Once free agency frenzy has died down in any new league year, it’s fun and necessary to put our minds back in full draft mode, and see how all the transactions might have affected the first round and beyond. Of course, the biggest potential story of the league year so far — Aaron Rodgers’ continued star turn in “Survivor: Green Bay” has not resolved itself yet, and since we’re all pretty much sick of it, I’ll make this short.
For the purposes of this mock draft, the Packers eat enough of Rodgers’ remaining contract to get the first-round pick they want in return. That would be the 13th overall pick, which the Jets currently hold. There, done.
That’s the big trade involving a quarterback in this mock draft if we’re not counting the ridiculous haul the Seahawks got in the Russell Wilson heist, which now starts to bear fruit. Or, the trade the Panthers made with the Bears to go up to the first overall pick. In this case, we also have the Buccaneers moving up a bit with the aforementioned Packers to get their Tom Brady replacement, though it may take a year or two for this particular quarterback to be NFL-ready.
With all that out of the way, here’s how the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL draft might look in the post-free agency landscape.
(Note: The Miami Dolphins, who would have had the 21st overall pick, forfeited that pick as punishment from the NFL for tampering).
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus, Sports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).