NFL Mock Draft 2023 Panthers jump Texans Colts for C.J. Stroud Bears upgrade offensive line for Justin Fields
NFL Mock Draft 2023 Panthers jump Texans Colts for C.J. Stroud Bears upgrade offensive line for Justin Fields
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There's been a major early shakeup in the le s than a week after the Combine came to a close. As expected, the Bears, not needing to take a quarterback at No. 1 overall, have moved that pick in return from a QB-needy team. That team is the Panthers, who are now on the clock first for the night of April 27 with a pick of the litter. The blockbuster trade creates a nece sary big change at a couple of picks in Sporting News' mock draft, as the Bears slide down to No. 9 while also recouping a second-round pick in 2023. That leads to a trickle-down effect to shake up a few more selections. Here's a revised look at the first-round projections based on the Bears-Panthers movement on the cusp of NFL free agency: BIG BOARD: 1. Carolina Panthers (from Bears) C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (6-3, 214pounds) The Panthers ended the speculation on who would trade up with the Bears to take their franchise quarterback of choice with the top pick. Now begins the speculation on which QB they covet most, jumping the Texans, Colts and Raiders to ensure they get their guy between Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young for Florida's Combine star, Anthony Richardson. Stroud's polished pocket pa sing would seem to make the most sense for Frank Reich and Thomas Brown in a mild upset over Young, who had been the consensus No. 1. MORE TRADE ANALYSIS: 2. Houston Texans Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (5-10, Yogi Ferrell Jersey 204pounds) The Texans should now have a no-brainer pick based on what the Panthers do. They could think about Richardson's upside here but, should Stroud come off the board, Young's intangibles, leadership, pedigree on top of arm and athleticism gives him more can't-mi s qualities than Richardson and Levis. 3. Arizona Cardinals Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama(6-3, 253pounds) The Cardinals are now dealing from a position of power with quarterbacks expected to go 1-2. They surely will field trade calls of their own from other QB-needy teams, but if Arizona keeps the pick, it needs to go with the safest, most disruptive defensive player on the board. That's Anderson instead of Jalen Carter, that kept him out of key time at the Combine should be off-putting. Anderson proved again why he was so explosive and productive at the highest level in college. MORE: 4. Indianapolis Colts Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida(6-4, 244 pounds) Before Richardson shined in the Combine's agility testing, new offensive-minded coach Shane Steichen hinted at the podium he was looking for a dynamic dual threat he could mold into a high-upside franchise QB, fresh off working with Jalen Hurts (6-1, 223 pounds) in Philadelphia. Richardson ran, jumped and flipped his way to dominance and then showed off his jaw-dropping arm strength in the pa sing drills. A suming they don't trade for Lamar Jackson, this move can help the Colts break free from their cycle of recycled veteran pocket pa sers. (Getty Images) 5. Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos) Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia (6-3, 314pounds) The Seahawks will have Anderson on their radar, too, but Pete Carroll and John Schneider tend to have a wider threshold in terms of doing due diligence on prospects with off-field question marks. Seattle officials are more comfortable than other organizations in taking a player such as Carter and can afford to be with their track record. Carter, even without a Combine workout, has done plenty to show he can be a dominant disruptor in the Aaron Donald mode. 6. Detroit Lions (from Rams) Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon (6-1, 197pounds) Gonzalez went gangbusters at the Combine to confirm his status as the top corner in the cla s. He has great athletic pedigree and made sure to remind everyone about his playing speed and quickne s for such a big cover man. The Lions should love putting him on the back end opposite Jeff Okudah to make big plays off Aidan Hutchinson's pre sure. MORE: 7. Las Vegas Raiders Will Levis, QB, Kentucky (6-3, 229pounds) Levis, like Stroud, warned teams of his calling card his "cannon" of an arm. He came out looking the part at the Combine with effortle s accurate deep balls and showing that he is also not relegated to being a pocket pa ser. He's the perfect fit for Josh McDaniels' system to replace Derek Carr. 8. Atlanta Falcons Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech (6-6, 275 pounds) It's getting hard to keep Wilson, with his ma sive frame and wingspan that were confirmed at the Combine, out of the top 10. He uses his athleticism efficiently to produce as a intimidating sack artist. The Falcons could think about other defensive positions and offensive line, but Wilson now hits their sweet spot of need and rising stock. MORE: 9. Chicago Bears (from Panthers) Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern (6-4, 313pounds) The Bears might have an easy choice here should the edge rush options not be as tempting. They can simply look up the road to Evanston to provide Justin Fields with a major pa s protection upgrade after already getting him a . Skoronski, who had a great Combine from his running through his smooth positional drills, can deliver as their immediate starting left tackle with his smooth quickne s and athleticism on the edge. (Getty Images) 10. Philadelphia Eagles (from Saints) Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson (6-5, 268 pounds) Should Anderson and Wilson be off the board, Philadelphia can work on more versatile and pop for its defensive front with some key free-agent i sues. Murphy, who didn't test at the Combine liek Wilson. There's not much of a size-speed-quickne s dropoff early with these pa s rushers. 11. Tenne see Titans Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State (6-6, 313 pounds) The Titans must think about Taylor Lewan's replacement at left tackle more immediately after releasing him last month. Johnson is right there neck-and-neck with Skoronski for the most powerful tackle in this cla s out of the Big Ten and Mike Vrabel won't mind the nasty Ohio State lean. 12. Houston Texans (from Browns) Jordan Addison, WR, USC (6-0, 175 pounds) The Texans need to pair a dynamic pa s-catcher with their new franchise QB, in this case Stroud. Addison opened the door for others to be the first wide receiver drafted after measuring a little shorter and running a little slower than expected at the Combine, but specific to what Houston needs, he has a nice blend of field-stretching speed and after-the-catch quickne s to quickly develop into the go-to guy. 13. New York Jets Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU (6-4, 215 pounds) Johnston didn't run the 40 at the Combine but his speed and vertical presence is pretty evident on film as the former Horned Frogs big playmaker and he made quick impre sive work of the positional pa s-catching drills. The Jets need to move on from oft-injured Corey Davis as an easy cap-cut and add Johnston to a young cadre of exciting playmakers that includes Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall and Elijah Moore with their new QB-to-be in mind. 14. New England Patriots Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State (6-2, 198 pounds) Porter checked in taller than expected at the Combine after Gonzalez blazed to the top of the board at the position, Porter has similiar size-speed-quickne s qualities to be a No. 1 cover corner. The Patriots will love what he can do for Bill Belichick as the son of a former star Steelers edge rusher. Getty Images 15. Green Bay Packers Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame (6-5, 249 pounds) Mayer didn't run the fastest and didn't blow anyone away with his capped athleticism in the agility drills, but he made his mark as a complete, cla sic in-line player for the position in the gauntlet and other pa s-catching testing. The Packers need an impact tight end with Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis entering free agency, for either Aaron Rodgers or an elevated Jordan Love. 16. Washington Commanders Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois (6-0, 181 pounds) Witherspoon, continuing the agility and size combination theme for corners at the Combine, positioned himself to be a top-half pick with Cam Smith and Kelee Ringo slipping on boards in relation. The Commanders need to lock into the best corner available after their disaster on the back end with William Jackson Jr., Kendall Fuller and others last season. 17. Pittsburgh Steelers Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia (6-4, 310 pounds) Jones showed outstanding speed and quickne s with the agility work on the combine to confirm his status and no le ser than the third tackle on the board behind Johnson and Skoronski. He's a no-brainer piece for the Steelers as a ma sive upgrade in pa s protection for 2022 first-round QB Kenny Pickett. MORE: 18. Detroit Lions Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas (5-11, 215 pounds) Robinson ran a 4.46 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine and his commitment to do all the drills paid off to cement his status as the top first-round back, impre sive given Alabama's well-rounded Jahmyr Gibbs also brought it in his workout. The Lions have recently expre sed doubts about the durability and reliability of versatile pa s-catcher D'Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams also is a free agent. Robinson makes sense for them as a three-down workhorse. 19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Brian Branch, S/CB, Alabama (6-0, 190 pounds Branch is a top-10 talent but will slip a little based on the fact he's more of a nickel back and inside cover Hassan Whiteside Jersey guy. But he proved he should be at least a top-20 pick a solid all-around workout at the Combine. With Jamel Dean, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Mike Edwards and Logan Ryan all pending free agents, adding Branch's positional and coverage versaility make a ton of sense for Todd Bowles. Getty Images 20. Seattle Seahawks Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State (6-1, 195 pounds) Smith-Njigba chose not to run the 40 at the Combine given most of his final season at Columbus was wiped out by a nagging hamstring injury. But he returned to busine s as usual catching everything and running sharp routes in the position drills. The Seahawks could use him as a dynamic slot-potential No. 3 at first with DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. 21. Miami Dolphins () 22. Los Angeles Chargers Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah (6-4, 246 pounds) Kincaid didn't work out at the Combine because of a minor back injury but the fact Mayer disappointed with his athleticism helped Kincaid stand out more for his skill set as a smooth, potential game-breaking receiver. The Chargers can make room for him as a key third playmaker for Justin Herbert behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams with Gerald Everett being an easy cap cut. 23. Baltimore Ravens Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina (6-1, 180 pounds) The rise of the other corners at the Combine means the Ravens can benefit by getting Smith, the former consensus No. 1 prospect at the position. Smith did look pretty smooth in the positional drills to think he will be a solid plug-and-playmaking starter replacing pending free agent Marcus Peters. 24. Minnesota Vikings Lukas Van Ne s, EDGE, Iowa (6-5, 272pounds) Van Ne s impre sed by running well for his size at the Combine as a good later first-round value that offers that ma sive frame of Wilson. His versatility in the front seven is a perfect fit for new defensive coordinator Brian Flores. 25. Jacksonville Jaguars Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M(6-3, 188pounds) Johnson showed his complete game at the Combine, offering nice size for stopping the run and natural coverage skills. He'll be an immediate playmaker for the Jaguars' defense as the next needed key positional upgrade. 26. New York Giants Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia (6-2, 207 pounds) Ringo ran fast at the Combine as expected and although he showed that some of his best coverage traits will serve him best in zone, he also has some upside in man coverage because of his size and speed outside. The Giants desperately need a confident, experienced No. 1. 27. Dallas Cowboys O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida (6-5, 330pounds) The Cowboys, who franchise-tagged Tony Pollard and are seeming to keep Ezekiel Elliott, use an inide run-blocking upgrade from free agent Connor McGovern to better help Tyler Biadasz and Zack Martin.Torrence left little doubt that he's the purest interior blocker in the draft with polished position drills at the Combine. MORE: 28. Buffalo Bills Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama(5-9, 199pounds) The Bills need to think about landing a true feature back with Devin Singletary unsigned and James Cook better suited as a versatile change of pace. Gibbs blazed to a 4.36 40-yard dash at the Combine and also showed tremendous receiving skills on top of being a compact power back capable of holding up for three downs in the Frank Gore vein. 29. Cincinnati Bengals Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia (6-2, 238 pounds) The Bengals met with Smith before his awesome Combine workout coming off a season cut short by a pectoral injury. He blew through the 40-yard dash with a 1.52 split and 4.44 total time. He picked up where he left off as a productive freak. He could make their pa s rush devastating behind Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. 30. New Orleans Saints (from 49ers through Broncos) Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson (6-6, 298 pounds) Bresee showed great strength and quickne s at the Combine to make sure he's not getting out of the first round as a relentle s and versatile disruptor. The Saints need to addre s his position with Devid Oneymata and Shy Tuttle as free agents. 31. Philadelphia Eagles Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson (6-3, 235 pounds) Simpson, Bresee's former teammate cleaning up on the second level, showed off his spectacular speed and strength to hold steady as the best linebacker in this cla s ahead Marvin Bagley III Jersey of risers such as Drew Sanders and Jack Campbell. He can replace either T.J. Edwards or Kyzir White starting with 2022 first-rounder Nakobe Dean. 32. Kansas City Chiefs Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma (6-4, 315 pounds) Harrison ran the 40 well with a solid 10-yard split of 1.77 to back up his outstanding measurements, which included a 31 1/4-inch wingspan and 9 1/4-inch hands. The Chiefs need to think about him now with starting tackles Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wyile heading into free agency.
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