The latest 2023 NFL mock draft from our friends at Draft Wire is now out, and it’s not the typical paint-by-numbers offseason mock.
Remember: Summer mock drafts are more about players to know and watch during the upcoming college football season than they are meant to be accurate projections. That’s why this mock from Draft Wire editor Luke Easterling is so intriguing. The projection for the Lions’ top pick is a quarterback not many have even heard of.
With the No. 5 overall pick–based on current Super Bowl odds–the Lions snag Washington State QB Cam Ward. No, not the NHL goalie. This Cam Ward is a transfer from FCS-level Incarnate Word, where he posted some video game-type offensive numbers in two seasons. I haven’t seen Ward play yet, but here’s what Easterling offers on the 6-2, 223-pound passing phenom,
The Lions punted on the 2022 quarterback class, likely hoping to land a better prospect at the top of next year’s draft. Ward looked like he was playing NCAA Football 14 on rookie mode at Incarnate Word, and if he can do anything similar in the Pac-12, he could easily end up warranting a top-five pick.
The other first-round pick is a very familiar name. Picking at No. 28 overall with the Rams’ selection via trade, the projection is Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. Yes, he’s the son of longtime NFL pass rushing demon Joey Porter and he plays cornerback with the same mentality his father did in his heyday with the Steelers. Porter Jr. is a player I expect to rise well above No. 28 overall, but that’s part of the fun of the summer season mock drafts like this one.
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