With the opening round of the 2023 NFL Draft right around the corner on April 27, the next generation of football stars will await to discover where their professional careers are set to begin. Among the prospects in this year’s draft class are a few Texas A&M Aggies in Devon Achane and Antonio Johnson.
Over at NFL.com, draft analyst Chad Reuter recently compiled his latest four-round mock which compiled in response to a combination of team needs, scheme fits, and position runs. The latter is in reference to when teams fear losing out on players with a starting grade at certain positions.
Reuter included seven trades in his latest mock, including a Round 1 swap between the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets for Aaron Rodgers in which Green Bay receives pick Nos. 42 and 43 in the second round.
As for the Aggies that elected to declare for this year’s draft, Reuter has both running back Devon Achane and safety Antonio Johnson hearing their names called in Rounds 3 and 4. Specifically, the Philadelphia Eagles select Johnson with the No. 62 overall pick, while the Denver Broncos elect to use the No. 108 overall selection on Achane.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Johnson land with the Eagles in this mock, as the defending NFC Champions lost a number of key contributors in the secondary this offseason. Philadelphia boasted the top-ranked passing defense in 2022 (179.8 YPG allowed), but that unit took a hit with Marcus Epps and C.J. Gardner-Johnson departing in free agency.
While Johnson excels closer to the line of scrimmage as a box safety, his physicality would be invaluable nonetheless to a backend unit in Philadelphia that hopes to avoid a drop-off in production.
Over in the Mile High City, Achane would undoubtedly excel in a Sean Payton-led Broncos offense that is not devoid of talent. Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton would keep opposing defenses honest while the Broncos’ run game could make them pay up in the middle. It also wouldn’t be far-fetched to assume Achane could play a prominent role as early as Week 1.
Javonte Williams presented tremendous upside for Denver last season before injuring his right knee in an October 2 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. Samaje Perine presents a nice veteran addition for the Broncos, but there remains the question of being able to hold up for a 17-game season. Achane, who ran for 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns last season, would give Denver the type of workhorse back that they need to rebound from their 5-12 finish in 2022.
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