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The 2022 NFL season is officially over and @MattAnderson_8 has the first mock draft after final snap
The Super Bowl has just concluded, which means that the NFL offseason is now in full swing for all 32 teams. We are finally going to get some sort of feel for the direction teams are going, which will directly influence how they approach the NFL draft.
Mock drafts are what make the NFL offseason not so mundane. In my latest mock draft, I’ll aim to give it my best shot as to where teams might go come April’s NFL Draft.
Rounding up the latest 2023 mock drafts to see who the experts select for the Colts.
The Indianapolis Colts are still a few months away from the 2023 NFL draft, but the mock drafts are being conducted at an extremely high rate.
Though we still have to get through the NFL combine and all of the pro days that are set over the next few months, 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.
You also can take a look at our earlier mock draft roundups from the offseason:
Here’s our second mock draft roundup of the 2023 offseason:
With the Super Bowl right around the corner, it’s time for a mock draft! Because in the end, only one NFL team can be truly happy.
There are two NFL teams getting ready for the Super Bowl right now. For everybody else, there is free agency and the draft. When Super Bowl LVII comes down on Sunday night, only one team will be happy, and the game’s unfortunate finalist between the Eagles and the Chiefs is already getting ready to fly back from Arizona, maybe take a day or so off, and then get back to the draft boards.
One of those teams wondering just what their 2023 roster will look like is the New York Jets. Unlike other teams, the Jets don’t really have a multi-tiered shopping list. They are a playoff-worthy team for the most part with an Ice Age crater at the game’s most important position.
In this pre-Super Bowl mock, general manager Joe Douglas seeks to rectify this by calling Bears general manager Ryan Poles, and offering this year’s 13th, 43rd, and 74th picks in the 2023 draft, and New York’s first-round pick in 2024. It’s a good move for both teams — the Jets have to narrow everything in on their quarterback of the future, and the Bears have obvious needs at just about every other position.
A few notes before we get started — the Dolphins forfeited what would be the 21st overall pick in the draft over tampering charges, and the current 30th and 31st picks (the Chiefs, and then the Eagles) are based on tiebreakers — it’ll obviously be based on who wins and loses the Super Bowl.
With that our of the way, here’s one version of how teams might have the first round going at this point in time.
Taking a look at Draft Wire’s updated QB rankings for the 2023 NFL draft.
The Senior Bowl has come and gone, which means the Indianapolis Colts are one step closer to the 2023 NFL draft.
That also means they’re one step closer to selecting a quarterback with their first-round pick, wherever that draft slot will be.
With the Senior Bowl now over, our friends over at Draft Wire updated their rankings of the prospects at the quarterback position for the draft. While the top prospects remain in the same spots compared to the earlier rankings, there were some slight changes with the prospects on the back end.
Here’s a quick look at the updated 2023 NFL draft rankings for the quarterback position from Draft Wire:
Here are the Penn State players heading to the NFL scouting combine.
Seven Penn State players have been invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. One noticeable omission from the Nittany Lions seeking to be drafted in April is a familiar face to Penn State fans.
[autotag]Sean Clifford[/autotag], who is coming off being named the offensive MVP of the Rose Bowl, was not among the 15 quarterbacks invited to the event in Indianapolis. Despite impressing Jeff Fisher during the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl practices, the NFL seemingly is unimpressed thus no invite.
Ironically, former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Will Levis[/autotag], who will be a top-ten pick in the draft after two years at Kentucky, is on the list. Levis was unable to beat out Clifford for the starting job which resulted in him transferring. Another Penn State transfer, Justin Shorter, was also invited to the NFL Scouting Combine after finishing his career at Florida.
Penn State’s seven invitees are receivers [autotag]Parker Washington[/autotag] and [autotag]Mitchell Tinsley[/autotag], tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag], defensive backs[autotag] Joey Porter Jr. [/autotag]and [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]PJ Mustipher [/autotag]and center [autotag]Juice Scruggs[/autotag].
Porter and Strange declared early for the draft and Porter is expected to be a first-round pick. If selected in the first round, Porter Jr. would make it back-to-back years for the Nittany Lions with first-round talent being drafted. He would also become the first Penn State defensive back ever selected in the first round of the draft if that happens.
A total of 319 players received NFL Scouting Combine invites with the combine starting on February 28th. On-the-field testing as well as player interviews with teams will make up the event.
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Rounding up what they’re predicting the Raiders will take with their top pick in this year’s draft.
The Senior Bowl is behind us and the Super Bowl is under a week away. That also means we are single digit days away (nine) from the deadline (Feb 15) for either trading or cutting Derek Carr.
That move is inevitable, so it should not affect the mock drafts. I say *should* not because some mock drafters may be waiting for it to actually happen before they change their prediction.
As it stands now, here are 27 mock drafts from across the internet.
| Feb 6 | ESPN (Miller) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Feb 6 | Draft Countdown (Hallam) | Chrisitan Gonzalez, CB, Oregon |
| Feb 5 | CBS Sports (Wilson) | Paris Johnson Jr, T, Ohio State |
| Feb 5 | Pro Football Network (Cummings) | Will Levis, QB, Kentucky |
| Feb 3 | College Sports Wire (Conn) | Will Levis, QB, Kentucky |
| Feb 3 | CBS Sports (Stackpole) | Paris Johnson Jr, T, Ohio State |
| Feb 3 | Pro Football Network (Broback) | CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State |
| Feb 3 | NFL.com (Edholm) | Paris Johnson Jr, T, Ohio State |
| Feb 3 | Draftwire (Easterling) | Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida |
| Feb 2 | CBS Sports (Trapasso) | Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida |
| Feb 2 | CBS Sports (Edwards) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Feb 2 | Pro Football Network (Hasan) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Feb 2 | Yahoo! Sports (McDonald) | Will Levis, QB, Kentucky |
| Feb 1 | Touchdown Wire (Farrar) | Myles Murphy, ED, Clemson |
| Feb 1 | Walter Football (Cherepinsky) | Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida |
| Jan 31 | Athlon Sports (Fischer) | Bryce Young, QB, Alabama |
| Jan 31 | Sporting News (Iyer) | Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia |
| Jan 30 | The Draft Network (Marino) | Paris Johnson Jr, T, Ohio State |
| Jan 30 | Pro Football Focus (Sikkema) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Jan 30 | SB Nation (Schofield) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Jan 30 | The Athletic (Baumgardner) | CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State |
| Jan 30 | 33rd Team | Broderick Jones, T, Georgia |
| Jan 27 | Walter Football (Campbell) | Will Levis, QB, Kentucky |
| Jan 26 | Pro Football Focus (Mosher) | CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State |
| Jan 26 | Drafttek | Will Levis, QB, Kentucky |
| Jan 20 | NFL.com (Jeremiah) | Peter Skoronski, T, Northwestern |
| Jan 17 | The Athletic (Brugler) | Paris Johnson Jr, T, Ohio State |
Most picked players: Peter Skoronski (6), Will Levis (5), Paris Johnson Jr (5), Anthony Richardson (3), CJ Stroud (3)
Picks by position: Quarterback (12), Tackle (12), Cornerback (2), Edge Defender (1)
Offense: 24
Defense: 3
The Indianapolis Colts take QB Bryce Young No. 1 overall in the latest ESPN mock draft. The Houston Texans take Will Levis in his place.
The Houston Texans want Bryce Young, but so do the Indianapolis Colts.
According to Matt Miller, whose latest mock draft appeared in ESPN, the Colts trade with the Chicago Bears to take No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Indianapolis then uses that selection to take Bryce Young. The Colts give up their 2023 first- (No. 4 overall), second- (No. 35 overall), and fourth-rounders along with a 2024 third-rounder to pick first.
The NFL trade value chart as compiled by Drafttek shows the Bears’ pick is worth 3,000 points, and the Colts’ 2023 selections presented are about 2,400. That means the 2024 third-rounder has a point value not listed on the chart that makes up the difference.
With Young off the board, the Texans go ahead and take Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
Every team that wants a quarterback in this draft should be thinking about jumping the Texans to secure their top-ranked passer, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for Houston to move up a spot itself to block others. While Levis is one of the most polarizing players in this class because of his interceptions (23 over the past two years), he has the best arm talent in the group, along with very good pocket mobility and toughness. He wasn’t surrounded by elite talent at Kentucky and did have a change at offensive coordinator that affected his development, but the Penn State transfer has to prove to teams in workouts and interviews that his decision-making can be reworked. On traits alone, Levis is a top-10 talent. It’s on the Texans to see that talent developed.
One note from the Senior Bowl: A rival scout I spoke to doesn’t think Houston will draft a quarterback. That seems hard to believe right now with the quarterback situation so unsettled there. The Texans ranked last in the NFL this season in QBR (26.0). But it’s something to file away with new coach DeMeco Ryans having a background on defense.
The Texans use their other first-round pick (No. 12 overall) to take USC receiver Jordan Addison, and then grab Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid in Round 2 (No. 33 overall).
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In his latest mock draft, @TheRealForno has a few surprises intertwined, including an interesting trade up
We have completed another excellent Senior Bowl week and things have been shaken up when it comes to the draft stock of many prospects.
There were quite a few players who did something to drastically impact their draft stock and five players (seven invitees) were taken in this mock draft.
We still have an incomplete data set when it comes to all of the prospects in the NFL draft, but it’s also still a good exercise to look at how things would turn out if the draft happened each week.
In my latest mock draft, there are a few surprises, especially once we hit the 10th overall pick.
In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft, the Colts traded up to No. 1 for a new quarterback.
Over the next few months, the Indianapolis Colts will be one of the teams talked about the most when it comes to the 2023 NFL draft.
It’s difficult to say what direction they’ll go in without knowing who their head coach will be, but we do know that general manager Chris Ballard is more than likely going to select a quarterback. Which one that will be and at what spot remain the biggest questions.
In Draft Wire’s latest mock draft from the Senior Bowl, the Colts moved up to the No. 1 overall pick to select former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis.
“The Colts still make the most sense as a trade partner for the Bears, as they could fall in love with one of this year’s top quarterback prospects, and want to jump the division-rival Texans (with at least an additional first-round pick and second-round pick going to the Bears, and likely more) to make sure they get their man. While that should be Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, it won’t surprise me if the become enamored with Levis’ physical tools, looking past his flaws and inconsistencies in favor of the upside.“
We are going to debate which quarterback prospect is the best fit for the Colts throughout the offseason. Again, it’s difficult to know for sure who the Colts might target considering we don’t know who the coach is. Certain coaches will work better with certain prospects.
Levis certainly is intriguing. He has the size, arm talent and leadership qualities that NFL teams covet. He also worked in an offense that featured Levis going through progressions and making checks at the line. That’s important for a prospect who likely will need to jump right into being a starter.
On the other hand, there are mechanical issues that need to be cleaned up, and there are plenty of turnover-worthy throws throughout his tape.
We’re far from this discourse being over, and Levis is likely going to be right in the middle of the fold when draft night comes around.
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There’s a lot of movement in Doug Farrar’s latest mock draft, with the Jets and Colts making major trades for quarterbacks.
When the Denver Broncos hired Nathaniel Hackett to be their head coach before the 2022 season, it was an obvious play to pry Aaron Rodgers away from the Green Bay Packers in some sort of deal, given Hackett’s tight relationship with Rodgers during his time as Green Bay’s offensive coordinator from 2019-2021. After one season, in which Denver’s offense resembled the bottom of a flood-damaged shed, Hackett was fired, and subsequently hired as the New York Jets’ offensive coordinator.
So, we all know what this means. The Packers have reportedly made plans to move on from Rodgers and give Jordan Love the ball in his fourth NFL season after moving up to pick Love with the 26th pick in the 2020 draft, which makes this succession plan a lot like the one Rodgers underwent as Brett Favre’s understudy.
So, let’s start this mock draft by giving Rodgers to the Jets in exchange for Gang Green’s first-round (13th overall) and second-round (44th overall) pick in the 2023 draft, as well as whatever first-round pick the Jets have in 2024.
Of course, this may be complicated by Rodgers’ response to Tom Brady’s Wednesday re-retirement.
Aaron Rodgers will respond to this news by retiring and unretiring five times in the next three days.
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) February 1, 2023
Past that, we now also have the New Orleans Saints getting back in the first round after receiving the first-round selection the Denver Broncos got from the Miami Dolphins by way of the San Francisco 49ers in the Bradley Chubb trade for the right to sign new head coach Sean Payton. The Saints had given their 2023 first-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 draft, along with the 2022 18th-overall pick, to have two 2022 first-round picks, which they spent on receiver Chris Olave and Trevor Penning. Which gives the Super Bowl-bound Eagles the 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Pro tip for NFL general managers not named Howie Roseman: If Howie Roseman shows up on your Caller ID, make sure everything in your office is strapped down.
Then, there’s the matter of the Chicago Bears, who do not need a quarterback, owning the first pick in the 2023 draft. In this case, the Indianapolis Colts give Chicago their first-round (fourth overall) and second-round (35th overall) picks, as well as their 2024 first-round pick, for the right to trade all the way up and take their quarterback of the future.
If that’s all clear (there will not be a test later), let’s move along to what this particular iteration of the first round of the 2023 NFL draft might look like.
(Note: The Miami Dolphins, who would hold the 21st overall pick, had that pick forfeited by the NFL as punishment for tampering).
