depth at edge rusher and getting Ojulari to come in and potentially start right away would be huge for their improving defense.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares him to Harold Landry.

34 – Arizona Cardinals: Maryland CB Deonte Banks

The Cardinals’ corner depth remains a question, but thankfully there’s a decent prospect waiting for them in the second round of this mock.

Banks could very well be a first-round pick when all is said and done, so getting a talented corner like this to open round two would be a pretty solid pick for the Cardinals, who are still reworking their secondary.

35 – Indianapolis Colts: South Carolina CB Cam Smith

Indianapolis traded Stephen Gilmore to the Cowboys this offseason, which leaves their cornerback depth in question.

Getting a player like Cam Smith is pretty good at this point in the draft. He’s a long corner with good athleticism and ball skills, which would be a great addition to the Colts’ secondary long-term.

36 – Los Angeles Rams: Kansas State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah

The Rams really need pass rush help after moving on from Leonard Floyd this offseason. Anudike-Uzomah would be a good fit for the Rams’ scheme and is a high-effort player with a lot of length.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Dante Fowler Jr.

37 – Seattle Seahawks (DEN): Wisconsin OL Joe Tippmann

We’re staying in the trenches for the Seahawks and giving them, arguably, the top interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft class in round two.

Tippmann is big for a center, but moves very well and could be a day-one starter for the Seahawks.

38 – Las Vegas Raiders: Wisconsin DL Keeanu Benton

The Raiders’ interior defensive line depth remains a question mark at this point in the offseason.

Benton is really interesting upside player who has generated buzz throughout the draft process. He would give the Raiders size and strength in the middle of their defense.

39 – Carolina Panthers: Georgia TE Darnell Washington

Here’s a good value pick. Washington could come off the board much earlier, but he would be a solid fit in Carolina’s offense and would give them a different kind of tight end to pair with Hayden Hurst.

40 – New Orleans Saints: Tennessee WR Jalin Hyatt

The Saints made a big move up last year to get Chris Olave, but they could still use some more help at the position.

Hyatt could give the Saints an impressive tandem of receivers in the long run, as he possesses very good speed and athleticism.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compares him to DeSean Jackson.

41 – Tennessee Titans: Syracuse OT Matthew Bergeron

The Titans are working to overhaul their offensive line this offseason. They parted ways with LT Taylor Lewan and brought in Andre Dillard in free agency.

Bergeron would give them some much-needed depth upfront and has come up as a player who could sneak in the later portion of round one.

42 – Green Bay (NYJ, CLE): Auburn EDGE Derick Hall

We have the Packers taking a receiver earlier in the mock and now addressing edge rusher with an impressive athlete in round two. Hall is an explosive player with length, who could develop into a very good NFL player.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Carl Lawson.

43 – New York Jets: Pittsburgh DL Calijah Kancey

Kancey is undersized, but explosive as an interior pass rusher. He could be a good compliment to star DL Quinnen Williams.

44 – Atlanta Falcons: Tennessee WR Cedric Tillman

We gave the Falcons an edge rusher earlier in the mock and Atlanta has really focused in on building out their defense this offseason, so it would make some sense to start adding more offensive weapons for their offense.

Tillman could be a great compliment to Drake London because of his size and ball skills. Lance Zierlein compares him to Michael Pittman Jr.

45 – Green Bay Packers: Oregon State TE Luke Musgrave

The Packers’ tight end depth chart stands out as one of the worst units in the NFL. The good news is that this is a great year to need a tight end.

Musgrave would be very solid value at this point and could give the Packers a good route-running tight end for Jordan Love to take advantage of in the coming years.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Dallas Goedert.

46 – New England Patriots: North Carolina WR Josh Downs

The Patriots could go receiver earlier in the draft, but if they wait this long Downs would be a decent second-round option. Lance Zierlein compares Downs to Kadarius Toney.

47 – Washington Commanders: Georgia CB Kelee Ringo

The Commanders were in the market for cornerback help last year and the position remains a need a year later.

Ringo offers size, speed and athleticism and could be a day-one starter for Washington, depending on how he holds up in camp.

Lance Zierlein compares him to former Ravens CB Jimmy Smith.

48 – Detroit Lions: Arkansas LB Drew Sanders

There are some questions about the Lions’ linebacker depth and Sanders is one of the most intriguing prospects at the position in this year’s class. Sanders has the physical traits and athleticism to play either inside linebacker or edge rusher, there could be big upside here.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Tremaine Edmunds.

49 – Pittsburgh Steelers: Georgia Tech DL Keion White

The Steelers could use some youth and depth in terms of their defensive line.

White has game-wrecker potential and tested well at the Combine. Beyond that, he would give the Steelers some versatility upfront on defense.

50 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey

There are a few ways the Bucs could go here, but getting an upside-edge prospect at pick 50 is hard to pass.

Foskey has good length and athleticism, but needs some refinement to his game. Tampa Bay could start him out in a rotation and let him grow into a larger role.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Yannick Ngakoue.

51 – Miami Dolphins: Iowa TE Sam LaPorta

The Dolphins’ tight end depth chart is among the worst in the NFL. Miami tried a receiver tight end in Mike Gesicki but it didn’t work out well.

LaPorta is a good balance between blocker and receiver, who could see action early for the Dolphins with a good camp.

52 – Seattle Seahawks: UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet

The Seahawks currently have just two running backs on their roster and while Ken Walker showed great ability last year, it wouldn’t hurt to take some pressure off of him this year.

Charbonnet is an interesting running back prospect, who could start off as a solid No. 2 for Seattle before taking on a larger role down the road.

Lance Zierlein compares him to A.J. Dillon.

53 – Chicago Bears (BAL): Ole Miss RB Zach Evans

The Bears let David Montgomery walk in free agency and brought in D’Onta Foreman as a replacement to go along with Khalil Hebert and Travis Homer. However, Foreman got just a one-year deal and he’s more of a two-down type of runner.

Evans has home run ability and averaged an impressive 6.9 YPC in the SEC. Has No. 1 RB upside and would be a good fit in the Bears backfield.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Melvin Gordon.

54 – Los Angeles Chargers: Baylor DT Siaki Ika

The Chargers’ lack of depth on their interior defensive line stands out and Ika would represent solid value at this point for the Chargers.

Ika could be a centerpiece for their defensive line in the years to come and give them a solid run-stopper.

55 – Detroit Lions (MIN): USC DL Tuli Tuipulotu

Tuipulotu is an interesting prospect, as he could play either interior defensive line or edge depending on where he lands. But his versatility would be viewed a positive for the Lions’ defensive front.

Lance Zierlein compares him to George Karlaftis.

56 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence

The Jaguars’ interior offensive line is an area they could look to bolster in the middle rounds of the draft.

Torrence is one of the best interior offensive line prospects in this year’s draft and has a chance to be a first-round pick.

57 – New York Giants: TCU OL Steve Avila

Avila could push for a starting job this summer in New York and offers position versatility, as they could line up at guard or center. Beyond that, he posted some impressive athleticism numbers at the combine.

58 – Dallas Cowboys: Clemson LB Trenton Simpson

After years of being a strength for the Cowboys, linebacker is now fairly thin in terms of Dallas’ depth chart.

Simpson would be a good value pick at this point in round two. He is a good linebacker in space and ran an impressive 4.43 forty at 235 lbs.

59 – Buffalo Bills: North Dakota State OL Cody Mauch

The Bills’ interior offensive line is an area they could look to bolster in the middle rounds of the draft.

Mauch spent a lot of time at left tackle in college, but is considered to be more of a guard/center option in the NFL. Lance Zierlein compares him to Alex Cappa.

60 – Cincinnati Bengals: Pittsburgh RB Israel Abanikanda

The Bengals lost Smaje Perine in free agency this offseason and there are questions about Joe Mixon’s future with the team, so now could be a good time add some long-term depth at the position.

Abanikanda was a dynamic player at Pittsburgh and offers both athleticism and upside.

Lance Zierlein compares him to Isiah Pacheco.

61 – Chicago Bears (SF, via CAR): Ohio State OT Dawand Jones

The Bears’ offensive line still has question marks long term and while they tried to fill their interior depth in free agency, offensive tackle depth would be helpful.

Jones is massive at 6’8 and could play right tackle for the Bears if need be.

Lance Zierlein compares Jones to Trent Brown.

62 – Philadelphia Eagles: Iowa LB Jack Campbell

The Eagles lost T.J. Edwards in free agency and while they added Nicholas Morrow, Campbell would be more of a long-term prospect at the position with higher upside.

Campbell is a big and long player with very impressive athleticism where he could fill Edwards’ role in their defense.

63 – Kansas City Chiefs: Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Jr

The Chiefs lost Juju Smith-Schuster in free agency and have yet to address the position.

Mims seems like the kind of receiver KC likes to take a chance on, given that he’s an impressive athlete who can be a mismatch and moved around as a weapon. He ran a 4.38 40 at the combine.