Sports drafts are easily some of the most crucial moments in every sport. Each franchise has the ability to pick from the crop of incoming talent and change their fortunes for better or for worse. The NFL Draft is no different. Each team is able to make selections based on their standings from the prior season with picks that circle back every round to fill out rosters. In comparison with another sport such as basketball in which only the first few picks matter, professional football’s draft carries more weight because of the large number of picks and roles on a football roster, meaning that contributors can be found at anytime. In this mock draft, I will attempt to predict the course of action that each general manager will take on draft night, with no trades and strictly based on team needs and scheme.
1st Pick, Carolina Panthers
Quarterback Bryce Young, Alabama
With the first pick the Carolina Panthers select, Bryce Young out of Bama. When you make a franchise altering move up to the first pick like the Panthers have made, you select the quarterback of your future. The Panthers get a good one for their trouble, Bryce is a natural playmaker and Heisman winner who fits the mold of a star NFL quarterback. It is rare to find a QB that is comfortable out of structure and also throws like Bryce and the Panthers make the easy choice by taking him NO. 1.
2nd Pick, Houston Texans
Quarterback C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
With the second pick the Houston Texans select, C.J. Stroud out of OSU. The Texans screwed themselves over by winning their last game of the year and now get the second choice of the top two quarterbacks. Luckily, Stroud is not far behind Bryce. Stroud fits the build of a prototypical NFL quarterback. At 6’3” 215 pounds, Stroud’s size profile is much better than Young’s while also being laser accurate with the football. Many mock drafts have the Texans taking a different direction such as taking edge rusher Will Anderson due to the rumors that the Texans front office is not high on Stroud, but this choice is a job saving one. GM Nick Caserio will take a quarterback because of the hope that it will bring to his franchise.
3rd Pick, Arizona Cardinals
Edge Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
With the third pick the Arizona Cardinals select, Will Anderson out of Bama. Though the first few picks were straight forward, the 3rd pick is a bit ambiguous. It is likely that the Cardinals would be willing to deal this pick on draft night, but because they are forced to stay in place due to the rules of the mock, they take a dominant defensive player to fill the massive hole that have at pass rusher. A possibility for this pick could also be Edge Tyree Wilson out of Texas Tech but the productive three-year starter who has always been projected to go high wins out here.
4th Pick, Indianapolis Colts
Quarterback Anthony Richardson, Florida
With the fourth pick the Colts select, Anthony Richardson out of Florida. The Richardson can only be described as a freak of nature, it is likely that a team trades with Arizona in order to leap the Colts and draft him, but in this scenario the Colts get their dream QB. At 6’4” 245, Richardson has NFL size while having incredible athleticism. With unmatched speed, jumping and arm strength, Richardson’s ceiling is almost limitless, but he was rather inconsistent in college. Many consider him to be a project, but his dual threat ability allows him to be serviceable until the small holes in his game are ironed out. If the Colts draft Richardson and use him properly, their offense may be dangerous with superstar running back Jonathan Taylor.
5th Pick, Seattle Seahawks
Interior Defensive Lineman Jalen Carter, Georgia
With the fifth pick the Seahawks select, Jalen Carter out of Georgia. Jalen Carter’s fall ends here. As the best overall player in the draft Carter finds his home at 5 and unless something within Carter drastically changes, he will be a dominant defensive tackle. Carter’s minor off the field issues have scared many teams away, but his talent is too much to pass up for the Seahawks. They have other needs at edge but at this point it is best player available. What a year for the Seahawks remaining competitive in the standings, drafting relatively well last year and now getting the best overall player in this class.
6th Pick, Detroit Lions
Cornerback Devon Witherspoon, Illinois
7th Pick, Las Vegas Raiders
Cornerback Christian Gonzalez, Oregon
8th Pick, Atlanta Falcons
Edge Tyree Wilson, Texas Tech
9th Pick, Chicago Bears
Offensive Tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State
10th Pick, Philadelphia Eagles
Offensive Tackle/Guard Peter Skoronski, Northwestern
11th Pick, Tennessee Titans
Quarterback Will Levis, Kentucky
April 26th, 2023 at 9:22 am
Anton, I am going to either agree or disagree with your first 5 picks. I completely agree that Bryce Young will be the first pick, because of his maturity and his ability to withstand pocket pressure. He just has the traits of a leader. I do think that the Texans will take C.J. Stroud next instead of the other quarterbacks, because C.J. is also a proven player in college. All of the other quarterbacks are more unpolished and C.J. Stroud has a bazooka for an arm. I don’t think that the cardinals will take Will Anderson Jr, but instead they will take Jalen Carter. I love Will Anderson, especially because he came from Alabama, but Jalen Carter’s talent is too much to be ignored. He is like a better Jordan Davis in every way in my opinion. I do think that the Colts will take Anthony Richardson, but I don’t know if it is the right decision for them. He’s too much of a prospect in my eyes and although he is a freak of nature, he plays the quarterback position. I just don’t think he can throw the ball that well. I know they said that about Lamar, but Lamar is Lamar. I actually see the Seahawks taking Will Anderson Jr here if Anthony Richardson doesn’t fall to them. I think Will Anderson at this spot is too hard not to pass up on.
April 26th, 2023 at 11:52 am
Hey Anton, I have been following the NFL draft pretty closely for the past few weeks leading up to the big night on Thursday. I think one of the most interesting aspects of it all has been the controversy over who the best quarterback in the class is. At the beginning when the Panthers traded up to the number one pick, it seemed like the consensus was that they would select Stroud given head coach Frank Reich’s history coaching tall, pocket passers. However, with the recent buzz in the media about them taking Young, it appears as though the narrative has flipped. Ultimately, I agree with your mock and think that the Panthers should take Bryce Young because of his superstar ability to extend plays that none of the other quarterbacks have been able to demonstrate on the same magical level that he has. I also agree with Stroud going number two to the Texans. His incredible ball placement and skill in being able to throw his receivers open will make him a deadly threat at the NFL level. It’s definitely very likely as you mentioned that the Cardinals will trade down, and I certainly see them selecting a defensive player like Anderson as they are badly in need of one. Richardson could end up being the next Cam Newton for the Colts with his unlimited potential, and I think the Seahawks will get great value at number five if they do take Carter there.
April 27th, 2023 at 8:46 pm
I am watching the NFL draft now over an hour after it started and I am waiting for the Packers to choose now that they have traded Aaron Rodgers. The first four picks that you predicted turned out to be correct which is impressive. The following picks have the players you predicted but simply on different teams. I am excited for this draft since the Packers now need to rebuild around Jordan Love. I hope we can turn things around next year now that we have moved past Aaron Rodgers. I am also hoping that the Bears manage to do something in the draft because they basically draft a bust every single year. I mean I can still clearly remember the 2017 NFL Draft when the Bears traded up from 3rd pick to 2nd pick just to get Trubisky. I knew how awful of a trade that was immediately so hopefully they wise up this year. The only thing I hate about the first round of the NFL Draft is the ridiculously long wait in between picks. The first few picks should be announced right away since those teams including the number one pick have had all the time to decide who they want.