Right now you can’t swing a Lombardi Trophy without hitting a mock draft this time of year. And you are seeing a lot of trends and groupthink going on among the players and positions. So we decided to jump out of the box and offer up four potential surprises from the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
2 wide receivers in the first round
Some mock drafts have five or six wide receivers going in the first round. Given the history of just how teams jump all over wide receiver talent, it makes sense. But this class feels like a bunch of second-round prospects but not elite. So I’m predicting when it comes down to it, only two will go in the first round. Which two? My money is on Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba and TCU’s Quentin Johnston.
2 running backs in the first round
Most mock drafts only have Texas running back Bijan Robinson going in the first round. Where he lands is still very much up for debate but I have a feeling Alabama’s Jahmyr Gibbs finds his way in the round as well, especially if a team trades back into the end of the round.
5 quarterbacks in the first round
I seriously considered making the prediction that Will Levis tumbles into the middle of the round but I don’t think that is nearly as big of a surprise as it would be when Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker ends up a first-round pick.
Lots of edge rushers
Defensively, if you don’t have a guy who can harass the other team’s quarterback, you don’t have a chance. This is why I think you could see as many as eight edge rushers go in the round all starting with Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., ending with Iowa State’s Will McDonald IV as a sleeper entry at the end of the round.
