NFLTR Review: 2023 NFL Mock Draft

It may only be November, but with plenty of fans looking ahead already, it’s not a bad time for a 2023 NFL Mock Draft: 

• Four first-round quarterbacks, three in the top 10
• Plenty of edge rushers and cornerbacks
• Letdown year for wide receivers?

First-Look 2023 NFL Mock Draft

We’re still months away from the 2023 NFL Draft. Plenty of things are going to change. The draft order will shift, team needs will change, free agents will be signed and players will be cut — not to mention the whole process of the Combine, interviews and workouts. 

Still, we know a lot more now than when we did our first way too early 2023 mock draft. We’ve got a clearer picture of who the top prospects are going to be, as well as a sense of the positions teams will be looking to shore up. Mock draft season is a few months away but it’s as good a time as any to dive in. 

Note that there are only 31 picks in the first round this year as the Dolphins forfeited their pick this year for tampering. 

2023 NFL Draft Order

List Of Traded Picks

2023 NFL Mock Draft

1 – Houston Texans: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud

Funny enough, the first pick in our mock is the same one we had from May. There are a few quarterbacks who have put themselves in the conversation to be drafted very, very highly in April, so it’ll come down to organizational preference. Some teams might like Stroud. Others might prefer Alabama’s Bryce Young or even Kentucky’s Will Levis — he’s No. 1 on some boards right now. 

I’m hazarding a guess that Houston will like Stroud’s proven production more than Levis’ spotty resume, and that they’ll prefer Stroud’s physical traits to Young’s. 

2 – Carolina Panthers: Alabama QB Bryce Young

Carolina has to solve the quarterback position, and fortunately they have a lot more options than they did with their top pick last season. Young is my personal favorite as a Panthers fan, and GM Scott Fitterer could be reminded of another short quarterback with excellent intangibles his scouting department took a chance on a decade ago. 

However, Young is a lot smaller than even Russell Wilson. He might be about as tall, but his listed weight of 194 pounds is probably pretty generous. The stigma around short quarterbacks has lessened dramatically in recent years but a lot of NFL evaluators still view it as a big man’s game. That makes Young a flavor not everyone will like. 

3 – Chicago Bears: Alabama DE Will Anderson

If it were just about taking the best player, Anderson would be the slam-dunk No. 1 pick. He’s been a force as an edge rusher the past two seasons, and even though his production has lagged in 2022 as he’s been the focus of every single opponent, Anderson remains a blue-chip prospect. The Bears need help on defense after gutting the team at the trade deadline, and Anderson should be the type of high-impact player you can build an entire side of the ball around. 

4 – Las Vegas Raiders: Georgia DT Jalen Carter

Fierce draft debates won’t start for several more weeks, but there’s already a notion out there that Carter, not Anderson, is the best player in this draft class. What can’t be argued is that the gap isn’t that big. Carter has returned from injury and been a force for the top-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. The Raiders will have a lot of question marks about the quarterback position this offseason but the defense has been a big part of their struggles in 2022. They just don’t have enough impact players on that side of the ball. Adding a player like Carter would change that. 

5 – Seattle Seahawks (DEN): Clemson DE Myles Murphy

Seattle has been miles better than anyone expected, and it’s not just because QB Geno Smith turned out to be pretty good. The Seahawks got a massive infusion of talent with their 2022 draft class, and those players should develop even further. So Seattle has fewer outright needs than you might expect. Where they can use help is up front. The defense has improved from the beginning of the season when it couldn’t stop anyone but a player like Murphy could help them keep that up from start to finish. At 6-5 and 275 pounds, Murphy has the size and explosiveness of a top pick. 

6 – Detroit Lions (LAR): Kentucky QB Will Levis

When it comes to finding quarterbacks of the future, teams usually need to trade up in the draft. Fortunately for the Lions, they have an extra first-round pick to work with. In this scenario, Levis is available with their first pick and I do think this could be their ideal scenario. The pitch for Levis is that he’s big with a strong arm and has worked in a pro-style system for the past two years which will ease his transition. Lions GM Brad Holmes can lean on his contacts with the Rams to talk to OC Liam Coen, who held the same position with Kentucky in 2021. 

7 – Jacksonville Jaguars: Georgia CB Kelee Ringo

Jacksonville’s roster is still coming together and there are a few different ways they could go with this pick. However, the secondary is in need of reinforcements, especially if veteran CB Shaquill Griffin is a cap cut this offseason. Ringo has elite size and athleticism for the position at 6-2 and 210 pounds with reported 4.3 speed. 

8 – Houston Texans (CLE): Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson

With the quarterback box checked, the Texans can turn their attention to fortifying the rest of the roster. Despite the record, there are a few areas that look like bright spots, including the secondary and offensive line. If HC Lovie Smith remains with the team, which doesn’t seem like a lock, getting the defensive line to a higher level will be important. Wilson is an early candidate to blow up the Combine at 6-6 and 275 pounds, and would give the Texans an edge rusher to build around. 

9 – Pittsburgh Steelers: Clemson DL Bryan Bresee

Cameron Heyward won’t play forever, and there’s not really a whole lot behind him on Pittsburgh’s defensive line. Bresee is 6-5 and 300 pounds, so he could fill multiple roles on the Steelers’ front. Getting him in to learn under Heyward would be a bonus, too. 

10 – Philadelphia Eagles (NO): Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez

The Saints have won a few games and dropped this pick lower than the Eagles probably hoped. Still, Philadelphia can nab another great player here. Positional value has been important for the Eagles with high picks, so I’d bet they go with a corner or pass rusher here. Gonzalez is a toolsy player who could be a pre-draft riser, and he’d give the Eagles some youth behind starting CBs Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

11 – Arizona Cardinals: Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.

Another long and toolsy cornerback, Porter is the son of former Steelers star Joey Porter. He plays the game with a tenacity that’s a lot like his dad. The Cardinals could use help in a few different areas but the secondary is a big one, as teams have picked on their other corners not named Byron Murphy. 

12 – Green Bay Packers: TCU WR Quentin Johnston

Do the Packers finally draft a receiver in the first round? Maybe not, but if they do, Johnston is someone I could see the team being enamored by. They’ve shown a proclivity toward size on offense and Johnston fits the bill at 6-4 and 215 pounds. Christian Watson is coming along as a deep threat but Johnston could give Aaron Rodgers or whoever a more physical threat to move the chains and pick up yards after the catch. 

13 – Detroit Lions: Clemson LB Trenton Simpson

Detroit’s defense clearly still has a ways to go to get the Lions to a point where they can seriously compete. They’ve invested in the defensive line but there’s still room to improve in the secondary and linebacking corps. They could take the fourth corner off the board here, or go with the first linebacker in Simpson. He’s a terrific athlete and would give the Lions someone with range to clean up underneath, as well as a potential terror as a blitzer. 

14 – Indianapolis Colts: Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski

Skoronski will be a prospect who attracts a lot of debate, as he’s an excellent technician and has been a nearly flawless pass protector in college. But he does not have the length teams typically want to see in their offensive tackles which will cause him to be labeled as a guard on some boards. That happened with Skoronski’s former teammate, Chargers LT Rashawn Slater, who’s turned out to be a superb left tackle. Skoronski’s arms are even shorter than Slater’s, however. 

The Colts need help at both guard and tackle, so they can take Skoronski here and be settled about getting a clean prospect who’s going to contribute to shoring up their offensive line one way or another. 

15 – Atlanta Falcons: Texas RB Bijan Robinson

Robinson is too talented to slip much farther than this even if the NFL has devalued the running back position. This would be the third straight season the Falcons used a first-round pick on a skill position player on offense but it’s understandable given how much they lean on running the ball. Robinson would make the job of QB Marcus Mariota or whoever the Falcons start much easier. 

16 – Los Angeles Chargers: USC WR Jordan Addison

The Chargers could really use an influx of speed in their receiving corps, as it’s not a stretch to say they have the slowest skill position group in football. Not a great way to maximize a quarterback like Justin Herbert who has a cannon for an arm. Keenan Allen also isn’t getting any younger and his cap situation for 2023 is interesting. Addison could start as a deep threat but he has the route-running chops to eventually be a replacement for Allen in the short and intermediate game. 

17 – Washington Commanders: South Carolina CB Cam Smith

Washington’s defense has played much better over the past few weeks but they could still use some help in the secondary. Veteran CB Kendall Fuller looks like a potential cap cut and they’ve had a rotating door at nickel. Like the other corners at the top of this class, Smith has good size and athleticism for the position. 

18 – New York Jets: Penn State OT Olu Fashanu

Jets GM Joe Douglas passed on some of the top tackles in this past draft to fortify other needs, gambling that 2020 first-round OT Mekhi Becton would be healthy. He lost that gamble and has had to scramble a little bit. I don’t see him making that move twice. Fashanu has shown remarkable talent despite his youth and inexperience. The Jets could take him and groom him as a replacement for either Becton or veteran OT George Fant, who is in the final year of his contract. 

19 – Seattle Seahawks: Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence 

Veteran Seahawks G Gabe Jackson will be 32 next season and has already been platooning some this season, partially due to injury. He’s a potential cap casualty next offseason and Seattle could lock in a replacement with Torrence. At 6-5 and nearly 350 pounds, Torrence is an enormous blocker but also surprisingly athletic for that size. For a team that wants to establish physicality on offense, that seems like a good fit. 

20 – New England Patriots: Ohio State OT Paris Johnson

Isaiah Wynn hasn’t panned out for the Patriots at tackle and consistency has always been an issue for OT Trent Brown. So fortifying one of the tackle spots here would be a big need for the Patriots. Johnson has looked at home on the blind side in his first season at left tackle for the Buckeyes in 2022. 

21 – Cincinnati Bengals: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer

Is this overkill for the Bengals skill position group? It just might be. But they could use an upgrade at tight end and Mayer is the best in the class. He’s a strong all-around weapon who could develop into a weapon in both the pass and run game. For Cincinnati, it also could be a way to start preparing for the possibility of losing other pieces, as it’s going to be tough to keep the WR trio of Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd together. 

22 – New York Giants: Georgia OLB Nolan Smith

The Giants pluck another pass rusher to go across from Kayvon Thibodeaux, and they actually land the player who was the only one rated ahead of him in the 2019 recruiting class. Smith hasn’t put up as much college production as Thibodeaux did but we’ve seen that with other players on the Georgia defense as well. New York could look to address needs in the secondary and receiving corps but there are some questions about the remaining prospects at those positions. 

23 – Dallas Cowboys: Baylor DT Siaki Ika

We could see a little bit of a throwback this coming offseason with defenses moving to play more two-high shells and forcing offenses to try and run the ball more. There will be more of a demand for space-eating nose tackles than there’s been in recent years, and guys like Ika who are potentially more than that will benefit. Ika fills the size requirements at 6-4 and 354 pounds but there are moments of surprising athleticism he flashes that remind you of guys like Buccaneers DT Vita Vea. For a Cowboys defense that’s strong everywhere except against the run, Ika could be appealing. 

24 – Buffalo Bills: Alabama S Brian Branch

Both of the Bills’ safeties are past the age of 30. Jordan Poyer will be a free agent this offseason and Micah Hyde’s deal will expire the year after next. There’s also the matter of his spine injury. Add all of it up and the Bills could stand to invest in the future at safety. Branch is a heady, versatile defender who could fill a lot of roles for a lot of different teams. 

25 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Florida QB Anthony Richardson

If this truly is Buccaneers QB Tom Brady’s final year, then Tampa Bay is in a pickle going forward. They had life good for a while but finding a new franchise quarterback is immediately going to shoot to the top of their to-do list. They might consider themselves lucky if Richardson is available here. 

The Gator phenom has not declared for the draft yet, but there’s an excellent chance that if he did, he would go even higher than this. His physical tools, including arm strength and speed, are so jaw-droppingly good that teams will be willing to overlook the other parts of his game that are less-than-polished right now. Especially because the Bills and Eagles have hit it big with guys like Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts who have dramatically improved parts of their game that were not supposed to be easy to improve. 

26 – Denver Broncos (SF via MIA): Texas A&M RB Devon Achane

Achane could run a sub-4.3 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in the spring, and he happens to be a pretty good football player in addition to being fast. The NFL covets speed more than almost anything else, and if Achane runs as fast as people think he’s capable of, he’s absolutely a threat to sneak into the first round, even ahead of other running back prospects who might be “better.” This might not be the Broncos’ biggest need but they will need to address the running back position in a significant way this offseason after RB Javonte Williams‘ serious knee injury. Unfortunately as we’ve seen with the Ravens and RB J.K. Dobbins, it’s not always a clear and easy road back. 

27 – Tennessee Titans: Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey

Titans OLB Harold Landry is coming off of a torn ACL and veteran OLB Bud Dupree is a potential cap cut candidate, as are a number of other Titans veterans. There are going to be a lot of needs this team is trying to fill but it’s a good class of edge rushers. Foskey has the length and effort teams like to see in edge rushing prospects. 

28 – Baltimore Ravens: Georgia OT Broderick Jones

Tackle has been somewhat shaky for the Ravens the past couple of seasons due to injuries, so ideally they can get someone in who allows them not to think about contingencies. Jones could replace veteran Morgan Moses at right tackle or give the Ravens an option on the blind side if Ronnie Stanley’s ankle issues continue. 

29 – Kansas City Chiefs: Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs

The Chiefs went to the first-round running back well recently with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and it didn’t work out too well. So maybe they’d be gun-shy about dipping back in. However, Gibbs is a much more explosive player than Edwards-Helaire, both as a runner and a receiver. 

30 – Minnesota Vikings: Florida State DE Jared Verse

While Vikings OLB Za’Darius Smith has been excellent, he’ll be 31 next season and set to count $15.66 million against the cap, most of which could be saved in a release. Getting some young options in at edge rusher should be one of the Vikings’ main priorities this offseason, and Verse has terrific athletic tools. Even if the Vikings don’t cut Smith, Verse could learn behind him and OLB Danielle Hunter and give Minnesota some options in the future. 

31 – Philadelphia Eagles: Army DE Andre Carter

The Eagles are set to lose Derek Barnett, Robert Quinn and potentially Brandon Graham from their edge rushing group. They’ll still have Josh Sweat and Hasson Reddick but reinforcements would be wise. Enter Carter, who could become the highest-drafted ever player from the service academies. 

This Week In Football

• Things have been pretty bad for Jets QB Zach Wilson this season but the team has been winning enough games to kind of paper over the former No. 2 overall pick’s struggles. Wilson ran out of leash quickly, however. He had another nightmare performance against the Patriots, completing 9-22 pass attempts as the team mustered barely 100 yards of total offense. After the 10-3 loss, Wilson exacerbated the issue by shutting down questions about if he and the offense were letting down the defense. Facing an irreparable rift in the locker room and a struggling young passer, Jets HC Robert Saleh didn’t have much of a choice but to send him to the bench. Naturally this creates a lot of questions about Wilson’s future in New York and what the Jets will do now at quarterback. It’s obviously not good, and personally, I have a lot of doubts Wilson is going to be able to come back from this. But the team is going to give him a chance. They’ve invested too much not to. Wilson will have to mature as a leader and dial in hard on his fundamentals. He’s missing too many of the most basic parts of playing quarterback right now. If he can do that, he’ll get another chance. If not, the Jets will be looking for a solution at quarterback yet again. 
• Wilson wasn’t the only member of the 2021 quarterback class to lose his starting job this week. Though the organization has not officially confirmed it, all signs point to the Texans benching QB Davis Mills this week and turning to backup QB Kyle Allen. Houston is 1-8-1 so far in 2022, and while no one really expected them to be good this season, they were expected to be more competitive than they have been. Texans HC Lovie Smith might be coaching for his job and this seems like he’s looking for a spark to get a few wins. As for Mills, he had a chance to establish himself as a player the Texans could build around. He’s looked more like a high-end backup instead, which could still lead to a long, productive career. 
• Two quarterbacks did manage to hang onto their starting jobs this week. The Falcons are sticking with veteran QB Marcus Mariota as long as they’re in the mix for a playoff spot, as despite some rough patches and clear limitations he’s a good fit for who they want to be as an offense right now. That was on display in a win against the Bears last week. In Washington, the Commanders are also sticking with QB Taylor Heinicke as long as the winning continues — which it did against the Texans. Heinicke won’t win any style contests for the way he plays the position but he’s a scrappy player and he’s managed to bring that out from the rest of the team. Since he took over, the Commanders are 5-1 and have jumped from dead to rights to the thick of the playoff hunt. 
• For whatever reason, this has been a big week for layoffs in the NFL. The Broncos canned veteran RB Melvin Gordon after his fifth fumble of the season in the loss to the Raiders. On one hand, it’s not a big surprise as Gordon hasn’t really played well this season and the word is the coaching staff has been disillusioned with him. On the other, Denver has been hit hard by injuries at running back, so it’s odd to be further subtracting from the position. Gordon should have some options for his next team this season. The Rams also made a couple of surprise cuts, waiving RB Darrell Henderson and OLB Justin Hollins, both of whom were starters at positions that weren’t exactly strengths for Los Angeles. The season is spiraling for the Rams, so this smells a little bit like a desperation move by HC Sean McVay. Both players were claimed — Henderson by the Jaguars and Hollins by the Packers. 
• It seems like we’re inching closer and closer to a decision from veteran free agent WR Odell Beckham Jr. Starting next week, Beckham will begin his official visit schedule with a stop in Dallas on Monday. The details haven’t been finalized yet but Beckham is also expected to take an official visit with the Giants. Those teams are the frontrunners right now, though there’s still room for another team or two to get into the mix depending on what the contract offers look like. 
• As the Broncos try and flail around to turn things around in their ongoing disaster of a season, HC Nathaniel Hackett ceded the play-calling duties to QB coach Klint Kubiak for Week 11 against the Raiders. It looked good initially with a touchdown on Denver’s opening drive, but like so many things about Denver’s season it fizzled out. The team still has seven games to try and generate some positive momentum but Hackett is increasingly running out of options — or ways to save his job. 
• This week’s injury report actually didn’t look too bad in terms of notable names. There’s even some good injury news. However, Bills DE Von Miller went down yesterday and more than made up for in quality what this injury report lacked in quantity. Buffalo quickly ruled Miller out with a knee injury, which usually isn’t a good sign. There’s some hope they avoided a torn ACL, but Miller is having an MRI to check. Other notable injuries: 
  • Falcons TE Kyle Pitts tore his MCL, ending what has been a massively disappointing season relative to the sky-high expectations a lot of people had for Pitts coming into this season. Atlanta has been a run-heavy and low pass volume offense which naturally puts a cap on Pitts’ opportunities, but it still didn’t seem like they prioritized funneling touches and targets to him, which is kind of mind-blowing given how talented of a player he is. Perhaps they will be more willing to open up the offense if they get an upgrade at quarterback in 2023. 
  • Not only did the Giants start from behind this season in terms of talent on their roster compared to the rest of the league, but they’ve been among the harder-hit teams by injuries. They lost two more key players this past week. Second-round WR Wan’Dale Robinson went down with a torn ACL in the midst of his first career 100-yard game, while top corner Adoree’ Jackson injured his MCL and is looking at an absence of most or all of the remainder of the regular season. If HC Brian Daboll gets this team into the postseason, he’ll absolutely deserve the coach of the year award. 
  • Here’s the promised good news: Lions first-round WR Jameson Williams seems to be on the verge of making his debut after a torn ACL in the national title game for Alabama earlier this year. He’s got game-changing speed so it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to a Lions offense that has been pretty solid this season. Detroit nearly knocked off the Bills and looks like a tough out for a number of teams down the stretch this season.