Early Look At The 2023 NFL Draft – Top Picks

January 16, 2023
mark.ohare
Uncategorized

2023 NFL Draft Preview

If you’re a fan of an NFL team, there’s a 75% chance that you’re no longer engaged with the playoffs because your team has gone home and you’re focus has now switched to the NFL draft.

And while we’re sat wallowing in self-pity and envy at the remainder of the league who now have a real chance at establishing a run at the Vince Lombardi trophy, we’re about three weeks away from burying our resentment and watching college tape again.

Because hope is a funny thing.

Maybe ill-health was the key to your team failing. Perhaps a coaching chance is your ticket to glory next season. Or, maybe, just maybe, you’re one key difference maker from getting over the hump and finally landing eternal glory.

The NFL Draft isn’t just a three-day, name-reading exercise. It’s a four-year-long process that configures itself around a draft capital-focused stock market. Culminating in the selection of players your team believes can make a difference to them.

But how are we set? What does it look like? Who are the top picks? Are there any generational talents available? Have certain teams got more in-hand than others? Is one position group significantly beter than the others?

I’m here to answer all of your questions.

Top Five:

The teams in the top five generally control the draft because they’re terrible but that’s not always the case.

This year, you can make a case that the teams in the top five are the most talented collection of five rosters that have picked in recent memory.

First, the Chicago Bears managed to leapfrog Houston on the final day because Lovie Smith grabbed victory despite what must have been instructed to him from up above.

Behind those two, you have the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks. They combined to win 27 games in 2021 – so there’s clearly a workable nucleus.

And each of the top four are hiring a head coach shortly.

Quarterbacks:

There are four quarterbacks you need to know the names of.

The most important Is likely to be Bryce Young, who is leading an Alabama programme that was shy on a string of functional QBs up until five years ago – and who are now churning them out two at a time.

Young is tiny – six feet tall and 194 pounds but is incredibly intelligent and can zip a ball.

After him is C.J. Stroud who is your real traditional pocket passer. Most will love how well he can read the field but his athleticism might well limit him in the NFL as it gets faster and faster.

Will Levis from Kentucky is fascinating because is athletic, understands the game and has a good arm – but possesses an elite rating in none of the above.

But perhaps the most intriguing of them all is Anthony Richardson from Florida who could break the NFL if he studies up on the schemes better than he currently does.

His arm, feet and toughness are off the charts.

Potential Trade-Ups:

The draft is unique because the team picking first overall really don’t need to cash in on a quarterback, meaning their best course of action is to simply trade the pick away and claim a huge haul of picks in exchange.

It’s likely to be too rich for anyone’s blood but the Carolina Panthers should try and crack into the top five to land their signal-caller, especially if Shane Steichen gets that gig.

While I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Seattle ignore Geno Smith and reach for the stars with a quarterback – but they’ll have to sit and hope their guy is waiting for them at #5.

Sean Payton:

One of the most fascinating aspects of this draft is that key capital will have to go to New Orleans if a team are to hire Sean Payton, and that will almost definitely include a first round pick.

Of the teams seriously in contention for the first-ballot Hall of Fame head coach, you could see Los Angeles giving their pick in the mid-twenties to the Saints, while Denver are probably out of the running due to the fact they gave up so much to get Russell Wilson.

And if the Cardinals were serious about securing his services, they could probably wave goodbye to their pick at third overall.

Strengths of the Draft:

If you need an offensive tackle, I assure you this is the best draft class in a long, long time.

I’d comfortably suggest that you could have three tackles go in the top ten – they being Georgia’s Broderick Jones, Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski and Paris Johnson from Ohio State.

And this could also be the first draft in quite some time to see three running backs go in the first round, with that group being led by Texas’ Bijan Robinson – the best running back prospect since Christian McCaffrey.

However, edge looks quite thin at blue chip level with so many of the better ones looking rotational at best at the pro level.

Underrated Players:

I think A.T. Perry is set to be the next second-round receiver who should have gone in the first. His size is threatening to pigeon hole him as one-dimensional on the perimeter but he can easily run the route tree and make a real difference for any offense that he’s in.

On the total other end of that spectrum, I’d anticipate Zay Flowers being a brilliant slot receiver in the NFL draft that draconian scouts will overlook due to his size, while I’m also very high on Dawand Jones who has the upside to be a top-five player at his position.

Overrated Players:

There’s a lot of buzz around Devon Achane but the running back is listed at just 185 pounds and plays slightly smaller again.

While we’ve seen the rise of smaller backs like Travis Etienne, this is one of the age-old draft mantras that I think still have a place in modern analysis.

Alongside Achane, I’d also place Nolan Smith who is just a raw athlete and Zach Harrison who has a long way to go as a refined defensive end.