A little under two and a half months remain until the 88th annual edition of the 2023 NFL draft, which kicks off on April 27 and runs until April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. With the selection order firmly in place, the sports media has been publishing its respective mock drafts including College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn who released his fifth edition of the CSW mock on Friday.
The first Gator off Conn’s board is quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], who is projected to be picked seventh by the Las Vegas Raiders. In his previous two mocks, the former Florida signal caller was taken at No. 6 by the Detroit Lions and No. 9 by the Carolina Panthers, respectively. Here’s the breakdown of his new selection slot.
The Raiders recently released quarterback Derek Carr which signals that the franchise is moving in another direction. They need a quarterback to develop and Richardson brings athleticism to the position.
The second Florida alumnus selected is offensive lineman [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag], who is projected to the Tennessee Titans with the No. 11 pick. He was the No. 12 pick with the Houston Texans in two mocks ago but fell a spot in last week’s update to No. 13 where the New York Jets currently hold the selection.
If the Titans are looking for a mauler upfront then do I have the player for you. Torrence can help keep the quarterback upright and pave the way for Derrick Henry, not that he needs the help.
The previous UF alumni taken in the first round of the draft are cornerback [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] (2022, No. 23), tight end [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag] (2021, No. 4), wide receiver [autotag]Kadarius Toney[/autotag] (2021, No. 20) and cornerback [autotag]CJ Henderson[/autotag] (2020, No. 9).
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