This is The Gridiron Review’s 2023 NFL Draft Mock 4.0. This mock will factor in everything that happened to date. Check out our YouTube breakdown here if you want an alternate way of us breaking it down.
Our projected trades are at the bottom of the mock.
1. Carolina Panthers(VIA CHI)- CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Stroud is, in our eyes, the clear cut QB1 in this draft. If this trade up was for Anthony Richardson that may be the riskiest move in NFL history (as much as we like Richardson). We feel Stroud starts day 1 with the best combination of upside and floor.
2. Seattle Seahawks(Proj. Trade w/ HOU)- Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
If you have any guesses as to what Seattle is planning to do with their draft, we are all ears. We have a strong feeling Houston does not take a QB unless it is Stroud, so instead they look to trade out. Seattle takes massive swings all the time (Penny, Taylor, etc) and this should be no exception. They do not surrender any day 2 picks this year and nothing next year so why not?
3. Indianapolis Colts(Proj. Trade w/ ARI)- Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
The Colts are wild cards and not in a good way. Irsay is a loose cannon who could further screw up the Colts. For now, we believe Steichen gets the last say and drafts Young. We are not as high on Young as the media, but still see him as an Alex Smith type player who will command the locker room and may have the upside of someone like Russel Wilson. It is also worth mentioning this trade involves the Colts getting DeAndre Hopkins as well to check the bottom of the page for trade details.
4. Arizona Cardinals (Proj. Trade w/ IND)- Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
Arizona offloads the Hopkins contract, gains a couple picks, and gets the guy they have probably eyed up all along. He is not our #1 ranked pass rusher, but better fits the Haason Reddick role in a Gannon run defense.
5. Houston Texans(Proj Trade w/ SEA, VIA DEN)- Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
Houston could really play the board well and end up with 3 first round picks. With this selection they go with our top pass rusher, Myles Murphy. He tested athletically and physically almost identical to last year’s #1 selection, Travon Walker. The difference is Murphy is far more developed as a pass rusher.
6. Detroit Lions(VIA Los Angeles Rams)- Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
We’ve had the Lions taking Jalen Carter in recent mocks due to what the Lions did in FA with Sutton, Moseley, and CJGJ. Cornerback is now back in play due to the Okudah trade, and the fact that we don’t consider Sutton or Moseley the alpha at outside CB. Lions take the best CB in the class in Gonzalez.
7. Las Vegas Raiders- Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
We suspect McDaniels and the Raiders are going to do something stupid, but we believe if they are in any way smart they will draft an offensive lineman. They just paid Jimmy G who doesn’t have the healthiest history. They have to protect him first and foremost.
8. Philadelphia Eagles (Proj. Trade w/ATL)- Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
Best believe the rumors that Philly loves Carter. They are assembling the Georgia defense at the NFL level like Thanos getting the Infinity Stones. Carter has not had the most ideal draft process, but Philly is a place where he will not be thrust into full time duty right away. The Eagles massive D line will be set for the present and the future, while only giving up a 3rd to move up.
9. Chicago Bears(VIA CAR)- Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
The Bears are doing everything possible to help Fields succeed. The only place they haven’t hit heavy due to big FAs going elsewhere was the offensive line. Chicago grabs our OT1 in the class to bookend with Braxton Jones.
10. Atlanta Falcons(Proj. Trade w/ PHI, VIA NO)- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
The more we watch Flowers, the more he runs away with our WR1 slot. He is fast, has elite route running, is great after the catch, and has crazy play strength for contested catches and release. We know Atlanta drafted a WR in the 1st last year, but you go look at their depth chart and tell us WR is not a glaring need. Flowers compliments the statues that are Drake London, Kyle Pitts, and Mack Hollins greatly, while probably being better than all of them.
11. Tennessee Titans- Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern
Despite bringing in a couple FAs, the Titans offensive line needs help. Other positions need help as well due to the purge they committed earlier in the offseason, but with Henry still a Titan(for now at least) they need to focus on rebuilding the line upfront that helps Henry do what he does. We think it’s Skoronski over Jones due to his five spot versatility.
12. Houston Texans(VIA Cleveland Browns)- Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
We haven’t mocked the Texans drafting a CB this offseason yet. The 49ers have never been known to take CBs early which has kept us away from doing it, but after discussion and knowing it is a glaring need we decided to pull the trigger. Witherspoon is 1 of 2 CBs in our Tier 1 for the position. If he drops out of the Top 10 we believe the Texans could try to create one of the best young CB duos in the league with Witherspoon and Stingley.
13. New York Jets- Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
The Jets have three OTs for 2 spots: Becton, Brown, and Mitchell. Mitchell missed the end of the year due to a blood clot issue and despite Becton losing weight there’s no way to guarantee he’s going to be able to stay healthy. We think the Jets look to address OT here to be safe. We also believe the Jets will eventually land Rodgers and protecting him should be considered a priority.
14. New England Patriots- Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
The Patriots have yet to replace Isaiah Wynn seriously. They brought in Riley Reiff, but he’s not much more than a backup at this point in his career. Wright is the best tackle available and should slide in at the RT position nicely considering he played RT at Tennessee.
15. Green Bay Packers- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
We get it, the Packers do not do this. Well maybe the front office just did not like Rodgers and wanted to stick it to him. All jokes aside, this is too big of a need and amazing fit to ignore in our opinion. JSN can be Jordan Love’s best friend underneath while Watson and Doubs stretch the field vertically.
16. Washington Commanders- Brian Branch, NB/S, Alabama
The Commanders starters on paper are really good. They could address TE, but with the top end talent and the depth in this class we wouldn’t be surprised if the position falls down the first round with teams thinking they can get good value later. We believe that the Commanders improve the NB/S positions with the addition of one of the most versatile DBs in the class in Brian Branch.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers- Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
We aren’t as high on Porter as everyone else. We think he has a really good floor, but one of the lower ceilings amongst the top CBs in the class. However, Pittsburgh is known for drafting in-state players, plus Porter’s father played for the organization. This pick screams Pittsburgh.
18. Detroit Lions- Calijah Kancey, DL, Pitt
The pick feels like DT all the way, it is just a question of who. Bryan Bresee is a more complete player, but Kancey is the better pure pass rusher. Since they have two run cloggers already, we assume Detroit goes for the pass rusher to free up guys like Hutchinson, Houston, Paschal, and so on.
19. Minnesota Vikings(Proj. Trade w/ TB)- Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Minnesota DESPERATELY needs help at the WR position after JJettas and Osborn. With the three teams after this pick (and NYG not far behind that) needing wide receivers we have them jumping all of them to get Quinten Johnston. He has fallen down our boards a hair with disappointing testing, but still brings a big frame that they do not have in the WR room currently.
20. Houston Texans (Proj. Trade w/ SEA)- Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
This could be a third defensive piece, but we elected another direction. Houston actually has a criminally underrated receiver room especially with Metchie reportedly back and healthy after his cancer treatment. That being said the room is badly lacking one element, speed. Hyatt ran fast, and jumped incredibly, and is a very similar player to former Texan Will Fuller. It is difficult to project Hyatt’s upside due to his roll at college, but it could be very high with development.
21. Los Angeles Chargers- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
We actually feel like Addison is the better wide receiver, but Hyatt fits Houston and LA better. Despite missing out on their dream selection, the Chargers still get some juice in their receiver room that has been absent for some time. He should work really well in tandem with Allen, Palmer, and Willaims.
22. Baltimore Ravens- Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
People have criticized our inclusion of Rashee Rice in the 1st round previously. Well here he is again. Rice is insane at 50/50 balls and is wicked after the catch. His speed is not his best asset but Baltimore has that wit Bateman and Duverney. We have to assume the OBJ signing means Lamar likely comes back, but with a new offensive system that actually utilizes a creative passing game with wide receivers and tight ends effectively (Hallelujah Todd Monken), they are still missing a piece. Lamar would now have a jump ball specialist in Rice, a speed/size combination in Bateman, and whatever the ghost of OBJ offers. Baltimore may be able to actually pull this whole thing off.
23. Tampa Bay(Proj. Trade w/ MIN)- Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State
The Bucs released Donovan Smith earlier this offseason, and could use an upgrade at guard after trading Shaq Mason to Houston. Mauch has the ability to play tackle or guard depending on what the Bucs believe the bigger need is. We debated a few other positions and prospects here, but ultimately, the Bucs feel like the can still compete and haven’t lost too much, so they just need to fill holes and get ready for potentially one last SB run.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars- Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Kelee Ringo is our next highest graded CB; however, we think he needs the right development and we’re not sure if the Jags are the team to do it. Banks ceiling probably isn’t as high as Ringo, but he’s a bit more ready to play now. Banks, Williams, and Campbell would be a really strong CB core.
25. New York Giants- Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
The Giants miss out on the wide receivers here, but have done a good enough job that it is not a big deal (we assume theta address wide receiver on Day 2 in this scenario). Instead they get Van Ness who is far better than pick 25, but is a true DE/DT hybrid that will not fit in all systems. He should kick Ward to the bench and Martindale can deploy him in many different ways.
26. Dallas Cowboys- Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
While a top prospect in this class, running backs get more devalued by the minute. Bijan has to wait a little but gets a VIP pass to Jerry World for his troubles. Side note The Eagles are not drafting him, it is not happening and we really do not understand the constant push for that. Either way Pollard yet again does not get the feature back roll and instead works with Bijan to form one of the best duos in football.
27. Buffalo Bills- Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
We had not entertained the idea of Buffalo going tight end in the first round, but the news that they met with Darnell and loved him cannot be ignored. It got us thinking that it could be their pick for two reasons. One, he is theoretically unguardable in the red zone even while he develops the finer points of being a weapon in the passing game. And 2, seeing as Knox is not much of a blocker, Washington could bring his ELITE blocking skills to help balance the Bills’s offense and take pressure off of Josh Allen (like we assume Buffalo wants). He is not our TE1, but his upside is up there with Anthony Richardson and Nolan Smith in this class, so we would not be surprised if he is the first tight end off the board.
28. Cincinnati Bengals– Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Irv Smith’s signing does nothing in our opinion. He has proven nada at the NFL level and therefore we think it is nothing more than speculation on Cincinnati’s part. Tight end is still a need, and Kincaid brings great receiving upside as well as good blocking chops.
29. New Orleans Saints(VIA DEN-VIA MIA-VIA SF)- Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson
New Orleans has done a good job replacing the many pieces they lost, but they need to start thinking about Cameron Jordan’s departure. Bresee is not the exact same type of player, but can play inside and outside like Jordan. He should play right away in a rotational roll while he develops further.
30. Las Vegas Raiders(Proj. Trade w/ PHI)- Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
The Eagles moved up earlier, now they are moving out (get it?). They trade with the Raiders who do seem keen on getting a QB and the Levis slide is stopped. Levis needs a slice of that Aaron Rodgers humble pie that he got on his draft day, because his media answers are not it. Vegas signed oft injured pretty boy Jimmy G to be their starter, and he can teach Levis about the facts of life. In all seriousness the reality check may be the best thing for Levis, who has all the physical tools to be great, but a ton of development to get there. The sooner he realizes this the better. In this trade Philly gets a 2nd, a 5th, and the third receiver they are sorely lacking in Hunter Renfrow. He has constantly been thrown around in trade rumors, and it just so happens Philly has one of the weaker WR3s in football (whose drop also cost them the Super Bowl). It may not be the perfect fit, but Renfrow could open up Brown and Slim Reaper to do major damage at all 3 levels of the field.
31. Kansas City Chiefs- Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
Nolan Smith may be the hardest player to project in the draft. His physical makeup could have taken him, shockingly, as the first EDGE to Arizona (it is crazy we know but do not say we did not tell you it was possible). Other teams that could take an edge, like the Titans, have glaring holes at other spots that should be addressed. KC cut Frank Clark (who is in the top 5 all time in playoff sacks if you believe it) and instead draft a replacement in Smith, who would play a similar role for KC with far more upside.
2023 NFL Draft Mock Projected Trades:
-Texans Receive: 1.05, 1.20
-Seahawks Receive: 1.02
-Colts Receive: 1.03, DeAndre Hopkins
-Cardinals Receiver: 1.04, 2.35, ‘24 3rd
-Falcons Receive: 1.10, 3.94
-Eagles Receive: 1.08
-Tampa Bay Receives: 1.23, 3.87, ‘34 3rd
-Minnesota Receives: 1.19
-Eagles Receive: 2.38, 5.141, Hunter Renfrow
-Raiders Receive: 1.30