Here’s a bold 2023 NFL draft prediction that could benefit Chiefs

This bold prediction from our friends at @TheDraftWire could spell good news for the #Chiefs in the 2023 NFL draft.

There are just 30 days to go until the 2023 NFL draft, which means some strong opinions are starting to be formed about the upcoming crop of talent.

Our friend Jeff Risdon, of Draft Wire and Lions Wire fame, released his 10 bold predictions of the 2023 NFL draft. Several were notable and could impact how things play out for the Chiefs in the first round and beyond, but one prediction stood out above the rest.

That’s because the recent topic of discussion in Chiefs Kingdom has been the wide receiver position after the team lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency. With the free agent and trade options looking quite bare at the moment, many believe Kansas City will select a receiver in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Some even think they’ll trade up to get it done.

Risdon’s bold prediction regarding the receiver situation in this draft class:

The general consensus amongst draft analysts is that it’s not a high-end wide receiver class. That opinion will be validated when just one wideout comes off the board on the draft’s first night. Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be the only first-round wide receiver.

In 2008, no receivers were selected in the first round of the draft with Donnie Avery getting the highest pick at No. 33 overall in the second round. You have to go all the way back to the 2006 NFL draft to find the last time that only one receiver was selected in the first round. That was Santonio Holmes, who went No. 25 overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I’d personally be surprised to see this happen knowing that it’s been nearly 17 years since the last time a single receiver was selected in Round 1. There also seems to be at least a little lack of consensus on the top wide receiver in this class between Smith-Njigba and TCU’s Quentin Johnston.

Another big question here is whether there is enough talent at other positions to push down some of the fringe first-round wide receiver talent, such as Zay Flowers or Jalin Hyatt. Risdon also thinks five quarterbacks could go in the first round, which would certainly help in that regard.

In the long run, this could turn out to be a good thing for Kansas City. Obviously, they’d probably prefer it were a strong draft class at the position, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be able to find a solid contributor. If the draft class is perceived to be weaker at the top, perhaps they won’t feel pressed into reaching for a player in the first round. Remember, the goal is always to be able to invest in the best player available at a given pick.

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4 bold predictions for Lions vs. Packers

Max Gerber offers up four bold predictions for the Lions Week 18 matchup with the Packers

With playoff hopes still on the line, the Detroit Lions will take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday Night Football to close out the regular season.

The Lions’ postseason fate will be decided before their game kicks off, but this matchup is a must-win regardless of how the Rams/Seahawks game goes.

This game is sure to be an entertaining one, so here are four very bold predictions for how things will go on Sunday Night Football:

Jameson Williams gets more involved

The first-round draft pick has not been having the successes that many expected him to have in his first few games. Williams has one reception for 41 yards and a touchdown as well as a 40-yard carry. He has been targeted seven other times, one of which was dropped while the others were inaccurate passes.

What makes things different this time around?

The last time the Lions faced the Packers, Williams was not on the active roster. Detroit’s receiving corps was made up of starter Amon-Ra St. Brown, backup Kalif Raymond, and practice squad receivers Tom Kennedy, Stanley Berryhill, and Shane Zylstra.

With Williams now in the lineup and Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark healthy, Green Bay’s secondary has a lot more to worry about. Their focus will likely be on playmaker St. Brown and deep-threat Chark, leaving Williams to get more involved on offense.

Lions lose the turnover battle, Goff throws two picks

Jared Goff has not turned over the ball since his last time facing Green Bay, so it’s only fitting he does it again this time around.

As mentioned earlier, Goff has more weapons in his arsenal on offense than he did in the previous game against the Packers. This could mean he will be throwing the ball more than he did before, increasing the odds of an interception happening at some point in this game.

The Packers as an offense have also been good at not giving away anything to opposing defenses. It seems likely that Detroit does not come away with more turnovers than Green Bay.

DeShon Elliott picks off Aaron Rodgers

It would be poetic justice for safety DeShon Elliott to catch an interception from Aaron Rodgers after being very vocal about the Packers quarterback’s comments about the Lions.

Rodgers hasn’t been too prone to throw to opposing defenders, but Elliott seems determined to make the veteran quarterback eat his words for speaking ill about this Lions defense.

Lions win 41-31

This will be a high-scoring game between two of the league’s hottest offenses. The Lions have so much more to play for in this situation and it seems like the kind of game we’ve been waiting to see from Dan Campbell.

It will be a very hard-fought matchup as these divisional rivals go head-to-head on Sunday night. Expect some big plays on offense from both of these teams.

NFL bold prediction: Taysom Hill, Saints headed for an upset vs. the Broncos

Don’t expect another win from the Taysom Hill led Saints this week. Henry McKenna has them losing to the Broncos in his Week 12 bold prediction.

Don’t expect another win from the Taysom Hill led Saints this week. Henry McKenna has them losing to the Broncos in his Week 12 bold prediction.

5 Bold predictions for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving

Four bold predictions for the Detroit Lions as they host the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day.

The Detroit Lions are preparing for their second bout with the Chicago Bears this season, hoping for a much better outcome than last time.

Detroit has had quite the season so far, holding a lead in each of their 11 games but sitting at the bottom of their division at 3-7-1. With an injury-plagued roster and some recent struggles on defense, can the Lions turn it around in their prime time matchup?

Here are my bold predictions for this week’s game:

Quarterback change-up changes nothing

With rookie David Blough getting his first career start while both Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel deal with their injuries, don’t think that we’ll see anything new on offense.

Driskel’s tenure as the Lions’ starting quarterback wasn’t exactly noteworthy, with four touchdowns and just as many interceptions in three games. While he and Blough are very different passers, don’t think that this will change things up on offense.

Blough is an undrafted rookie who’s first regular-season action comes in a major prime time game. Though he has been with the team since the beginning of the season, don’t think his play will be any better than what we’ve seen in recent weeks.

While we’ll see a much different style of play from Blough than the other two Lions quarterbacks, don’t expect anything new.

Amani Oruwariye will make another interception

In his first game as a starter, filling in for the injured Rashaan Melvin, Oruwariye proved to be more capable than many expected. In the loss to Washington, the rookie pulled off an impressive interception on a pass from Dwayne Haskins.

Bears’ quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has thrown six interceptions so far this season and will be down three offensive weapons on Thanksgiving Day. I think the rookie will be able to keep the momentum going from last week and capitalize on this opportunity.

There will be a dearth of yellow flags

There were 20 flags thrown the last time these two teams faced each other, but that may not be the case this time around.

Jerome Boger and his crew will be officiating this game. This is a crew that hasn’t called more than 12 penalties in a game in 2019, so this could bode well for the Lions. Detroit only committed six penalties last week, so it appears that some of their discipline issues have been resolved.

Hockenson will re-emerge in the offense

After a fairly quiet season, Hockenson may be able to rediscover his place in the passing game. He had three receptions for 47 yards against Chicago earlier this year.

Can he put on a similar performance this week? I hope so.

The Detroit Lions will come out with a win

Usually, predicting a victory isn’t considered a bold prediction, but that’s not the case for this team.

Detroit is itching for a win amidst a four-game losing streak. The Bears aren’t in a much better situation at the moment, so this game could be an interesting one.

The Lions defense has shown some improvement since their last game against Chicago. Their run game has been revived with the emergence of Bo Scarborough. The only liability is the quarterback situation. If the defense and the offensive line can hold up, the Lions will be able to overcome and snap their losing streak.