The Kansas City Chiefs have won the Super Bowl, signaling an end to the 2022-23 NFL season. All eyes now move toward the offseason, with an influx of college players set to join the professional level.
The NFL Draft is scheduled to begin on April 27, and there will be plenty of discussion leading up to draft night. Which quarterback will be the first off the board? Could a defensive player be the No. 1 overall pick? When will the first skill-position player get drafted? The fun part of mock draft season is the speculation leading up to the night of the draft.
There are sure to be trades before and during the draft, but this mock draft will not include any, locking the Chicago Bears into the top selection. I do expect them to trade out of this spot as we get closer to draft day, but we’ll stick with them at No. 1 until that time comes.
The Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick following the investigation into tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton. They would have held the No. 21 pick.
The Dolphins’ infraction moves the Baltimore Ravens up to the No. 22 overall pick, the first of five picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Ravens will be without their second- and fifth-round selections as a result of the Roquan Smith trade. We will have Ravens-only mock drafts throughout the offseason.
Here is the first of several mock drafts with some analysis to follow.
No. 1: Chicago Bears (3-14)
Team Needs: Everything (Except QB)
Selection: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
No. 2: Houston Texans (3-13-1)
Team Needs: Everything
Selection: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
No. 3: Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Team Needs: EDGE, CB, OL, LB
Selection: Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia
No. 4: Indianapolis Colts (4-12-1)
Team Needs: QB, OL, CB, EDGE
Selection: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
No. 5: Seattle Seahawks — via Denver Broncos (5-12)
Team Needs: IOL, DL, S, QB
Selection: Myles Murphy, DL, Clemson
No. 6: Detroit Lions — via Los Angeles Rams (5-12)
Team Needs: CB, LB, TE, QB
Selection: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
No. 7: Las Vegas Raiders (6-11)
Team Needs: QB, OL, DB, LB
Selection: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
No. 8: Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Team Needs: EDGE, DB, WR, QB
Selection: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
No. 9: Carolina Panthers (7-10)
Team Needs: QB, RB, TE, S
Selection: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
No. 10: Philadelphia Eagles — via New Orleans Saints (7-10)
Team Needs: CB, LB, RB, S
Selection: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
No. 11: Tennessee Titans (7-10)
Team Needs: OT, EDGE, WR, LB
Selection: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
No. 12: Houston Texans – via Cleveland Browns (7-10)
Team Needs: Everything
Selection: Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State
No. 13: New York Jets (7-10)
Team Needs: QB, OT, LB, TE
Selection: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
No. 14: New England Patriots (8-9)
Team Needs: WR, OT, EDGE, DB
Selection: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
No. 15: Green Bay Packers (8-9)
Team Needs: WR, EDGE, TE, LB
Selection: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
No. 16: Washington Commanders (8-8-1)
Team Needs: QB, OL, CB, LB
Selection: Brian Branch, S, Alabama
No. 17: Pittsburgh Steelers (9-8)
Team Needs: OT, CB, LB, EDGE
Selection: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
No. 18: Detroit Lions (9-8)
Team Needs: CB, LB, TE, QB
Selection: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
No. 19: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
Team Needs: QB, OL, DB, TE
Selection: Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
No. 20: Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
Team Needs: IOL, DL, S, QB
Selection: O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
No. 21: Los Angeles Chargers (10-7)
Team Needs: IOL, LB, DL, WR
Selection: Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson
No. 22: Baltimore Ravens (10-7)
Team Needs: EDGE, CB, WR, OL
Selection: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
No. 23: Minnesota Vikings (13-4)
Team Needs: EDGE, CB, LB, IOL
Selection: Andre Carter, EDGE, Army
No. 24: Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
Team Needs: OL, CB, EDGE, DT
Selection: Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
No. 25: New York Giants (9-7-1)
Team Needs: WR, CB, IOL, LB
Selection: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
No. 26: Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
Team Needs: WR, DL, LB, TE
Selection: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU
No. 27: Buffalo Bills (13-3)
Team Needs: IOL, S, TE, DL
Selection: Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M
No. 28: Cincinnati Bengals (12-4)
Team Needs: CB, IOL, S, TE
Selection: Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
No. 29: New Orleans Saints — via San Francisco 49ers (13-4)
Team Needs: QB, CB, IOL, DL
Selection: Calijah Kancey, DL, Pittsburgh
No. 30: Philadelphia Eagles (14-3)
Team Needs: CB, LB, RB, S
Selection: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
No. 31: Kansas City Chiefs (14-3)
Team Needs: OT, WR, EDGE, S
Selection: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
Notes:
The Ravens go with a cornerback just down I-95 in Maryland’s Deonte Banks. Marcus Peters is an expected cap casualty, which leaves a big hole opposite Marlon Humphrey. Wide receiver and pass rusher will also be strong considerations with their first pick.
Chicago sticks with Justin Fields at quarterback, so the Bears’ decision with the first pick comes down to Alabama’s Will Anderson or Georgia’s Jalen Carter. Anderson has been the consensus No. 1 for much of the season, but it was only a year ago that another Georgia defensive lineman snuck into the top spot. The Cardinals, picking at No. 3 and likely not in the quarterback market, don’t have to overthink their pick. They end up with whichever player the Bears don’t select.
I have four quarterbacks going inside the top 10 picks, and there are as many as 10 teams in the top 20 who could be looking for a signal-caller. Free agency will provide clarity on certain quarterback scenarios, but Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Levis all figure to go in the top 10 picks, with Anthony Richardson an outside chance to do so.
It’s almost not fair that the Eagles were in the Super Bowl and have a top-10 pick. They are in a position to take the best player available with two first-round picks as a team with few weaknesses.
The Seahawks and Lions were two of the biggest surprises in 2022 and each has an additional pick in the first round. Both franchises continue their rebuild by landing top-10 talent, thanks to having traded away their former quarterbacks. They also have their own picks in the back half of the draft.
Biggest Reach: Anthony Richardson to Panthers
The Florida quarterback will be the talk of the draft. He could end up being the best quarterback prospect of the class. He could also be the latest overhyped first-round project. Carolina is a franchise that needs a sure thing after failing on Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield the last two years.
Best Bargain: Bryan Bresee to Chargers
Bresee is a top-10 talent who falls into the back half of the first round to one of the worst teams against the run last season and could use playmakers up front.
Ideal Fit: Bijan Robinson to Eagles
Some have Robinson projected to the Eagles with their first pick at No. 10, but the Eagles have bigger needs than running back at that point. However, at No. 30, this is a luxury pick with Miles Sanders set to hit free agency.
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