The 2023 NFL Draft is about six months away.
But now that we’re halfway through the college season and roughly a third of the way into the pro campaign, it’s as good a time as any to start looking ahead and making bold predictions.
Next spring’s draft should be a return to normalcy after 2022 saw only one quarterback selected in the first 73 picks — and none inside the top 19. Next spring’s crop of passers is loaded with viable starters, including two top-tier prospects in Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young. That pair might not meet in the College Football Playoff this winter, but they’ll certainly see enough of each other as teams put them through the pre-draft motions to figure out which one will be 2023’s top overall pick.
It’s still too early to decide which one will win out, if either. Should a team with a young quarterback already in place slides to the top spot, Bama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. could be the pick. Right now, all we’ve got is a vague idea of how this will all unfold, from which teams will be picking where and who their targets will be.
But that doesn’t mean it’s too early to throw some theories out there and begin to shape next year’s process into a basic form from which it will evolve. Here’s my first crack at a 31-team (because the Miami Dolphins forfeited their 2023 first-rounder) 2023 NFL mock draft.