8 non-QB prospects the Colts could draft in first round

What if the Colts pass on a QB in the first round? Here are eight non-QB options they could draft.

Throughout the entire offseason, the expectation has been and will be that the Indianapolis Colts will select a quarterback with their first pick in the 2023 NFL draft.

However, fans must be prepared for everything. The draft is always the craziest weekend of the offseason, filled with unpredictable moves and selections.

So while the Colts are expected to—and they should—select a quarterback with the No. 4 overall pick, barring a trade-up, we still must account for the non-zero chance they pass on a quarterback in the first round.

General manager Chris Ballard would certainly prefer to trade back if they pass on a quarterback prospect so some of these prospects may be considered with that in mind.

Here are X non-quarterback prospects the Colts could select in the first round of the NFL draft:

Giants trade up, select CB in latest mock draft from The Athletic

In the latest mock draft from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, the New York Giants trade up to select a cornerback.

The New York Giants and general manager Joe Schoen face an interesting decision as they head into the 2023 NFL draft. With needs at wide receiver, cornerback and center, which position do they address in Round 1?

Most experts and prognosticators have stuck with wide receivers while a few outliers have gone center. But in the latest mock draft from The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman, he has the Giants going in a completely different direction.

Feldman actually projects that the Giants trade up with the Houston Texans and select Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez at No. 12 overall.

In a deal to move up 13 spots, the Giants know there’s a run on top corners coming very soon, and they swap first-rounders with Houston (plus some later picks) to grab Gonzalez before Bill Belichick or Mike Tomlin. The 6 feet 1, 197-pounder, who began his career at Colorado, has ideal size and length. Gonzalez is a Freak athlete who ran a 4.38 at the combine, broad jumped 11-1 and vertical jumped 41 1/2 inches. He might not be quite as instinctive as Witherspoon but he’s much bigger, and in a division with A.J. Brown on the top team, that matters.

Interestingly — and perhaps somewhat ironically — Feldman then has the Texans selecting TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, who the Giants are very interested in, at No. 25 overall.

Feldman also doesn’t detail the ins and outs of the trade but it’s a move that would likely be quite expensive for the Giants.

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2023 NFL Draft: The top 11 cornerbacks

From Devon Witherspoon to Julius Brents, here are Doug Farrar’s top 11 cornerbacks in the 2023 NFL draft class.

The 2023 NFL draft presents one of the strongest cornerback classes in recent memory, to the point where some lucky NFL teams are going to get players at the position with a ton of starter traits all the way into the third day of the draft.

That isn’t always the case, and the thing about this class that seems particularly interesting is the number of bigger (over six feet tall) cornerbacks with positive traits and intriguing ball skills. Most classes tend to be more of a grab-bag in terms of the NFL’s preferred size profile, but in our Top 11, nine of the cornerbacks are at least 5-foot-11, and only two (Utah’s Clark Phillips III and TCU’s Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson) are obviously under the “You must be this tall to ride this ride” limit.

From there, it’s all about the traits you need. This class of cornerbacks has everything from press-man monsters with ridiculous wingspans to zone and match detectives who have perfected the art of working receivers into frustrations they didn’t quite expect.

So, it’s time to separate the skill sets for our Top 11 cornerbacks of the 2023 NFL draft class.

You can also read our list of the top nine safeties in the 2023 class right here.

2023 NFL Draft: The top 9 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football FocusSports Info Solutions, and Football Outsiders unless otherwise indicated).

(All prospect measurement percentiles courtesy of MockDraftable.com). 

Chris Simms’ top 5 cornerbacks in 2023 NFL draft

A surprising omission from his top five cornerbacks.

“With the 16th selection in the 2023 NFL draft, the Washington Commanders select cornerback…..”

If the Commanders were indeed to select a cornerback, as several analysts have suggested, which cornerback(s) might still be available at 16 for the Commanders to select?

Pro Football Talk’s Chris Simms has done his film study, and Wednesday presented what he believes to be the top five cornerbacks in this 2023 Rookie class.

2023 NFL Draft: 10 prospects who can make an immediate impact for the Eagles

We’re looking at ten 2023 NFL Draft prospects that can immediately impact the Philadelphia Eagles.

The NFL draft provides a yearly influx of talent, and the teams that can find immediate contributors in any round usually have the most success.

Only a tiny percentage of this incoming class will make their mark on the league as a rookie.

With Philadelphia set to sign Jalen Hurts to a massive deal, GM Howie Roseman needs all his picks to deliver the goods immediately.

About a dozen specific prospects stand out yearly because of their pro-ready capabilities, and we’ve provided ten that can hit the ground running in Philadelphia.

2023 two-round NFL mock draft: Matt Anderson’s mock draft 4.0

In the latest mock draft from Matt Anderson, the top four quarterbacks go in the top 10, as does the first wide receiver.

With the NFL Draft less than a month away, teams have been busy utilizing free agency and trades to strengthen their rosters. However, it’s the draft that can truly separate the contenders from the pretenders. While some teams have used these opportunities to address their immediate needs, others have set their sights on long-term development.

With so much at stake, the pressure is on for teams to make the right choices in the draft and set themselves up for success in the coming seasons.

 

2023 mock draft roundup 6.0: Experts predict Colts’ selection

Rounding up the latest 2023 mock drafts to see who the experts select for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts are less than a month away from the 2023 NFL draft, and the mock drafts are being conducted at an extremely high rate.

With the NFL combine behind us, the college pro days are wrapping up. Prospect visits and workouts will be taking place in April as well. We have a relatively strong idea of what the Colts are going to want to do in the draft.

There certainly are questions pertaining to which prospects they prefer and whether they want to move up in the draft order. But we may not know the answer to those questions until draft night itself comes around.

The Colts have made some big moves in free agency thus far between signings, cuts and trades. Keep up to date with the latest news, signings and rumors through our free agency tracker for the Colts.

You also can take a look at our earlier mock draft roundups from the offseason:

Here’s our sixth mock draft roundup of the 2023 offseason:

Christian Gonzalez remains in top 10 of latest mock draft

Former Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez remains a top-10 pick in this latest mock draft from USA Today.

A former Duck to the Atlanta Falcons didn’t work out so well in 2022 with Marcus Mariota playing just one season.

But according to the latest mock draft by Draft Wire, the Falcons could very well go back to the Oregon well again with corner Christian Gonzalez. Atlanta has the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and its defense could use the help. A cover corner would go a long way for the Falcons’ return to the playoffs.

This is the analysis provided by Falcons Wire own Matt Urben.

While TCU WR Quentin Johnston was an option here, the Falcons have spent top-10 picks on skill position players in each of the last two drafts. Instead, the team continues to revamp its defensive secondary by adding Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez to a group that features A.J. Terrell, Jessie Bates III, Richie Grant and Mike Hughes. With the top edge prospects off the board and no first-round quarterback prospects remaining, Gonzalez isn’t a bad consolation prize for what should be an improved Atlanta defense this season.

Labeling Gonzalez as a “consolation prize” is just the bulletin board material he needs to prove he is the top corner in this class, whether Atlanta drafts him or not.

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Seahawks 2023 NFL mock draft roundup: 5 options for the No. 5 overall pick

Here are several options for their No. 5 overall pick from recent mock drafts around the web.

The Seattle Seahawks are in position to do something special this offseason. Armed with the third-most draft capital in the league and coming off an all-time great draft class, they could turn their roster into a true contender if they make the right moves. The centerpiece of their treasure chest is the fifth overall pick in the draft – the equivalent of an infinity stone in the NFL’s cinematic universe. What they do with that pick could have a massive impact on how well the team does over the next few years.

On the one hand, they could use it to select one of this year’s elite quarterback prospects. Or, they could choose a blue-chip piece to turn their defense around. They also might consider trading down and adding even more capital to their reserve.

So, what should they do? Let’s see who the experts are mocking to Seattle. Here are several options for their No. 5 overall pick from recent mock drafts around the web.

Detroit Lions 7-round mock draft: Russell Brown’s v2.0

The 2nd full Lions mock draft from Russell Brown features a couple of interesting trades and new names for Detroit

As free agency starts to wind down, I’ll be providing a weekly mock draft on the direction the Lions could go in the 2023 NFL Draft. There might be the same player here and there but each week, it’ll be different players and different perspectives. Let’s jump into a realistic 7-round mock draft for the Detroit Lions.