Welcome to the second annual All-Forno Team!
Last year, I introduced the first rendition of the All-Forno team with six players. They were my favorites in the draft class and I have brought the team back for the second year.
This list isn’t about what prospects are the best. That has no bearing on making the All-Forno team. It’s about more than that. These are the players I had the most fun watching this cycle, and they all vary a little bit from each other.
Here is the 2023 All-Forno team.
North Carolina WR Josh Downs
The captain of the 2023 All-Forno team, Downs is an explosive wide receiver that wins with quickness and route running. Having played his college ball at North Carolina, Downs showed the ability to do a lot of things, including posting the highest contested catch rate in the draft class at 5’9″ tall.
SMU WR Rashee Rice
Rice is only 6′ tall, but he plays much bigger than that. He is a physical monster, especially at the catch point. Rice attacks the football and does so with gusto. Rice is also great at gaining yards in the open field using his speed and physicality. Even though he had a rough pre-draft process, I love the way he plays the game and think his game will translate.
UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet
With running backs coming out smaller and shifter, Charbonnet is a real throwback to the days of bell cows. He can handle a heavy workload with his 220 lb frame and can do a little bit of everything. For being a true throwback, Charbonnet is still great for the modern-day NFL.
Oklahoma RB Eric Gray
Despite being a smaller running back at 5’9″ tall, Gran is built really well at over 200 lbs. Gray didn’t get a chance to be the guy until his senior season and he took advantage of it. One thing that stood out with Gray was how much he grew during the season in terms of vision. He is one tough customer.
South Carolina CB Darius Rush
Rush has a short memory. He loses a decent amount early in the rep, but what sets him apart from others in the class is his ability to make up for it with both his athleticism and football IQ. Rush tested athletically off the charts in the combine, including a sub 4.4-second 40-yard dash. If you can clean up some of the early losses, Rush can be a starting cornerback for you.
Kansas State CB Julius Brents
Brents is quite an interesting prospect. He is 6’3″ with 34″ arms and received a RAS score of 9.99. He jumped out of the gym and displayed great short-area quickness with a 4.50 40-yard dash. He can play in a cover-2 or cover-3 based scheme while also being great in man coverage. Brents is a prospect worth betting on due to his traits.
BYU QB Jaren Hall
If the Vikings don’t get a quarterback in the first round, Hall is the player they should target. He already has a lot of experience with pro-style concepts in BYU’s spread offense and can drop the ball in a bucket consistently anywhere on the field. The issues that he has with not seeing defenders can hopefully be remedied, but Hall’s skillset is one that I’d bet on.
Alabama CB/S Brian Branch
The hybrid defensive back for Alabama caught my intention within the first five plays I watched on his tape. He is an excellent player with good athleticism that wins with intelligence. His ability to play multiple positions in the back seven is one of the many reasons myself and Brian Flores will love him in purple and gold.
