The 2023 NFL Draft Is Here: These Are The Top 5 Players To Watch
The NFL Draft is finally here! A total of 259 picks are expected to be announced throughout seven rounds over the next three days. Experts and fans have been making predictions for months and Mock Drafts have peppered the internet, with watchers figuring out who will go where and why.
We’ve been trying to figure it out ourselves here, but admittedly we’ve got no way of knowing until the clock starts Thursday night (April 27). So here are the five top players we think you should keep your eye on as the draft kicks off in Kansas City.
Bryce Young (Quarterback/Alabama)
If Bryce Young was 6’ 4”, 220 pounds, there wouldn’t be any question about him being the top pick in the draft. Unfortunately, at 5’10, 204 pounds, his slim frame is a major talking point. Fortunately, his game carries a lot of weight.
The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner is a marksman from the pocket and has the improvisational skills to extend plays outside of it as well. Bryce’s 79 touchdown passes in the last two seasons were the most in any two-year span in SEC history. He anticipates his throws well and is very accurate with the ball. In his 27 starts, he only completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes five times. Young’s elite passing skills are why you should see him as the first player off the board.
Prediction: First Overall Pick to Carolina Panthers.
CJ Stroud (Quarterback/Ohio State)
If you had any questions about this Ohio State product, just look at what he did in the two bowl games he started. He set the Rose Bowl records with 573 passing yards six touchdowns. And in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, his 348 yards passing and four touchdown performance almost led the Buckeyes to an upset over the eventual National Champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Stroud is not as polished a passer as Bryce Young, but he has all the tools to be an effective quarterback at the NFL level. In his two years as a starter, he threw 85 touchdowns. He is also a very accurate passer and can drop the ball in the bucket on any place on the field. He will be off the board early.
Prediction: Second Overall to Houston Texans.
Anthony Richardson (Quarterback/Florida)
Imagine a quarterback that’s built like a defensive end, runs like Jerome Bettis, and can throw 70 yards downfield with ease. That’s Anthony Richardson. The Florida Gators prospect ran the fastest 40-yard dash of all quarterbacks at 4.43 seconds, as well as jumping the highest (40.5 inches) and furthest (10 feet, nine inches) in NFL Combine history. He also has ridiculous touchdown runs like this 81-yard scamper against LSU.
Maybe that’s why he told NFL Network "As a player, I'm not human. I'm an alien.”
If he could harness those “extraterrestrial” skills inside the pocket, he could develop into one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
Prediction: Fourth Overall to Indianapolis Colts.
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Jalen Carter (DT/Georgia)
Five years from now, Jalen Carter could be the best player from this draft. He could also be one of the riskiest picks, as well.
A two-time College Football Playoff National Champion, Carter creates chaos in the run game with his size and quickness from the interior line. In his three years at Georgia, he had 83 tackles, including seven tackles for loss and three sacks last season.
Carter’s off-field issues and poor Pro Day could keep his name from getting off the board, but he’s still expected to be a top-10 pick.
Prediction: Fifth Overall to Seattle Seahawks.
Bijan Robinson (RB/Texas)
The best running back in the class will be a three-down contributor as the next level. He is very well-rounded as a runner, pass-catcher and in pass protection. Robinson won the Doak Award as the best running back in college football, rushing for 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns.
He will come to the NFL with plenty of mileage on his legs as he had 258 carries, which were the 4th-most in college football last season.
Prediction: 10th Overall to Philadelphia Eagles.
