Pro Football Focus (PFF) released its latest first round 2023 NFL mock draft on Monday featuring three Georgia Bulldogs.
First up is defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who is picked at No. 2 overall by the Chicago Bears after a trade down with the Houston Texans.
“When Bears general manager Ryan Poles addressed his team’s draft approach in his postseason press conference, he emphasized three areas: pass rusher, offense and cornerback — “premium positions.” Pass rusher doesn’t just mean edge rusher, either, and a three-technique defensive tackle is paramount to Matt Eberflus’ defensive scheme. In a trade-down, the Bears can recoup the early second-rounder they lost in the Chase Claypool trade while still having their choice of any non-quarterback.
Following some hints and connecting a few dots leads me to believe the Bears will have Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who earned pass-rushing grades of 88.9 and 90.0 the past two seasons, at the top of their board.”
Next up is offensive lineman Broderick Jones, who is selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 11th pick.
“Things have fallen off hard in Tennessee, and the best way to get back on track is through the trenches. Jones is still raw as a prospect, as this past season was just his first as a starting left tackle. But he has the size at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, and he moves like a real athlete along the line of scrimmage. For as physically imposing as he looks, it was his pass protection that stood out this past year. He earned an 84.2 pass-blocking grade with zero sacks and only nine pressures allowed on 449 pass-blocking snaps.”
Lastly is tight end Darnell Washington, who is projected to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 29th pick.
“Washington feels too unique of a talent to not be a first-rounder. No, he’s likely not going to be a 1,000-yard receiver in the NFL, but at 6-foot-7 and 275 pounds, he blocks like an offensive lineman. He earned an 81.3 run-blocking grade and a 78.4 pass-blocking grade in 2022, and he’s also a stellar weight-adjusted athlete who put up an 83.2 receiving grade, 475 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns this past season. His presence brings so much versatility to an offense’s personnel choices.”
The draft will be held on April 27-29 in Kansas City and will air on NFL Network.