Throughout this off-season, we saw a great deal of “analysis burnout” breaking down the 2022 rookies, in what was widely regarded as a weaker class. We now enter the 2023 NFL Draft class with hopes of a fresh infusion of talent. I will be taking a different route in introducing you to the class. More names will flood in, from the season, spring draft process, and ultimately surprise picks in the 2023 NFL Draft. Let’s get to know the top players that you should be keeping an eye out for in 2023.

Quarterbacks

1. CJ Stroud – Ohio State – 6’3 215
2. Bryce Young – Alabama- 6’0 194
3. Will Levis – Kentucky – 6’3 232
4. Anthony Richardson – Florida – 6’4 236
5. Grayson McCall – Coastal Carolina – 6’3 200

The overall narrative for the class will be CJ Stroud versus Bryce Young for whom is the better prospect. Arm talent and surrounding talent for both will lead to a great deal of nitpicking in order to decide who is better. Stroud can do more with his feet. Young just needs to keep it together and come in at least measuring 6’0 at the 2023 NFL Combine. The worst either of these two could fall is still within the top 10 in the upcoming 2023 NFL Draft.

The Kentucky quarterback, Will Levis has 1st Round potential. His surprisingly light SEC schedule should only help with this narrative during the regular season. Richardson’s arm strength and athleticism always can grab a scout’s attention. For Richardson, his draft stock will need to be boosted on the film portion. His limited pass attempts will lead to a big debate on his ceiling and his floor. Richardson is still likely no worse than a top-20 prospect.

Grayson McCall may sound like a wildcard here, but when schools like BYU and North Dakota State can produce Top-3 picks at the quarterback position, you can never say never. McCall’s efficiency will get attention with a career 10:1 touchdown to interception ratio. Arm strength and offensive style will be the big questions needing answers. For reference, the Coastal Carolina offense relies heavily on RPOs, which will be argued are never used in today’s NFL. He is likely a 3rd or 4th Round developmental quarterback, but still a player worth a stash in deeper leagues.

Running Backs

1. Bijan Robinson – Texas – 6’0 222 lbs
2. Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama – 5’11 200 lbs
3. Kendre Miller – TCU – 6’0 218 lbs
4. Zach Evans – Ole Miss – 5’11 212 lbs
5. Sean Tucker – Syracuse – 5’10 210 lbs
6. Zach Charbonnet – UCLA – 6’1 220 lbs
7. Tank Bigsby – Auburn – 6’0 208 lbs
8. Deuce Vaughn – Kansas State 5’6 176 lbs
9. DeWayne McBride – UAB – 5’11 215 lbs
10. Blake Corum – Michigan – 5’8 205 lbs

1-5

Bijan Robinson will get hype like he is the next Saquon Barkley and worthy of high draft capital. Personally, I don’t believe he will quite hit that mark. His contact balance is really his stand-out feature. He should be graded as a higher-rated prospect than Breece Hall, but he still has decent odds of testing worse athletically, and to a lesser extent, a down season could give him slightly lower capital.  The initial hype of the entire 2023 class is pinned on people assuming they will draft Robinson.

There are two things I don’t trust. 5’11 wide receivers and 200-pound running backs. Jahmyr Gibbs being listed at 200 pounds is no guarantee that he will actually be near that weight, which has been a huge factor in ratings of running backs at the rookie draft stage. Gibbs will get compared to Alvin Kamara far too often. Comparing his college tape, I think he looks a lot more like Dalvin Cook did coming out of Florida State. 

Kendre Miller has burst onto the scene emerging from the shadow of Zach Evans.  The TCU product has shown a better vision and decision-making, bouncing out runs more often than previously. He has done so well, as well that he may have even catapulted ahead of Evans in the discussion of top backs in the draft.

Zach Evans should do well in the Ole Miss “keep the foot on the gas” offense.  He got a lot less usage this past season in part because he was overshadowed by the true freshman, Quinshon Judkins. Evans still has a lot that stands out on the tape, just a matter of how he was clearly second string to a true freshman, not ideal in what is a very competitive 2023 draft class.

Sean Tucker has played phenomenally in a Syracuse program that has been showing promise. Tucker has track-grade speed and runs North to South. He did have times he disappeared due to game script or being the primary threat on offense, which leads as his primary questions going into the draft.

6-10

I tell my kids to stay in school, but then again none of my children are juniors in college football. Zach Charbonnet stayed in school for one more year, much to the chagrin of the draft community. Charbonnet has the size and speed to stay on the radar regardless and be drafted on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.  He has improved his pass-catching usage and managed to maintain a similar value to what he had going into the previous year.

Tank Bigsby showed some great film, running with toughness and physicality that has translated fairly well at the NFL level. He has on the other hand been stuck in the Auburn program that, to be honest just is not good. This leaves Bigsby answering the same questions that Tucker has to answer. 

Deuce Vaughn can tell us a lot about our own age. If you’re 40 years or older, he looks like Barry Sanders. However, if you’re 30 to 39, he looks like Darren Sproles. If you’re under 30 you probably don’t know who either is, so let’s just say Ant-Man. Vaughn won’t be a bell cow in the NFL but he will absolutely be a guy who gets 3rd-5th Round draft capital but still won’t fall out of the mid-2nd of your rookie drafts.

DeWayne McBride, I do feel sorry for teams that play against him in the future. The leading rusher in the nation has been an absolute battering ram of a runner with quick decision-making that has him running like he’s been shot out of a cannon. 

Blake Corum looked great this past season as the 1A runner in the two-headed Michigan backfield. His late-season injury could be a slight tamper to his stock early on. Nevertheless, the Doak Walker finalist should get the middle-round capital to be worth drafting in your dynasty rookie drafts.

Wide Receivers

1. Jaxson Smith-Njigba – Ohio State – 6’0 197 lbs 
2. Jordan Addison – USC – 6’0 175 lbs
3. Quentin Johnston – TCU – 6’4 201 lbs
4. Xavier Hutchinson – Iowa State – 6’3 208 lbs
5. Josh Downs – North Carolina – 5’10 180 lbs
6. Cedric Tillman – Tennessee – 6’3 215 lbs
7. Marvin Mims – Oklahoma – 5’11 180 lbs
8. Jalen McMillan – Washington – 6’1 180 lbs
9. Rashee Rice – SMU – 6’1 203 lbs
10. Johnny Wilson – Florida State –  6’7 235 lbs

Jaxson Smith Njigba and Kayshon Boutte should both be top-10 picks in the NFL Draft next year. Honestly, at least one of them could even end up going inside the top five. 

After the tier break, we have Jordan Addison who produced a Belitnekoff Trophy with Pittsburgh before deciding to leave for a much warmer Southern California. Quentin Johnson’s team choice is likely to still give shudders on recent memories of Jalen Reagor. Johnson moves well and should test well.  His production figures though do need significant improvement if he plans on making it into the mid 1st Round. 

Josh Downs is probably one of if not the best in this class at yards after the catch. Downs may be able to maintain his value, or he may go the way of a similar dynasty darling, Dyami Brown.

AT Perry has the size for notice and should jump a lot in the draft process in the Spring. Ajou Ajou is originally a Clemson commit from Canada with great movement for a player his size.

Tight Ends

1. Michael Mayer – Notre Dame – 6’5 235 lbs
2. Darnell Washington – Georgia – 6’7 270 lbs
3. Sam LaPorta – Iowa – 6’4 249 lbs
4. Dalton Kincaid – Utah – 6’4 241 lbs
5. Will Mallory – Miami – 6’5 245 lbs

Michael Mayer is the primary name to watch at the tight end position in this class. If there were tiers to this class, there would be a two-tier gap from Mayer to the next tight end, he’s that much above the rest. Mayer currently is sitting with a value similar to that of what OJ Howard had in the draft process. He is viewed by many as a Top-10 pick but it stands within reason that his being on the slimmer side could push him down to a mid 1st Round pick instead.

Darnell Washington now is the second-best tight end on his own team, behind the elite 2024 prospect, Brock Bowers. LaPorta has athleticism questions but has tremendous technique on his side. Dalton Kincaid has everyone with recent memories of him running through USC defenders like they were flowers in a field.

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