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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- TYREE WILSON ER/DE/OB 6’5/275 Texas Tech
- QUENTIN JOHNSON WR 6’3/215 TCU
- JORDAN ADDISON WR 5’11/175 Southern Cal
- CAM SMITH CB 6’1/190 South Carolina
- MICHAEL MAYER TE 6’5/255 Notre Dame
- DREW SANDERS OLB 6’4/245 Arkansas
- NOLAN SMITH OB/ER 6’3/235 Georgia
- PETER SKORONSKI OL 6’4/315 Northwestern
- B.J. OJULARI ER/OB 6’3/245 LSU
- JALIN HYATT WR 6’/180 Tennessee
- ISAIAH FOSKEY ER/OB/DE 6’4/260 Notre Dame
- JOEY PORTER CB 6’1/200 Penn State
- CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ CB 6’1/205 Oregon
- RASHEE RICE WR 6’1/210 SMU
- JAELYN DUNCAN OT 6’5/320 Maryland
- JAHMYR GIBBS RB 5’11/200 Alabama
- BRODERICK JONES OT 6’4/315 Georgia
- CLARK PHILLIPS CB 5’10/185 Utah
- 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