With the draft about 2 months away, today I will be revealing my first draft board for the 2023 Draft. I am still finishing analysis on everyone so this will be a relatively small board (only my top 50). This board is not final there may be some slight changes to rankings the more I watch of each players (and as I watch more), I will add to this board in the future, but this is the board as of now. I’ll only do write ups for the first 15 players but don’t worry there will be more write ups soon!
1. Will Anderson Jr: Edge Alabama
• 83.6 PFF Grade
• 85.8 Pass rush grade (88.1 on TPS)
• 86.7 Run Stop Grade
• 65 Pressures (17% pressure rate)
• 33 True Pass set Pressures (24.8% pressure rate)
• 20.3% Pass rush Win rate (32.2% on TPS)
• 35 total tackles (14 missed tackles)
• 30 total Stops (4.4% stop rate)
I don’t think you can really call him a generational talent anymore since we see one every few years it seems (chase young in 2020, Myles Garrett in 2017) but will Anderson has the strongest argument as the best player in this years class in my opinion. He’s huge at 6’4 250 (not too far off from Myles Murphy’s 6’5 275 and Tyree Wilson’s 6’6 275) and he combines that with some of the best athleticism you’ll see from a front 7 player in this class. He’s the best pass rusher in this class. He’s too quick for most tackles to get their hands on and he has a great set of moves. He’s also the only edge in this class elite against the run and pass (Murphy is close to both being an elite run stopper but not pass riser but he’s very good). He’s the best squeezer/splatter in the class which I have a soft spot in my heart for.
2. Jalen Carter: IDL Georgia
• 92.3 PFF Grade
• 89.1 Pass rushing grade (91 on TPS)
• 91.2 Run stopping grade
• 32 pressures (11.7% pressure rate)
• 21 True Pass set Pressures (19.1% pressure rate)
• 16.3 Pass rush win rate% (24.3% on TPS)
• 29 Total Tackles (4 missed tackles)
• 22 total stops (5.6% stop rate)
I could go back and forth between Carter and Young for 2 (and with Anderson for 1) but I decided to lean Carter (I’ll get into that later). Jalen Carter may be the greatest IDL prospect weve seen since Aaron Donald (he certainly is as a pass rusher). He’s seemingly unblockable in the pass game. He’s the quickest IDL I’ve ever seen (and he’s 6’3 300lbs) he has elite ball placement and has an elite first step. Like Anderson he’s also great in the run game and you can’t reach him. He does have injury troubles which is a bit concerning and I don’t think he’s as good as Anderson in the run game because for a 300lb guy I don’t think he has elite strength and can get doubled relatively easy in the run game.
3. Bryce Young: QB Alabama
• 91.5 PFF Grade
• 91.3 Passing Grade
• 23 Big Time Throws (5.7 BTT%)
• 9 Turnover worthy plays (2% TWP%)
• 3.02 seconds To Throw (12.5% Pressure-sack rate)
• 20 Deep Big Time Throws (95 Deep Passing Grade)
Alabama is going to have a first round Qb taken in 3 of the last 4 years which is crazy since they have a terrible reputation for QBs in the nfl. Young may be the best qb prospect to come out of Alabama (even over Tua). Bryce Young has that next level athleticism you want from a QB in todays game but more importantly the improvisational skills he has for a 21 year old college player is already some of the best for nfl QBs. You also just can’t sack the man (his 12.5% pressure to sack conversion rate was 21st in the country this year going against sec comp). I think with the right coach we can see Young be used in a way not too different from how the eagles have been using Jalen Hurts this year. He has legitimate rushing ability although he only had 19 career designed runs in college he still ran for over 500 yards and had 7 TDs (most of these are from scrambles). Young has two weaknesses. The main one is the obvious issue everyone is talking about, he is only listed at 6ft 193lbs (I think he’ll be measured closer to 5’10 at the combine). His frame is extremely small and he could be susceptible to injuries in the nfl very easily. He’s great at avoiding hits so he reduces the hit but he will still get hit. The other issue he has for me (which I would think would get talked about more) is his “lack” of a deep ball. He can hit occasional deep balls but usually they are open passes after extending plays with his leg and he doesn’t hit deep balls as consistently as say CJ Stroud. It should develop in the nfl but it could be an issue early on.
4. CJ Stroud: QB Ohio State
• 88.9 PFF Grade
• 89 Passing Grade
• 29 Big Time Throws (7% BTT%)
• 16 Turnover Worthy plays (3.6% TWP%)
• 2.92 seconds to throw (14.1% Pressue-sack rate)
CJ Stroud might be the most polarizing player in this draft class.
• 25 Deep Big time throws (94.2 Deep Passing Grade)
CJ stroud is an interesting prospect. Some think he’s the best Qb in the class and others think he’s the next OSU QB that busts (he’s getting a lot of comps to Jared Goff). I like stroud. He won’t blow you away with athleticism but he’s athletic enough to be able to avoid defenders and scramble but i don’t think he’s athletic enough to do a bunch of designed runs. He’s got quick processing speed and although I don’t like his decision making deep I do like it in the short and intermediate game. He’s the most accurate Qb in the class and his arm is strong enough to where it doesn’t hurt him. I don’t love him under pressure and I don’t think his deep ball is quite good enough to ensure him as a franchise Qb but I think he’ll likely be a solid starter (similar to Goff but better).
5. Myles Murphy: EDGE Clemson
• 79 PFF Grade
• 78.5 Pass rush grade (76.3 on TPS)
• 72.8 Run Stopping Grade
• 34 Pressures (9.6% Pressure Rate)
• 21 True Pass set pressures (14.8% pressure rate)
• 14.3% Pass Rush Win Rate (17.3% on TPS)
• 33 Total tackles (6 Missed tackles)
• 21 Total Stops (3.6% Stop Rate)
Myles Murphy is an interesting Prospect as well. He’s a mixture of Will Anderson Jr and Tyree Wilson in a way where he’s very athletic like Will Anderson but he’s also massive at 6’5 275lbs like Wilson. He’s a force in the run game and bullies tackles on base blocks, and is hard to reach with a good first step. He splats pullers well but I think he could be a bit tighter on his squeezes. He’s also a solid pass rusher with a great Bull Rush but he goes to it too much. I think he’ll need to widen his bag of pass rush moves to be a real threat in the pass game but I think it’s possible and that he won’t be a liability as a pass rusher. He also was used in drops a decent bit at Clemson and isn’t that bad at it surprisingly for a guy that weighs 275lbs and plays most of his snaps with his hand down.
6. Paris Johnson Jr: OT Ohio State
• 83.1 PFF Grade
• 77.9 Pass blocking grade (73.7 on TPS)
• 80.9 Run Blocking Grade
• 14 Pressures allowed (3.1% Pressure Rate)
• 8 True Pass set Pressures allowed (4.6% pressure rate)
Paris Johnson is huge. He’s 6’6 310 (surprisingly not the biggest player on his team) inspite of this he’s very agile for a tackle and is as good of a pass blocker as you’ll get in this class (other than Peter Skoronski) and he combines this with elite run blocking skills. He’s really good on reach blocks thanks to his quickness but his best ability is down blocks. He is great at washing out defenders and opening up holes then getting to the second level. As a pass blocker he’s good at getting deep and doesn’t give up sacks even if you beat him he’ll still be able to recover and keep you from getting a sack (3 career sacks allowed on 925 pass blocks which is a mind blowing .3% sack rate). Paris Johnson is a certified anchor at LT and he’s even played guard before.
7. Bryan Bresee IDL: Clemson
• 73.5 PFF Grade
• 82 Pass rushing grade (74.1 on TPS)
• 63.4 Run stopping grade
• 24 Pressures (11.8% Pressure Rate)
• 12 True Pass set pressures (14.1% Pressure Rate)
• 14.5% Pass Rush win rate (16% on TPS)
• 11 Total Tackles (5 Missed tackles)
• 9 Total Stops (2.7% Stop rate)
Bryan Bresee has his question marks for sure but he has a very high ceiling. I’m not usually high on the high ceiling low floor players but Bresee‘s floor isn’t that low Imo although he has injury issues so he could have a lower floor because of that but he is like Carter in the way that he is a great pass rusher. He has some really good loves and good hands. He’s not great in the run game at the moment but I think he’ll improve as he gets more game experience.
8. Jordan Addison: WR USC
• 81.5 PFF Grade (82.4 Receiving Grade)
• 875 Yards (11.1 Yards/Target)
• 8 Touchdowns (10.1 TD%)
• 414 Yards After contact (7 YAC/Rec)
• 2 Drops (3.3 Drop%)
• 2 contested catches (22.2% catch%)
There will be a lot of discussion on who the best WR in this class is but I think it’s Jordan Addison. He’s not very big but he’s very athletic and the best route runner in this class (Jaxon Smith-Njigba close behind). Addison has the best release in the class and is great after the catch. His best asset is his ability as a deep threat. In the last 2 years Addison had 31 catches on 57 targets for 1,156 yards and 12 touchdowns on deep targets. That’s better numbers than most WRs have in general.
9. Bijan Robinson: RB Texas
• 95.3 PFF Grade (96.1 Rushing Grade)
• 1,575 Yards (6.1 YPC)
• 18 Rushing Touchdowns (7% TD%)
• 2 Fumbles (.8 Fumble%)
• 1,071 Yards After contact (4.2 YAC/C)
• 104 Forced Missed Tackles (40.5% FMT%)
• 314 receiving yards (10.8 Y/T)
Bijan Robinson is one of the best RB prospects ever straight up. He’s coming off a year where he had one of the highest PFF Grades for a RB in the PFF era (since 2014) and he did this with the 68th best Run blocking unit per PFF Grade. He has an uncanny ability to make guys miss, he’s basically guaranteed to beat the first guy that he sees. Not only is he the best runner in the class (and an outlier runner at that) but he’s one of the best receivers out of the backfield in the class.
10. Peter Skoronski: OT Northwestern
• 89.5 PFF Grade
• 93 Pass blocking grade (92.3 On TPS)
• 81.7 Run Blocking grade
• 6 pressures (1.3% Pressure Rate)
• 2 true pass set pressures (1.1% pressure rate)
Peter Skoronski is one of the players I’ve watched the least amount of film for so I’ll keep this short. He’s an amazing pass blocker. He’s huge and extremely strong you’re not bull rushing him don’t even try. he’s not very athletic and can’t down block to save his life.
11. Jaxon Smith-Njigba: WR Ohio State (2021 stats)
• 91.7 PFF Grade (91.9 Receiving Grade)
• 1,595 Yards (14.2 Y/T)
• 9 Touchdowns (8% TD%)
• 790 Yards after contact (8.3 YAC/C)
• 6 Drops (5.9% Drop%)
• 9 contested Catches (90% catch rate)
JSN did have some injury issues this year and last year when he was healthy he was primarily used in the slot (88.6% Of snaps in the slot), but he is an elite slot receiver with Some qualities of a WR1. He’s a great route runner (he’s neck and neck with Addison for the best route runner in the class) he’s not a great athlete for a WR of his caliber but he’s strong and is very good in contested catch situations.
12. Kelee Ringo: CB Georgia
• 71.4 PFF Grade
• 70.3 Coverage grade
• 76.7 Run stop grade
• 552 yards allowed (7.1 Y/T)
• 1 Touchdown allowed (1.3 TD%)
• 11 forced incompletions (14% forced incompletion%)
Kelee Ringo is HUGE. He is 6’2 210 (that’s the size of most box safeties). Not only is he huge but he’s a freak athlete, and it helps him make some great plays in the run game. His size and athleticism makes him a force in man coverage and especially in press coverage. He has great ball tracking skills and although he gets a bit trigger happy he still has only allowed 2 TDs in 324 man coverage snaps in his career (these are mainly on the boundary against WR1s). You can laugh all you want but I’m. A huge believer in Kelee Ringo he’s too big to fail.
• 43 Total tackles (6 missed tackles)
• 11 total stops (1.3% stop rate)
13. Broderick Jones: OT Georgia
• 78.2 PFF Grade
• 84.1 Pass blocking grade (76.2 on TPS)
• 71.7 Run Blocking Grade
• 9 pressures (1.9% Pressure%)
• 6 true pass set pressures (4.3% pressure%)
Broderick Jones is the best athlete of the major tackle prospects this year which really helps him I the passing game but he still needs to get stronger to really take on the top edge rushers. I also don’t love him in the run game but I like him more than Skoronski, although the run blocking gap isn’t quite enough to put him over since Skoronski is so good as a pass blocker.
14. Tyree Wilson: EDGE Texas Tech
. Tyree Wilson: EDGE Texas Tech
• 74.9 PFF Grade
• 79.4 Pass rushing grade (87.5 on TPS)
• 72.8 Run Stopping grade
• 50 Pressures (19.2 Pressure%)
• 28 True Pass set pressures (27.5% Pressure%)
• 22% pass rush win rate (35.5% on TPS)
• 52 Total Tackles (7 missed tackles)
• 32 stops (5.9% Stop Rate)
I plan on writing my first article on Tyree Wilson so I’ll keep this brief. He’s got the size and length of most Tackles and is the second best pass rusher in the draft but I hate his run stopping (I’ll talk about this more in the article on him). He’s also coming off of a tore MCL which could hurt his athleticism, which already isn’t great.
15. Quentin Johnston: WR TCU
• 76.2 PFF Grade (77 Receiving grade)
• 1,067 Yards (11 Y/T)
• 6 Touchdowns (6.2% TD%)
• 532 Yards after Contact (8.9 YAC/C)
• 8 Drops (11.8% drop rate)
• 8 Contested Catches (34.8% catch rate)
Quentin Johnston’s stats are probably the most deceiving of every player in the 2023 class. Half of his yards came after the catch and he has more YAC Than anyone else in this class other than Rashee Rice but I don’t think he’s some next level YAC guy. His contested catch rate is a pretty low 34.8% but he’s one of the best contested catch guys in the class. He has great ball skills but Max Duggan
16. Trenton Simpson: LB Clemson
17. Joey Porter Jr: CB Penn State
18. Nolan Smith: EDGE Georgia
19. Michael Mayer: TE Notre Dame
20. Eli Ricks: CB Alabama
21. Josh Downs: WR North Carolina
22. Dawand Jones: OT Ohio State
23. O’Cyrus Torrence: IOL Florida
24. Zay Flowers: WR Boston College
25. John-Michael Schmitz: IOL Minnesota
26. Christian Gonzalez: CB Oregon
27. Jahmyr Gibbs: RB Alabama
28. Devon Witherspoon: CB Illinois
29. Clark Phillips III: CB Utah
30. Drew Sanders: LB Arkansas
31. BJ Ojulari: EDGE LSU
32. Luke Musgrave: TE Oregon State
33. Darnell Wright: OT Tennessee
34. Kayshon Boutte: WR LSU
35. Dalton Kincaid: TE Utah
36. Cam Smith: CB South Carolina
37. Jammie Robinson: S FSU
38. Jack Campbell: LB Iowa
39. Derrick Hall: EDGE Auburn
40. Rashee Rice: WR SMU
41. Cody Mauch: OL NDSU
42. Brian Branch: S Alabama
43. Tank Dell: WR Houston
44. Darnell Washington: TE Georgia
45. Will Levis: QB Kentucky
46. Matthew Bergeron: OT Syracuse
47. Byron Young: EDGE Tennessee
48. Anthony Richardson: QB Florida
49. Noah Sewell: LB Oregon
50. Tyjae Spears: RB Tulane
I would like to remind you this is not a final list. There are some players that I imagine will make the list that excluded because I haven’t watched them yet or I haven’t watched them to justify ranking them. Some of these players are Jaylon Jones, Antonio Johnson, Luke Van Ness, Siaka Ika, etc. if there is a player you think is missing, chances are I haven’t gotten to them yet.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think
TheDyspatch 