The NFL Draft is less than 48 hours away. As in most drafts, we know a quarterback will be the first man off the board. But who that’ll be and who comes next remain unknowns.
Unlike past years where we’ve known roughly how the top of the draft will shake out — think Andrew Luck in 2012 or Trevor Lawrence in 2021 — intrigue rules in 2023. The first quarterback selected appears to be a race between Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, but Anthony Richardson or possibly even Will Levis could sneak in. The Houston Texans sure could use a quarterback at No. 2, but there’s no guarantee that’s where they’ll land or if they’ll keep the keep. The Arizona Cardinals are in prime position to trade back from third overall, but who they get to fill out their dance card is a mystery.
That makes this year’s mock draft, like all mock drafts, a scattered cannon blast into the ether. Some bits will hit a target, though exactly which ones are unclear. Most picks, however, will wind up woefully out of touch with the actual result thanks to top secret draft boards and the trades that make the NFL Draft so exciting that it had to be stretched out to a three-day affair.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at my final 2023 NFL mock draft, covering the first three rounds and 102 picks. And yes, I too couldn’t resist the lure of making Bijan Robinson a Philadelphia Eagle … just not at 10th overall.