With Thanksgiving right around the corner, and bowl games not too far away, it’s time for NFL personnel teams to ramp up their studies of college prospects for the 2023 NFL draft. It’s a year-round process, but especially for teams that unfortunately have no worries about extended seasons (i.e., playoffs), it’s really time to look at what went wrong, and how things can be fixed in the person of this or that draft prospect.
So, this is where we get a bit busier with our own draft projections and analyses.
I’ll get more into real scouting summaries in mocks as they go along, but a few notes from what I’ve studied extensively to date:
- Georgia DI Jalen Carter is the best player in this draft class. A truly transformative player in any defensive line.
- After a rough start to the season, LSU WR Kayshon Boutte is starting to come around.
- I do not project Kentucky QB Will Levis to be a first-round talent. I’d grade him more in the mid-to-late second round. But teams are going to overlook his mechanical and procedural flaws in search of the next Josh Allen. We’ll just have to see how that goes. Eek.
- I do see Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker as a first-round talent. The age issue? Not too worried about that. And I think the knocks on him about running a “pro-style offense” misrepresent what a “pro-style offense” can be these days.
- Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer is Mini-Gronk. Prepare accordingly.
- If you’re a pass-heavy team in need of quarterback protection, Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu and Oklahoma’s Anton Harrison are two left tackles worth more than a cursory look.
- If there are five NCAA cornerbacks who close on the ball with more quickness and authority than Utah’s Clark Phillips III, I’d love to see that list.
- Noah Sewell projects well as a heady, chase-and-catch defender. This effort TFL against Arizona just cracked me up. No. 1 was not going to be denied.
Now, onto this week’s mock projections!