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2023 Comprehensive Draft Thread


zCommander

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Don't understand anybody who wants a QB.  I'd be a bit surprised if we move on from Rivera especially given the new owner will not be able to make a move until March. We are not picking at 16 so anybody we pick is likely only to be competition. In any case, the only NFC team to have a top 10 QB that'll be starting are the Giants. In recent years, our best QB over a multi-year span was a 4th rounder. TH's record is 12-11-1. Smith, while originally a number 1 came to us in a trade, went 11-5 as our starter. While Norm Snead was turned into Sonny Jurgensen, we really have had no long-term success at picking a QB in the top of the draft since Sammy Baugh.  Our biggest issue offensively this year was oline play.  Empty backfields were autosacks unless we emptied the backfield via pre-snap motion.  Dallas was not pressuring Howell and still came away with 3 sacks! We never had success running outside the tackle box this year unless we hit on a schemed play or the RB just bounced it out.  Usually the fails were due to penetration by a dlineman or a backer. We got lots of running yards after contact. Our next need is consistent CB or LB play that can create turnovers. We either need another good LB or figure out how to play more nickel variations.

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1 hour ago, CommandB11 said:

What would it take to trade to 1 for Bryce Young? Just a hypothetical....

Being idiots would be first on the list. Given the haul we'd be giving up, you'd have to be certain that Bryce Young is all that. One thing, if you look at all former QBs who actually became a franchise guy, you will find a QB guru or offensive genius at coach and/or a few of the QB's best friends (these are guys who either take the pressure off or make highlight catches consistently while not dropping a thing).

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PFF today

 

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-mock-draft-five-qbs-first-round-colts-trade-bryce-young

10. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (VIA SAINTS): S BRIAN BRANCH, ALABAMA

Branch is the kind of defensive back that is gaining value around the NFL. He can play the slot position at an elite level against both run and pass. He earned a 90.7 run-defense grade and an 86.4 coverage grade for Alabama this past fall. That would fit in perfectly in Jonathan Gannon’s defense — especially if C.J. Gardner-Johnson departs in free agency.

11. TENNESSEE TITANS: OT PARIS JOHNSON, OHIO STATE

With injuries having piled up over the years, there’s no certainty that the 31-year-old Taylor Lewan will be back in a Titans uniform next season. Johnson could rejoin former college linemate Nicholas Petit-Frere as the bookend tackles for Tennessee next season. In Johnson’s first year as the Buckeyes' starting left tackle, he allowed only 14 pressures on 449 pass-blocking snaps.

12. HOUSTON TEXANS (VIA BROWNS): WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON, TCU

The Texans give their newly minted quarterback a receiver with a massive catch radius that’s easy to build rapport with. Johnston has 59 catches for 1,064 yards with six scores and 18 broken tackles this season, prior to the national championship game. He’s a unique big-play threat for a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, as he’s averaged 18.9 yards per reception in his career.

13. NEW YORK JETS: OT PETER SKORONSKI, NORTHWESTERN

Skoronski is the highest-floor offensive lineman in the class. He would slot in nicely at right tackle for the Jets next season. The true junior allowed only six pressures on 474 pass-blocking snaps this past fall in his third season as Northwestern’s starting left tackle.

14. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: CB DEVON WITHERSPOON, ILLINOIS

Witherspoon was the best press-man cornerback in the country last season, and quite frankly, it wasn’t even close. On 113 snaps in press coverage this past fall, he allowed a grand total of one yard. That’s a guy who can play cornerback for Bill Belichick.

15. GREEN BAY PACKERS: TE MICHAEL MAYER, NOTRE DAME

The Packers may very well be content going into 2023 with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs as their one-two punch after how strongly they came on down the stretch this season. They may not be as happy with the middling production they got from pending free agent Robert Tonyan at tight end, though. Mayer is a tremendous blocker and an ultra-reliable underneath route runner. He could be the chain-mover that quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs.

16. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: CB CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ, OREGON

Gonzalez is one of the most scheme-versatile cornerbacks in the class with a level of fluidity and explosiveness you rarely see in a 6-foot-2 player at the position. He picked off four passes and broke up six more in his first season with Oregon in 2022.

17. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: CB CAM SMITH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Smith is the kind of heady defensive back that head coach Mike Tomlin will love. He brings with him some of the best ball skills at the cornerback position in the draft class. On 70 targets into his coverage over the past two seasons, Smith broke up 15 of them (21.4%) and picked off four more (5.7%).

18. DETROIT LIONS: RB BIJAN ROBINSON, TEXAS

The Lions have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and it could be intact for quite a while. At that point, it could make sense to put an elite talent like Robinson behind it and give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. Robinson set the PFF college single-season record with 104 broken tackles this past season.

19. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: EDGE NOLAN SMITH, GEORGIA

The Bucs are likely to hit the reset button this offseason, so why not go for a big swing with their first-round pick? Smith is a high-end athlete who could learn a lot from Shaq Barrett about how to get the job done in the NFL as an undersized rusher. 

20. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: CB KELEE RINGO, GEORGIA

Ringo is a Pete Carroll cornerback if I’ve ever seen one. He’s an enormous 6-foot-2, 210-pounder who should run in the low 4.3s. Stick him at the line of scrimmage and let him beat up opposing receivers all day across from Tariq Woolen. For his college career, Ringo allowed a catch on only 47.8% of targets into his coverage.

21. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: OG O’CYRUS TORRENCE, FLORIDA

The Jaguars are looking to build a juggernaut offense, and getting Torrence in the fold can be a building block for just that. Torrence earned an 88.0 overall grade in his first season against SEC competition, as he didn’t allow a sack or hit all season. 

22. MIAMI DOLPHINS (FORFEITED)

23. NEW YORK GIANTS: WR JORDAN ADDISON, USC

The Giants flat-out need a receiver who can get open. That’s the former Biletnikoff Award winner's game. He racked up 2,468 yards and 25 scores over the past two seasons because of that. Addison is a player a team can start building a receiving corps around.

24. BALTIMORE RAVENS: TE DARNELL WASHINGTON, GEORGIA

Washington is a luxury piece. He has a skill set that you simply won’t find later in the draft. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Washington is one of one. He racked up 426 yards on 27 catches (15.8 per reception) and earned a top-five run-blocking grade this season, prior to the national championship game. He could do damage in Greg Roman’s offense. 

25. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: WR ZAY FLOWERS, BOSTON COLLEGE

The Chargers have a lot invested in their receiving corps, but they badly need to add some dynamism to that position. And you don’t find dynamism like Zay Flowers' in the second and third rounds. He racked up 1,077 yards on 78 catches for 12 scores this past fall. 

26. DALLAS COWBOYS: LB DREW SANDERS, ARKANSAS

If the Cowboys want to make their third-down packages unstoppable, Sanders is the guy who can bring that wish to life. At 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds, Sanders has off-ball range with edge rusher-esque pass-rushing moves. He collected 11 sacks in 2022 just as a blitzer. Pairing that with the likes of Micah Parsons, Sam Williams and Demarcus Lawrence would be scary. 

27. CINCINNATI BENGALS: OT ANTON HARRISON, OKLAHOMA

The Bengals haven’t been shy about drafting first-rounders who may not be starters out of the gate. Harrison could allow the Bengals to kick Jonah Williams inside in time. He allowed all of nine pressures on 447 pass-blocking snaps this past season at Oklahoma. 

28. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: QB TANNER MCKEE, STANFORD

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is tied to Kirk Cousins for only one more season, and the Vikings' roster is too good to where they won’t be getting the pick of the litter in a draft anytime soon. That could mean taking advantage of a deep quarterback class to start a year early on developing Cousins’ successor. McKee is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the draft class but was put in a lot of unwinnable situations on tape at Stanford.

29. DENVER BRONCOS (VIA 49ERS): CB JOEY PORTER JR., PENN STATE

Porter could very easily give the Broncos the league’s best press-coverage duo in time. Porter allowed all of 143 yards this past season and broke up nine of the 30 targets into his coverage. That would pair well with Patrick Surtain II.

30. BUFFALO BILLS: LB TRENTON SIMPSON, CLEMSON

With Tremaine Edmunds set to become a free agent this offseason, the Bills may opt for new blood at linebacker. Simpson has elite range that would pair nicely next to Matt Milano. He allowed only 353 yards in the past two seasons combined.

31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: TE LUKE MUSGRAVE, OREGON STATE

As hard as it may be to believe, Travis Kelce is going to be 34 years old next season. At some point, his play has to drop off. And athletes like Musgrave don’t come along every draft class. He’ll get to learn from the best to ever do it while also allowing the Chiefs to deploy a unique 21 personnel look.

32. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA, OHIO STATE

Smith-Njigba is a plug-and-play slot wide receiver. His reliability from that alignment would give the Eagles three sure-fire route winners. Smith-Njigba went for 1,595 and nine scores as a sophomore in 2021 before hamstring issues derailed his 2022 season.

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1 hour ago, Skinsinparadise said:

32. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA, OHIO STATE

Smith-Njigba is a plug-and-play slot wide receiver. His reliability from that alignment would give the Eagles three sure-fire route winners. Smith-Njigba went for 1,595 and nine scores as a sophomore in 2021 before hamstring issues derailed his 2022 season.

 

This is surprising to me, I was thinking teens value for him considering he came into the year a consensus top eight prospect and injuries and opt outs/missed seasons didn't hurt the stock of previous elite prospects like Derek Stingley and Jamar Chase.

 

But it would be welcome if JSN's stock drops that far.  We could trade down from 16 into the 20s and still get the player I want the most and probably add third and fifth rounders like we did last year.  To me that is the best possible scenario short of something like Bryce Young falling to us at 16.  That would give us the opportunity to reload the secondary and interior OL without using the first or free agency.

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I'm spooked about Gonzalez because of how bad he played in the Georgia game.  It's hard to just look past that tape and focus on only the good stuff because that was the best team he played against and I would be afraid of that being a window into his NFL future against big time talent.  This is what I wrote about him a few weeks ago, and it kind of sums up my anxiety about him:

 

On 12/14/2022 at 11:16 AM, Going Commando said:

-  Christian Gonzalez: Looked like a total scrub in the Georgia game but was good the rest of the year.  Effortless carrying speed downfield in man coverage.  Ultra confident in off coverage.  Fantastic hands that are soft and quick, and really good body control.  Has hip fluidity and speed and good size.  He's physical in the open field too.  Has man/zone and inside/outside versatility which will be coveted.  My big concern with him is he's a slow reader.  Really struggled to key on what Georgia was doing and consistently fell out of position and took awful angles to the ball.  Played slow and scared, and that's why I'm having a hard time buying into him as CB1.  I tell myself to look past the bad film and think about the traits, but he's not that big or fast, and sometimes that film is a window into a player's personality.  And I just don't know how sharp or tough he is.  He's an enigma for me and I hope he gets picked before us.

 

I wish he was cleaner like Horn and Surtain were.  But then again if he were, he'd probably go as high as they did in the draft and not last until 16.  I think there is absolutely a good chance he could justify being the 16th overall pick because he  does look really good in some of the cut ups I saw.  Big, aggressive, ball-hawking talent that can turn the ball over from man coverages.  There is some star quality in him that is palpable when you watch the full context of the games broadcasts.  He wouldn't be the worst pick by any means and I think he's a better player than Kelee Ringo, if not as good an athlete.  Better than Porter?  I'm not sure.  Porter seems like his upside might be a little higher, but Gonzalez was better than him this year on the whole, and also has a pretty good size/speed combo too.  I keep seeing a 6'2 listing for him though, there is no way that is right.  I bet he's just under 6'1, but his size is still good for the position.  He looks noticeably smaller than Porter to me, but part of that is because he's got really good lower half flexibility and sinks his hips really low in his back pedal and keeps his pads down.

 

I think I would definitely pick him over Cam Smith and Ringo.  Ringo is a thicker and stronger athlete with more top end speed but Ringo looks like a slow-processor to me and he's not as aggressive playing the ball man coverage.  And I really like Smith but I just think he's way too skinny right now and has a lot of strength work and bulking to do before he can be a dominant NFL player.  He gets big boyed by college receivers, and I don't think he's going to be good early in his career.

 

Bottom line, Gonzalez had to get up to speed with a new team and it was game one against a dominant opponent in Georgia, most players are going to be really hesitant and play scared in that situation.  So I'm trying not to let that game make me too negative on him.  I could talk myself into liking the pick if we get him at 16, and if we come back in like the fourth round and get another big DB like Jay Ward or Julius Brents, then I think our secondary would be absolutely loaded.  Depth and versatility and playmaking, plus we'd be able to cut Kendall Fuller and save a bunch of cap money.

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The part about that mock that bugs me the most is Devon Witherspoon going 14.  This kid had big time star quality and was one of the only good players on Illinois, so he was constantly flashing and being talked about by the broadcast crews.  Absolute lock down corner who looked really good against Michigan.  Throughout the whole season, Witherspoon had been ranked in the 20s and 30s and he was one of my favorite fall back plans of trading down, getting the CB1, and adding mid round ammo.  Now it looks like he's climbing and we'd be lucky to get him at 16.

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5 minutes ago, Koolblue13 said:

I don't see 3 TEs, 5 QBs going in the 1rst. The Lions who had a player just break Barrys record drafting a RB that high instead of defense? A safety at 10 and only 1 WR in the top 20 or so?

 

No way it goes down like that.

 

5 QBs is believable. Last year was the first year I can remember in a while that teams did not go aggressive on QBs. Remember that teams are often willing to take a 2nd-3rd round guy late 1st to have the 5th year option on the guy

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1 minute ago, method man said:

 

5 QBs is believable. Last year was the first year I can remember in a while that teams did not go aggressive on QBs. Remember that teams are often willing to take a 2nd-3rd round guy late 1st to have the 5th year option on the guy

None of the QBs last year should have been 1rst rounders. The same can be said this year other than the top 3.

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4 hours ago, Warhead36 said:

I'd take Porter jr over Gonzalez. Guys whose dads played in the league just have such a strong track record these last couple of years.

Randy Moss - Thaddeus Moss

Kellen Winslow - Kellen Winslow II

 

Pedigree doesn't always transfer to success

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Just now, Skinsinparadise said:

I've watched a lot of TEs over the years for the draft.  This class is looming as the best in a long time

 

 

 

 


Going to be some available after the first. Will be tough to draft Mayer if Porter Jr, JSN, Boutte are on the board. But still has to be a consideration. PJJr is another but I think he’ll be long gone.

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7 hours ago, Skinsinparadise said:

PFF today

 

https://www.pff.com/news/draft-2023-nfl-mock-draft-five-qbs-first-round-colts-trade-bryce-young

10. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (VIA SAINTS): S BRIAN BRANCH, ALABAMA

Branch is the kind of defensive back that is gaining value around the NFL. He can play the slot position at an elite level against both run and pass. He earned a 90.7 run-defense grade and an 86.4 coverage grade for Alabama this past fall. That would fit in perfectly in Jonathan Gannon’s defense — especially if C.J. Gardner-Johnson departs in free agency.

11. TENNESSEE TITANS: OT PARIS JOHNSON, OHIO STATE

With injuries having piled up over the years, there’s no certainty that the 31-year-old Taylor Lewan will be back in a Titans uniform next season. Johnson could rejoin former college linemate Nicholas Petit-Frere as the bookend tackles for Tennessee next season. In Johnson’s first year as the Buckeyes' starting left tackle, he allowed only 14 pressures on 449 pass-blocking snaps.

12. HOUSTON TEXANS (VIA BROWNS): WR QUENTIN JOHNSTON, TCU

The Texans give their newly minted quarterback a receiver with a massive catch radius that’s easy to build rapport with. Johnston has 59 catches for 1,064 yards with six scores and 18 broken tackles this season, prior to the national championship game. He’s a unique big-play threat for a 6-foot-4, 215-pounder, as he’s averaged 18.9 yards per reception in his career.

13. NEW YORK JETS: OT PETER SKORONSKI, NORTHWESTERN

Skoronski is the highest-floor offensive lineman in the class. He would slot in nicely at right tackle for the Jets next season. The true junior allowed only six pressures on 474 pass-blocking snaps this past fall in his third season as Northwestern’s starting left tackle.

14. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS: CB DEVON WITHERSPOON, ILLINOIS

Witherspoon was the best press-man cornerback in the country last season, and quite frankly, it wasn’t even close. On 113 snaps in press coverage this past fall, he allowed a grand total of one yard. That’s a guy who can play cornerback for Bill Belichick.

15. GREEN BAY PACKERS: TE MICHAEL MAYER, NOTRE DAME

The Packers may very well be content going into 2023 with Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs as their one-two punch after how strongly they came on down the stretch this season. They may not be as happy with the middling production they got from pending free agent Robert Tonyan at tight end, though. Mayer is a tremendous blocker and an ultra-reliable underneath route runner. He could be the chain-mover that quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs.

16. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS: CB CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ, OREGON

Gonzalez is one of the most scheme-versatile cornerbacks in the class with a level of fluidity and explosiveness you rarely see in a 6-foot-2 player at the position. He picked off four passes and broke up six more in his first season with Oregon in 2022.

17. PITTSBURGH STEELERS: CB CAM SMITH, SOUTH CAROLINA

Smith is the kind of heady defensive back that head coach Mike Tomlin will love. He brings with him some of the best ball skills at the cornerback position in the draft class. On 70 targets into his coverage over the past two seasons, Smith broke up 15 of them (21.4%) and picked off four more (5.7%).

18. DETROIT LIONS: RB BIJAN ROBINSON, TEXAS

The Lions have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and it could be intact for quite a while. At that point, it could make sense to put an elite talent like Robinson behind it and give opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. Robinson set the PFF college single-season record with 104 broken tackles this past season.

19. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: EDGE NOLAN SMITH, GEORGIA

The Bucs are likely to hit the reset button this offseason, so why not go for a big swing with their first-round pick? Smith is a high-end athlete who could learn a lot from Shaq Barrett about how to get the job done in the NFL as an undersized rusher. 

20. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: CB KELEE RINGO, GEORGIA

Ringo is a Pete Carroll cornerback if I’ve ever seen one. He’s an enormous 6-foot-2, 210-pounder who should run in the low 4.3s. Stick him at the line of scrimmage and let him beat up opposing receivers all day across from Tariq Woolen. For his college career, Ringo allowed a catch on only 47.8% of targets into his coverage.

21. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: OG O’CYRUS TORRENCE, FLORIDA

The Jaguars are looking to build a juggernaut offense, and getting Torrence in the fold can be a building block for just that. Torrence earned an 88.0 overall grade in his first season against SEC competition, as he didn’t allow a sack or hit all season. 

22. MIAMI DOLPHINS (FORFEITED)

23. NEW YORK GIANTS: WR JORDAN ADDISON, USC

The Giants flat-out need a receiver who can get open. That’s the former Biletnikoff Award winner's game. He racked up 2,468 yards and 25 scores over the past two seasons because of that. Addison is a player a team can start building a receiving corps around.

24. BALTIMORE RAVENS: TE DARNELL WASHINGTON, GEORGIA

Washington is a luxury piece. He has a skill set that you simply won’t find later in the draft. At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Washington is one of one. He racked up 426 yards on 27 catches (15.8 per reception) and earned a top-five run-blocking grade this season, prior to the national championship game. He could do damage in Greg Roman’s offense. 

25. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS: WR ZAY FLOWERS, BOSTON COLLEGE

The Chargers have a lot invested in their receiving corps, but they badly need to add some dynamism to that position. And you don’t find dynamism like Zay Flowers' in the second and third rounds. He racked up 1,077 yards on 78 catches for 12 scores this past fall. 

26. DALLAS COWBOYS: LB DREW SANDERS, ARKANSAS

If the Cowboys want to make their third-down packages unstoppable, Sanders is the guy who can bring that wish to life. At 6-foot-5 and 232 pounds, Sanders has off-ball range with edge rusher-esque pass-rushing moves. He collected 11 sacks in 2022 just as a blitzer. Pairing that with the likes of Micah Parsons, Sam Williams and Demarcus Lawrence would be scary. 

27. CINCINNATI BENGALS: OT ANTON HARRISON, OKLAHOMA

The Bengals haven’t been shy about drafting first-rounders who may not be starters out of the gate. Harrison could allow the Bengals to kick Jonah Williams inside in time. He allowed all of nine pressures on 447 pass-blocking snaps this past season at Oklahoma. 

28. MINNESOTA VIKINGS: QB TANNER MCKEE, STANFORD

General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is tied to Kirk Cousins for only one more season, and the Vikings' roster is too good to where they won’t be getting the pick of the litter in a draft anytime soon. That could mean taking advantage of a deep quarterback class to start a year early on developing Cousins’ successor. McKee is one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the draft class but was put in a lot of unwinnable situations on tape at Stanford.

29. DENVER BRONCOS (VIA 49ERS): CB JOEY PORTER JR., PENN STATE

Porter could very easily give the Broncos the league’s best press-coverage duo in time. Porter allowed all of 143 yards this past season and broke up nine of the 30 targets into his coverage. That would pair well with Patrick Surtain II.

30. BUFFALO BILLS: LB TRENTON SIMPSON, CLEMSON

With Tremaine Edmunds set to become a free agent this offseason, the Bills may opt for new blood at linebacker. Simpson has elite range that would pair nicely next to Matt Milano. He allowed only 353 yards in the past two seasons combined.

31. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS: TE LUKE MUSGRAVE, OREGON STATE

As hard as it may be to believe, Travis Kelce is going to be 34 years old next season. At some point, his play has to drop off. And athletes like Musgrave don’t come along every draft class. He’ll get to learn from the best to ever do it while also allowing the Chiefs to deploy a unique 21 personnel look.

32. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR JAXON SMITH-NJIGBA, OHIO STATE

Smith-Njigba is a plug-and-play slot wide receiver. His reliability from that alignment would give the Eagles three sure-fire route winners. Smith-Njigba went for 1,595 and nine scores as a sophomore in 2021 before hamstring issues derailed his 2022 season.

Sanders would so blow up our defense.  Id love him in the first

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