2023 NFL Mock Draft: Connor Allen's 3.0

Apr 19, 2023

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The NFL Draft world has been flipped upside since my last mock draft. There is somehow even less clarity at the top, but parsing through the information, listening to reliable reports, and other intel can help us piece together each team’s likely picks based on different scenarios. As of right now, this is how I imagine the first round playing out.

For the record, this is a mock draft of what I think will happen, not what I would do. Leading up to the NFL Draft, I dissect as much information as possible from reputable sources to try and figure out where players will land. I do this so our subscribers can have another successful year betting on the draft. Last year we combined to win over 40 units on official plays in our official discord, and many subscribers had even more success. Check out all of our NFL Draft Bets here!

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2023 NFL Mock Draft

1. Carolina Panthers (Via CHI) – Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

There has been a nonstop drumbeat for the past three weeks that the Panthers want Bryce Young. I was skeptical at first, but at this point, it’s tough to think otherwise.

2. Houston Texans – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

There are rumors that the Texans won’t take a quarterback second overall. Rumors have them preferring Will Levis to CJ Stroud, so if they do select a quarterback, it could be Levis. We also have to factor in that ownership may overrule Caserio on selecting a defender and standing pat. Rolling out Davis Mills for another year is, frankly, demoralizing.

All that being said, absolutely no one knew what the Texans were doing last year until about 24 hours before when some reporters got wind they may be interested in Derek Stingley Jr over Sauce Gardner.

3. Arizona Cardinals – Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech

The Cardinals are very, very likely to trade down. If they aren’t able to, I imagine they take the top defender at a premium position, and in this case, Tyree has the most upside.

4. Indianapolis Colts – Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida

The Colts are one of the most desperate teams for a QB right now, with just Gardner Minshew on the roster and a rotation of failing veterans leading the way for them post-Andrew Luck. Chris Ballard has preferred a certain stature during his tenure (every quarterback has been 6’1 or taller) and recently said they have “stringent” height requirements. Richardson is a bit of a project, but Shane Steichen, their new head coach, comes from Philadelphia, where he worked with a mobile QB in Jalen Hurts and had fruitful success. I think Levis is their top quarterback on the board, but in this instance, he is already gone.

5. Seattle Seahawks – Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama

The Seahawks could opt for Stroud here, but I imagine with Will Anderson falling this far, he would be a pretty easy pick for them.

6. Detroit Lions – Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

The Lions added Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Mosely, but the latter is on a one-year deal, while Sutton only has two years of guarantees. They also traded away Jeff Okudah.

They could also add another edge here if Tyree Wilson falls, but they sunk the second overall pick into an edge last year and may opt to go elsewhere to continue bulking up the defense. I think Witherspoon gets the nod here. He’s extremely physical and would fit their defense well. The Lions played a top-10 rate of man coverage last season, and Witherspoon played man at a 75%+ rate at Illinois. There have also been reports about teams strongly preferring Witherspoon over Gonzales.

7. Las Vegas Raiders – Paris Johnson Jr, OT, Ohio State

The Raiders need to continue building their offensive line if they want to support the fragile Jimmy Garropolo. They are in the mix of teams looking to trade up for a quarterback.

8. Atlanta Falcons – CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Once the -400 favorite to go first overall, Stroud has dealt with a landslide of negative reports in the past two weeks. His slide stops here with Atlanta, who can’t pass on a significantly better passer than Desmond Ridder.

We have now heard CJ Stroud:

-Bombed the S2 test (which you can prepare for)

-Is hard to coach

-Ghosted Manning academy

Whether it’s true or not, he is getting wrecked by the media. https://t.co/Y5zTYQyDhP

— Connor Allen (@ConnorAllenNFL) April 19, 2023

9. Chicago Bears— Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

Carter looks to be in the clear “legally,” but there were already rumors about “character issues” unrelated to his most recent legal incident. On top of this, he showed up to his pro day 9 pounds heavier than at the combine and reportedly couldn’t finish drills due to cramping.

The Bears will likely choose between an offensive lineman, Jalen Carter, or trading down. There are multiple teams in this range looking to trade down, but I’m not sure how many suitors they will have to trade up.

Even though there are questions about Carter’s character, the Bears have spent a ton of time on him, and if he is high up their board, the city of Chicago would be doing victory laps for them to trade down from 1, pick up multiple first-round picks, and still get a top-rated player on the board.

10. Philadelphia Eagles – Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

There has been some Skoronski buzz to the Eagles, but they are another team that may look to trade down. Continuing to add to their dominant offensive line makes a ton of sense.

11. Tennessee Titans – Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

The Titans could go a lot of different directions here with holes all over the roster. They are reportedly shopping Derrick Henry but, at the bare minimum, need to start shoring up their offensive line. Gonzales suffers a mini-slide in this spot but is swooped up by the Titans, who need playmakers at a bunch of positions.

12. Houston Texans – Nolan Smith, LB/EDGE, Georgia

Smith crushed the combine with a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 41.5-inch vertical jump, and 10-foot-8-inches in the broad jump. The Texans need to continue adding talent to their defense after appointing former NFL LB Demeco Ryans as their HC. The Texans also spent FA adding offensive “weapons” like Robert Woods and Dalton Schultz so they may focus on the defense. Adding Tyree Wilson and Nolan Smith could be a lethal combo to start.

13. New York Jets – Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee

Wright has been shooting up draft boards, and Daniel Jeremiah mentioned Wright is in the conversation to be the first offensive tackle drafted. The Jets need to continue to bolster the offensive line especially given the uncertainty of Mekhi Becton.

14. New England – Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College

Brett Kollman mentioned the Patriots liking Flowers is “the worst kept secret” in the league. They also need to keep adding playmakers after signing JuJu Smith-Schuster in the offseason.

15. Green Bay Packers – Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa

The Packers moved on from Aaron Rodgers and will need to shore up their defense in order to remain competitive. Van Ness wasn’t a starter last season at Iowa but has a lot of the traits NFL teams covet.

16. Washington Commanders – Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Bijan Robinson to the Falcons is a popular destination in mock drafts, but there hasn’t been much specific buzz connecting him to the team. The same applies here. From an outsider's perspective, it makes sense but other than that; he could go anywhere from 8-20.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia

The Steelers need help at cornerback and offensive line. Broderick would come in and be able to make an instant impact for the Steelers.

18. Detroit Lions – Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh

The Lions follow up their selection of a premier corner with a pass-rushing defensive tackle in Kancey.

19. Tampa Bay Bucs – Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland

Banks has been gaining steam as of late and tested well at the combine.

20. Seattle Seahawks – Joey Porter Jr, CB, Penn State

The Seahawks may feel like they can land top secondary talent like they did last year, but Porter could add some more juice to a defense that still needs help.

21. Los Angeles Chargers, Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah

The Chargers need to continue adding weapons for Justin Herbert, and Kincaid would be a great fit after catching 70 passes as a senior at Utah.

22. Baltimore Ravens –Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson

The Ravens always seem to have top talent fall into their laps. The same thing happens here with Murphy, whose draft stock seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

23. Minnesota Vikings – Jordan Addison, WR, USC

The Vikings desperately need some speed opposite Justin Jefferson to open up the field. They also released Adam Thielen and have a gap at their second wide receiver position. I expect them to take a receiver here, but it’s unclear which one they prefer. Addison would be a great pairing alongside Jefferson.

24. Jacksonville Jaguars – Brian Branch, DB, Alabama

Branch profiles as a nickel corner at the next level, and the Jags are currently starting Tre Herndon, who graded out as one of the worst corners in the league last year.

25. New York Giants – Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

The Giants signed Daniel Jones to a multi-year deal while placing the franchise tag on Saquon Barkley. They need to continue adding viable receiving options for Daniel Jones for this offense to take the next step. Njigba primarily played in the slot in college, which caused his fall to 25.

26. Dallas Cowboys – Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

The Cowboys have reportedly been very interested in Mayer and, after losing Dalton Shultz in the offseason, have a need at tight end.

27. Buffalo Bills – O’Cyrus Torrence, OL, Florida

With the Bills signing Damien Harris, their two main needs are linebacker and offensive line. Either are in play here.

28. Cincinnati Bengals –Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

The Bengals need to continue upgrading their secondary, and Forbes has been getting a lot of hype as a late first-rounder.

29. New Orleans Saints – Mazi Smith, DL, Michigan

The Saints are currently relying on Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd at DT.

30. Philadelphia Eagles – Will Mcdonald, Edge, Iowa State

With the Eagles shoring up their secondary in free agency outside of Chauncey Gardner Johnson going to the Lions, they don’t have a lot of holes. They lost other pieces in their front 7 and already addressed offensive line in this mock.