The 2023 college football season has officially come to a close and the Michigan Wolverines are Nation Champions. Unfortunately, this means our beloved sport is gone until late August. How is the best way to get through it? Diving into the NFL Draft and seeing where our favorite players end up at the professional level.
1 – Chicago Bears (via Carolina) select Caleb Williams (QB, USC)
The Bears are at an impasse in their franchise. Matt Eberflus will be retained as head coach but will oversee a large staff overhaul, and the Bears have a decision to make on Justin Fields. In future iterations I will include trades, but if the Bears stay pat with the first selection they’ll be taking one of the most exciting prospects at the position in years in Caleb Williams.
2 – Washington Commanders select Drake Maye (QB, North Carolina)
The Commanders will enter this offseason hitting the refresh button completely, and while Sam Howell was a capable starter, he turned the ball over way too much to pass on Maye.
3 – New England Patriots select Marvin Harrison Jr (WR, Ohio State)
Quarterback is the obvious need here, but with the top two players off the board they might be better suited taking number one overall prospect Marvin Harrison Jr and taking a quarterback in the second round.
4 – Arizona Cardinals select Rome Odunze (WR, Washington)
Cardinals might be better suited looking at other positions or trading down, but the top of the draft is dominated by skill position players and quarterbacks this year. Odunze and Nabers will compete for WR2 status this cycle, but I prefer Odunze by a hair at the moment.
5 – Los Angeles Chargers select Brock Bowers (TE, Georgia)
The good news: Justin Herbert is locked in long term for the Chargers. Unfortunately, the rest of the roster is going to need an overhaul in the next two years. Without a true standout tight end and Mike Williams injury history, taking a unique playmaker like Bowers would fill a huge need on offense.
6 – New York Giants select Malik Nabers (WR, LSU)
The Giants could look to take a tackle or pass rusher here, but I don’t love the value (especially after investing in first round OTs in previous seasons). The Giants are still looking for a true game changer in the receiving game and with Nabers on the board, they could secure it here.
7 – Tennessee Titans select Olumuyiwa Fashanu (OT, Penn State)
The Titans took Peter Skoronski last season but the offensive line still seeks improvements. Fashanu could have been a top 15 pick last year but opted to return to Penn State, and enters this draft cycle as the current number one tackle available.
8 – Atlanta Falcons select Jayden Daniels (QB, LSU)
The Falcons fired Arthur Smith this week after back-to-back bad seasons. It’s clear the biggest need is finding a quarterback after playing musical chairs with Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heineke. Daniels gets a chance to enter an offense that’ll already have a built up stockpile of weapons and a passionate fanbase looking for a leader.
9 – Chicago Bears select Jer’Zhan Newton (DT, Illinois)
After getting a new quarterback at pick one, the Bears come back on the clock and get the best interior defender in the class. Newton is a local product who can rush the passer a bit and clog running lanes, and should be a perfect fit playing next to Montez Sweat.
10 – New York Jets select Joe Alt (OT, Notre Dame)
The Jets biggest need is fixing an offensive line that was atrocious to watch. Alt is the best available player and a top 15 prospect who’s ready to step in day one for a team hoping to take off in 2024.
11 – Minnesota Vikings select Dallas Turner (EDGE, Alabama)
The Vikings enter this offseason with a major question mark at quarterback. Kirk Cousins is coming off a season ending injury and set to become a free agent, but I think the two sides will work something out. With no quarterback worth the price of this pick available, I’m giving them the best player on the board in Dallas Turner.
12 – Denver Broncos select Laiatu Latu (EDGE, UCLA)
Like Minnesota, Denver is a team in need of a new quarterback next season. The Russell Wilson era appears to be over, but the lack of availability here also means they’ll look to add to a young defense with a pass rusher with high productivity.
13 – Las Vegas Raiders select Cooper DeJean (CB, Iowa)
DeJean fits the old Al Davis mold of drafting elite athletes, the only difference being he’s proven his worth as an actual football player. One of the stars of the Iowa defense these past few years, DeJean would move into a starting role immediately for a young defensive back unit looking for help.
14 – New Orleans Saints select Jared Verse (EDGE, Florida State)
While there aren’t any elite pass rush prospects in this class, there is a lot of good talent at the position and could see a major run like this in the teens. The Saints will have to attempt a full reboot soon, as the longer they push the cap into the future the more the roster itself worsens. Verse gives them the young pass rusher they need on defense.
15 – Indianapolis Colts select Taliese Fuaga (OT, Oregon State)
The Colts could look to cornerback here to fix an average secondary, but the defense has grown leaps and bounds as an overall unit throughout the season and that could be pushed back a round. Instead, they grab a physical run blocking lineman from Oregon State who fits the identity the Colts want to have.
16 – Seattle Seahawks select Chris Braswell (EDGE, Alabama)
The Pete Carroll era is over in Seattle, and the quarterback will be a question mark headed into 2024. It’s still a bit too high for my liking when it comes to Penix or Nix, so instead I’m adding to a young defense with the best pass rusher on the board. Braswell doesn’t get the credit or hype that Anderson or Turner got, but he’s a terror.
17 – Jacksonville Jaguars select Kool-Aid McKinstry (CB, Alabama)
The Jaguars secondary was one of the worst units in the NFL this year, making it a major need heading into the offseason. McKinstry gives them a proven leader from an A-list program who can step into a starting role and make an immediate impact.
18 – Cincinnati Bengals select JC Latham (OT, Alabama)
Three consecutive Alabama players. The Bengals season faltered when Joe Burrow was lost for the season, but the roster is still pretty solid top to bottom. They should continue to add to the offensive line with an all-SEC talent here.
19 – Green Bay Packers select Kamren Kinchens (S, Miami)
The good news for Packer fans is that Jordan Love might be the guy. The roster is very young but progressing well, however the defense has had issues throughout the season. The Packers had just 7 interceptions this year, while Kinchens had 5 for the Hurricanes on his own. Green Bay needs another playmaker in the secondary, and he fills the need perfectly.
20 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Terrion Arnold (CB, Alabama)
Todd Bowles continues to get more than expected from the Buccaneers in the post-Arians/Brady era, but the roster still needs improvements. The secondary has seen solid growth in what has been a young core, but could use a true standout performer in the cornerback spot.
21 – Arizona Cardinals (via Houston) select Nate Wiggins (CB, Clemson)
After getting Rome Odunze at pick 4, the Cardinals come back around to fill maybe their biggest need in cornerback. Wiggins should immense growth in 2023 and likely solidified himself as a first rounder in this class.
22 – Los Angeles Rams select Amarius Mims (OT, Georgia)
The Rams haven’t had a first rounder in what feels like forever, but they’ve made great picks with the selections they’ve had. They could still use help on the offensive line, and Mims is great value here in the early twenties.
23 – Pittsburgh Steelers select Kamari Lassiter (CB, Georgia)
The Steelers took Joey Porter Jr last year and it was a good start, but the secondary still has plenty of holes and aging Patrick Peterson won’t be around long.
24 – Miami Dolphins select Jordan Morgan (OT, Arizona)
Miami doesn’t have a ton of needs, and while the offensive line made good progress this season, the unit has been decimated by injuries down the stretch. Terron Armstead hasn’t been able to stay healthy consistently and could be moved on from after the 2024 season to free up cap space.
25 – Philadelphia Eagles select Tyler Nubin (S, Minnesota)
The Eagles season took a drastic downward turn in large part to a defense that suddenly couldn’t stop anybody. The secondary is getting older, and while Reed Blankenship has been a solid young safety, they need to start turning the unit over. Nubin was a reliable weapon for Minnesota with 13 career interceptions.
26 – Kansas City Chiefs select Brian Thomas Jr (WR, LSU)
Maybe the most obvious need in the NFL this offseason. Thomas didn’t get quite the shine his teammate Nabers got, but he’s a big, physical receiver capable of making big plays.
27 – Houston Texans (via Cleveland) select Leonard Taylor (DT, Miami)
The Texans came out of nowhere to win the AFC South with a rookie head coach and quarterback, but the roster is just beginning to show signs of what it’ll be in a year or two. Ryans gets to add to the defense with a high motor interior lineman who’ll need a little bit of seasoning but has a pretty high upside.
28 – Detroit Lions select Byron Murphy (DT, Texas)
Dan Campbell likes ass kickers, and thats exactly what Murphy was on the interior of the Longhorns defense. Texas had one of the best run defenses in college football in large part to Murphy (and his teammate Sweat) and could be a monster inside for a Lions defense thats still maturing.
29 – Buffalo Bills select Troy Franklin (WR, Oregon)
Gabe Davis is headed for free agency and hasn’t been the consistent receiver the Bills would like in the two role. Franklin offers similar size and a cheaper option opposite Diggs for this offense.
30 – Dallas Cowboys select TJ Tampa (CB, Iowa State)
The Cowboys don’t have many needs on this roster. I’m not sold on Tony Pollard being a true number one back, but thats a need that could be filled later on. Similar to Trevon Diggs, Tampa is a former wide receiver in high school who moved full time to defensive back in college. He’s a bigger cornerback with good ball skills, things that are highly coveted in Dan Quinns defense.
31 – San Francisco 49ers select Graham Barton (OT, Duke)
Barton gives the 49ers a versatile offensive lineman who played offensive tackle at Duke but could also transition inside if a team chooses.
32 – Baltimore Ravens select Bralen Trice (EDGE, Washington)
The Ravens could look a few different ways here, but they love getting young outside pass rushers and they have a need for one opposite Odafe Oweh. A trio of Oweh, Madubuike, and Trice could be a terror for fellow AFC North offensive lines.
Special added selection because their fans deserve something nice:
33 – Carolina Panthers select WR Keon Coleman (WR, Florida State)
The Panthers have a lot of needs and lack the draft capital to fill all of them, so they take the best receiver on the board in Keon Coleman. He was inconsistent this past season with the Seminoles, but he flashed big play potential and athletic traits that aren’t easy to replicate. Bryce Young had a bad rookie season, but he was heavily limited in what he had around him. Learn from other teams with young quarterbacks and supply him with weapons!
