2023 NFL Mock Draft

Mock Draft NFL 2023

2023 NFL Mock Draft

Well, here we are again. Sadly, we have reached the end of yet another NFL season. But now we can really start to dive into draft season! That’s right, between now and April 27th people will start to obsess over college prospects, hoping that their team finds the next big star. So here we are, with the first of a handful of personal mock drafts that will be completed between now and draft day. This first one is always the roughest, as there is bound to be plenty of movement between now and the draft that will ultimately determine who gets drafted where. But that’s enough rambling from me. Let’s get into it!

1. Houston Texans (traded from Chicago) – Bryce Young (QB – Alabama)

So first off, I need to say that I don’t think that any of this year’s quarterbacks are worthy of the #1 pick. But we’ve seen it numerous times where quarterbacks are typically picked higher than what they should be because of their importance to a team’s success. Here I have the Texans, who own the most draft capital in this year’s draft, trading up just one spot in order to make sure they get “their guy”. In this case it’s Alabama’s Bryce Young.

2. Chicago Bears (traded from Houston) – Jalen Carter (DT – Georgia)

Chicago comes out big winners already in this mock draft. Not only do they pick up extra pick, but they’re still guaranteed to get the guy that they wanted all along. I’m not of the opinion that the Bears are in the market for a new quarterback. Instead, they beef up their defense with Jalen Carter. Sure they can go Will Anderson. But I believe Carter is a more valuable pick because of how hard it is to find interior defensive help, as compared to an edge rusher.

3. Arizona Cardinals – Will Anderson Jr. (LB – Alabama)

Depending on who you talk to, you might hear that Will Anderson is the best player in this year’s draft. We obviously don’t know how the Cardinals themselves are ranking the players, but regardless they’ll have to “suffer” with taking whoever’s left between Carter and Anderson. Either way, new head coach Jonathan Cannon is going to have a fantastic tool to start building his defense around.

4. Indianapolis Colts – C.J. Stroud (QB – Ohio State)

I do think that the Colts are going to be players in regards to trying to trade up to the #1 spot. In this mock, I clearly have them losing out to the Texans. I do think that they’re going to go the quarterback route, so the question is who? A number of people might go with Will Levis here, but I just don’t like Levis enough to put him as a top 5 pick. So, I go with C.J. Stroud as the best option after Bryce Young.

5. Seattle Seahawks – Devon Witherspoon (CB – Illinois)

This was the first pick that I had a little difficulty with. I think most people are going to probably have Seattle picking a quarterback in this spot. However, I think that they are going to be comfortable moving forward with Geno Smith. So instead, I have them picking up one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft to help bolster their defense.

6. Detroit Lions – Lukas Van Ness (DL – Iowa)

This is another spot that I think a lot of people are going to potentially go quarterback. But once again, I think that the Lions (like the Seahawks) are comfortable enough with their quarterback situation to look elsewhere. And let’s be honest, their defense wasn’t that great. This year I have them picking up Van Ness to complement last year’s #2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson. Lukas comes with the added benefit of being able to play either inside or outside. Just imagine having to deal with those two rushing on separate ends one play, and then side-by-side the next.

7. Las Vegas Raiders – Peter Skoronski (OT – Northwestern)

For the third straight pick, we have a team that could be in the market for a quarterback. And once again, I am bypassing picking a quarterback. The main reason here is because I think that they’ll pick someone up in free agency. My guess, former Patriots and 49ers signal caller Jimmy Garoppolo. Instead, I’ve got the Raiders trying to strengthen their offensive line with Peter Skoronski.

8. Atlanta Falcons – Tyree Wilson (DE – Texas Tech)

Atlanta owned one of the league’s worst defenses in 2022. So here I have them trying to bring in a player that could potentially make an immediate impact in Tyree Wilson. While I haven’t personally looked at him, every prospect ranking I’ve seen has him as a top 10 pick. I see no reason to let him slide outside of the top 10 at this time.

9. Carolina Panthers – Bijan Robinson (RB – Texas)

I’ve already passed over a quarterback with potentially quarterback needy teams three times. Surely I’m not making it a fourth. Wrong! I’ve got Carolina as the landing spot for free agent Derek Carr. So no need for Frank Reich and company to select a rookie quarterback here. Instead, I have them going with Bijan Robinson to replace previously traded Christian McCaffrey.

10. Philadelphia Eagles – Christian Gonzalez (CB – Oregon)

Robinson is a popular pick for the Eagles at the #10 spots in other mock drafts. But clearly he’s not an option here. I also believe that the Eagles are going to have bigger holes to feel other than running back with upcoming contract situations. One area of focus will be the defensive backfield. With Witherspoon already off the board, I have the Eagles taking the tall, lanky cornerback from Oregon.

11. Tennessee Titans – Paris Johnson Jr. (OT – Ohio State)

I don’t know for a fact that Paris Johnson Jr. won’t be the first tackle taken in this year’s draft. However, if he falls to the Titans at #11, I feel like it’s the perfect fit for him. Paris is a mountain of a man, that it’s impressively athletic. He’s also got experience playing both left and right tackle. So, he can be plugged in immediately across the offensive line to pave the way for Derrick Henry.

12. Houston Texans – Miles Murphy (DE – Clemson)

Even though they traded up to get the #1 pick, I was nice enough to allow the Texans to keep their second first round pick. I did think about going wide receiver in this position, but decided that it was time to focus on defense. I think they would be quite happy to land a player like Miles Murphy in this position. Now hopefully they have cornerstone players on both offence and defense as they try and turn their franchise around.

13. Green Bay Packers (traded from NY Jets) – Quentin Johnston (WR – TCU)

Finally a team that is for sure going to pick a quarterback! Expect as you might have noticed, it’s not actually the Jets on the clock. The Packers trade Aaron Rodgers to the Jets in return for the #13 pick. Ironically, they use this pick to do something they didn’t do with Rodgers on the roster. That’s take an impact skill position player in the first round. Everyone is going to have their favorite wide receiver, but with Love still needing to show that he can be “the” guy, I think Johnston might be the best fit. A big body that can make contested catches, that can be a solid safety net for Love.

14. New England Patriots – Michael Mayer (TE – Notre Dame)

I wasn’t sure where to go here. Bill Belichick is a hard coach to get a read on for a mock draft. The Patriots are bringing back Bill O’Brien to try and help fix an offense that struggled in 2022. I couldn’t think of a better way to help than selecting a player with the nickname “Baby Gronk”. Mayer would be a solid play maker for Mac Jones, as well as as being a solid blocker in the run game.

15. Green Bay Packers – Joey Porter Jr. (CB – Penn State)

If Mayer was still on the board here, I think I would have went with the talented tight end here. After going offense at #13, I have them going with a defensive back from Penn State just two picks later. Porter is a tall, long cornerback that first caught my attention last year when I was watching film on former teammate Jaquan Brisker. Joey has good press-coverage skills, but is solid in zone coverage as well.

16. Washington Commanders – Will Levis (QB – Kentucky)

The Commanders selected Sam Howell in last year’s draft. After hiring former Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, all the reports point to Howell still being QB1 heading into the offseason. However, Bieniemy only took the job in Washington to prove that he can be successful as the offensive play caller. So I have a feeling that he’ll want to bring in his guy to do so. I wasn’t sold on Levis when I put together my report on him. However, I do think that if he went to a team with a solid roster, where he wasn’t asked to carry the offensive on his shoulder he could have a solid start to his career. The Commanders have solid weapons on the offensive side of the ball, and if that defense can get back on track, he would have that solid team I think he needs.