Pigskin’s 2023 New Year’s TOP 25 Draft Prospects

January 1, 2023

Everything begins anew when we turn calendars to the next year, which then becomes this year. So for many of us it seems best to start fresh with as many things as possible. Therefore, I will now present to you my latest update of players for the Top 25 of 2023 Draft Prospects. I have weeded out those who have officially declared they are going back to school, with many of those players already entering the transfer portal. But I have included the top-end elite players who have not made a declaration of their intentions yet. For now they are on my 2023 Draft radar screen. Remember please we are not rating college players for what they have done as collegians. This is rating them as I feel they project to NFL careers yet to come.

  1. JALEN CARTER    DT    6’3/310     Georgia      Just like TRAVON WALKER at this time last year, he is a freakish, multi-talented player who can disrupt opposing offenses in multiple ways.
  2. C.J. STROUD     QB     6’3/215    Ohio State     Has the size, the arm and the mental capacity to take over an NFL offense. He is not quite Justin Fields, who proceeded him at Columbus, but he’s the best we have for this year’s Draft at QB.
  3. BRYCE YOUNG   QB    5’11/195    Alabama    When it comes to FBI and leadership he’s the best. And he is a natural athlete. But his frame is light, and he may be prone to injury at the next level, just like TUA has been.
  4. WILL ANDERSON   ER/OB   6’4/245    Alabama     He was a marked man in 2022, and he showed not to be SuperMan when constantly double-teamed. But he still possesses superior edge-rush skills, and won’t be easy to double-team every play in a pro defense.
  5. BIJAN ROBINSON     RB     5’11/225   Texas       He might not go this high because the NFL has a bias against RB going too high. But he should be able to come out of the gate and rush for 1,000-yards per season, with double digit TD, for an affordable 5-year career with the team that drafts him.
  6. MYLES MURPHY     DE     6’5/275   Clemson    This big guy is not some fancy, stand-up Edge Rusher. You put him n a 4-man DL group and watch him set the edge and rush the QB. He has CAM JORDAN potential to my eyes.
  7. TYREE WILSON     ER/DE/OB     6’5/275      Texas Tech
  8. QUENTIN JOHNSON       WR     6’3/215     TCU
  9. JORDAN ADDISON      WR     5’11/175    Southern Cal
  10. CAM SMITH        CB     6’1/190     South Carolina
  11. MICHAEL MAYER     TE      6’5/255       Notre Dame
  12. DREW SANDERS      OLB     6’4/245      Arkansas
  13. NOLAN SMITH      OB/ER      6’3/235     Georgia
  14. PETER SKORONSKI      OL    6’4/315      Northwestern
  15. B.J. OJULARI      ER/OB    6’3/245      LSU
  16. JALIN HYATT       WR        6’/180     Tennessee
  17. ISAIAH FOSKEY     ER/OB/DE     6’4/260     Notre Dame
  18. JOEY PORTER        CB       6’1/200     Penn State
  19. CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ       CB     6’1/205    Oregon
  20. RASHEE RICE         WR      6’1/210       SMU
  21. JAELYN DUNCAN       OT     6’5/320     Maryland
  22. JAHMYR GIBBS         RB      5’11/200     Alabama
  23. BRODERICK JONES      OT      6’4/315      Georgia
  24. CLARK PHILLIPS      CB      5’10/185         Utah
  25. O’CYRUS   TORRENCE      OG     6’5/340      Florida

Consideration for…

ANTHONY RICHARDSON/QB/Florida; JAXON SMITH-OJIGBA/WR/Ohio St; ANDRE CARTER/ER/OB/Army; CEDRIC TILLMAN/WR/Tennessee; EMMANUEL FORBES/CB/Miss St; JOSH DOWNS/WR/UNC; DAWAND JONES/OT/Ohio St; DAIYAN HENLEY/LB/Washington St; J.L. SKINNER/S/Boise St; SIAKI IKA/DT/Baylor; DALTON KINCAID/TE/Utah; TRENT SIMPSON/LB/Clemson.

The Underclassmen declaration deadline is just about 2 weeks away. Shortly after that official list is released I will update this Top 25.

Cheers & wishing you all the best of years in 2023!

Pigskin Paul