NFL Mock Draft: The first 23 picks are set. Here’s the first mock draft guess at what the top picks might be after the 2023 Wild Card round
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NFL Mock Draft: Top 23 Order and Picks Post 2023 Wild Card
Mock drafts are always a work in progress, and this year it’s going to be even more fluid than 2022.
Seriously, who had Travon Walker going No. 1 overall last year at this time?
I did my first published NFL mock draft for the college paper in 1989. Ever since nailing the first two picks – Troy Aikman to Dallas and Tony Mandarich to Green Bay, and totally whiffing everything else – I’ve had one unwavering belief I’ve never strayed from.
Never, ever, ever project a trade, and totally ignore any and every mock draft that does. You can’t make a trade happen, or even accurately project one without totally screwing up the rest of the order.
So why this pretentious ramble before getting to the fun? The Chicago Bears are going to trade the first overall pick.
They have to, and if they don’t it’s all-time draft malpractice with a combination of 1s, 2s, and 4s – along with a delightful array of meats and cheeses – there for the taking from some desperate team that needs one of the amazing quarterback prospects in this draft.
Until the Bears actually make the trade, I’m still playing this straight.
Kentucky QB Will Levis will – probably – be the first overall pick, but no, Chicago isn’t taking a quarterback and it’s not trading away Justin Fields. So for now, here’s the first NFL Mock Draft of the silly season.
The next one will be done after the Divisional Round.
2023 NFL Draft Underclassmen Projections, Position Rankings
23 Minnesota Vikings
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Cam Smith CB South Carolina
22 Baltimore Ravens
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio State
21 Los Angeles Chargers
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Broderick Jones OT Georgia
Miami Dolphins (forfeited pick that would’ve been the 21)
20 Seattle Seahawks
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Brian Branch S Alabama
19 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Anthony Richardson QB Florida
18 Detroit Lions
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Kelee Ringo CB Georgia
17 Pittsburgh Steelers
2023 Mock Draft First Call: O’Cyrus Torrence OG Florida
16 Washington Commanders
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Christian Gonzalez CB Oregon
15 Green Bay Packers
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Brian Bresee DT Clemson
14 New England Patriots
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Bijan Robinson RB Texas
13 New York Jets
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Anton Harrison OT Oklahoma
12 Houston Texans (from Cleveland)
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Quentin Johnson WR TCU
11 Tennessee Titans
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Paris Johnson OT Ohio State
10 Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans)
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Joey Porter Jr. CB Penn State
9 Carolina Panthers
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Myles Murphy EDGE Clemson
8 Atlanta Falcons
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Tyree Wilson EDGE Texas Tech
7 Las Vegas Raiders
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Peter Skoronski OT Northwestern
6 Detroit Lions (from LA Rams)
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Michael Mayer TE Notre Dame
5 Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)
2023 Mock Draft First Call: CJ Stroud QB Ohio State
4 Indianapolis Colts
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Bryce Young QB Alabama
3 Arizona Cardinals
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Will Anderson EDGE Alabama
2 Houston Texans
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Will Levis QB Kentucky
1 Chicago Bears
2023 Mock Draft First Call: Jalen Carter DT Georgia
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