2023 NFL Draft - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals Choose QB Clayton Tune At No. 139

April 29th, 2023 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Houston quarterback Clayton Tune is heading to the desert. The Cardinals are taking the multiyear Cougars starter at No. 139.

Tune’s arrival comes after Trace McSorley left for the Patriots and at a time in which the Cardinals are not certain who their Week 1 starting quarterback will be. Kyler Murray‘s status for the Arizona opener is very much in doubt, and Colt McCoy also missed the conclusion of the Cards’ 2022 season.

Murray is expected to make an early-season return from his December ACL tear, but the Cards’ franchise quarterback does not sound like he will be ready for Week 1. McCoy battled arm and calf issues, leading him to IR, but he resurfaced to replace Murray for two games prior to the latter’s ACL tear. McCoy sustained a concussion in Week 15, his third start of the season, and did not play again. The Cardinals cleared their backup from concussion protocol in Week 17, but McCoy experienced more symptoms during a practice soon after and finished the season out of action. McCoy is going into his age-37 season; one year remains on his contract.

While Murray and McCoy did not finish last season, the Cardinals do now have a crowded QB room. They recently signed Jeff Driskel, and David Blough is on Arizona’s offseason roster as well. Tune moves the position group to five.

ESPN’s Scouts Inc. ranked Tune as this year’s ninth-best QB prospect, slotting him 188th overall. The Cougars gunslinger posted a 40-touchdown pass, 10-interception season as a senior last year, throwing for 4,074 yards. This comes after a 30-10 year in 2021. Taking over for D’Eriq King with the American Athletic Conference school, Tune put up some nice numbers in helping the team to 20 wins over the past two years. Houston was a bit more successful in 2021, going 12-2. The 6-foot-2 passer will now see if he can crack the Cardinals’ 53-man roster.

Commanders Acquire No. 137 From Bills

April 29th, 2023 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders made a move up the board early in Round 5. They are acquiring No. 137 overall from the Bills, who will add No. 150 and No. 215, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

With the pick, Ron Rivera‘s team chose Clemson edge rusher K.J. Henry. This marks the third Clemson D-lineman to be chosen in this draft, following first-rounders Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee. Overall, the Tigers have seen four front-seven standouts chosen in this draft, with the Ravens taking linebacker Trenton Simpson in Round 3.

This pick proves interesting for the Commanders, given their present defensive line situation. The four first-round D-linemen chosen from 2017-20 — Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat, Chase Young — remain on the team. But Washington now has both Sweat and Young going into contract years. The Commanders passed on Young’s fifth-year option this week.

Henry posted 13 sacks over the past four seasons and finished with a career-high nine tackles for loss in 2022. The Commanders used former seventh-round pick James Smith-Williams as Young’s primary fill-in last season; Young’s 2021 ACL tear — a complex injury that led to the option decline — has given Smith-Williams considerable run opposite Sweat. But Washington will bring in some additional depth in Henry.

Raiders Trade Up For Purdue QB Aiden O’Connell

April 29th, 2023 at 12:43pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders have moved up to select a quarterback. Las Vegas has acquired No. 135 from the Patriots and will select Purdue quarterback Aiden O’Connell. The Patriots are moving back to No. 144 while picking up No. 214 in the process.

O’Connell had a breakout season at Purdue in 2021, finishing with 28 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions. He took a bit of a step back during his senior campaign, seeing regression in completion percentage (64.1), passing yards (3,490), touchdowns (22), and interceptions (13).

With no mobility and a shaky deep ball, O’Connell earned his draft stock thanks to his quick decision making. That gives him some hope in the NFL, especially if he gets competent offensive line play in front of him.

The Raiders are now preparing for a post-Derek Carr era. The team brought in Jimmy Garoppolo to lead the depth chart, but the veteran has his fair share of injuries. Veteran Brian Hoyer isn’t a future option at the position, and while the team retained 2022 undrafted free agent Chase Garbers, he projects as more of a backup. In other words, if things go his way, O’Connell could find himself quickly climbing the Raiders depth chart.

Saints Acquire No. 127, Select QB Jake Haener

April 29th, 2023 at 12:13pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are giving up a future draft pick to get into the fourth round. New Orleans has acquired pick No. 127 from Jacksonville. In exchange, the Jaguars have acquired pick No. 227 and a 2024 fourth-round pick.

The Saints will be using their selection on quarterback Jake Haener. The Fresno State product was widely considered to be atop the remaining tier of QBs, generally ranking sixth in his draft class.

While he won’t have the draft stock of the QBs selected before him, Haener can keep up with his upside. He didn’t play in a Power 5 conference and has generally been viewed unfavorably from a physical perspective, but he’s been lauded for his ability to control the game from under center.

Haener truly had a breakout campaign in 2021, when he finished with 33 touchdowns vs. only nine interceptions. He followed that up with a 2022 campaign where he connected on 72 percent of his passes for 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only three picks. He also earned the 2023 Senior Bowl MVP after the season.

The Saints made a move for Derek Carr this offseason and seem fully committed to their acquisition. The team also kept mainstay Jameis Winston, meaning Haener will likely spend his rookie campaign as the third quarterback on the depth chart.

Patriots Acquire No. 112 From Jets, Select K Chad Ryland

April 29th, 2023 at 11:35am CST by Ben Levine

Two AFC East rivals have pulled off a trade. The Patriots have acquired pick No. 112 from the Jets. In exchange, New England is sending New York picks No. 120 and No. 184.

The Patriots are using their newfound pick on kicker Chad Ryland. The special teamer spent four years at Eastern Michigan, setting the school’s all-time record for scoring (309 points). He transferred to Maryland for the 2022 campaign and proceeded to earn second-team All-Big Ten honors after connecting on 19 of his 23 field goal attempts and 39 of his 40 extra point tries.

Ryland is now the second kicker to be selected in the top-112, joining Michigan’s Jake Moody, who was selected by the 49ers at No. 99.

Veteran Nick Folk has served as the Patriots kicker for the past three-plus seasons. He hit on 86.5 percent of his field goal tries last year, his lowest total since 2019. He inked a two-year, $5MM deal with the organization last March, and he’ll likely be part of a kicking competition in the preseason.

It’s not every day that you see the Patriots and Jets pull off a trade. Earlier this draft, some pundits suspected if Bill Belichick spited his former employer by pulling off a trade with the Steelers. Pittsburgh jumped ahead of the Jets in the first round and took the last top-rated offensive tackle in Broderick Jones, forcing the Jets to pivot to edge Will McDonald at No. 15.

Saints Trade Up For No. 103

April 29th, 2023 at 10:27am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints will now be picking first on the third day of the NFL Draft. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero tweets that New Orleans has acquired the No. 103 pick from the Bears.

Chicago will be receiving picks No. 115 and No. 165, per Pelissero (on Twitter). As our Team-by-Team 2023 NFL Draft Results show, the Bears will now have five picks today while the Saints will have four selections.

With the pick, the Saints are taking Old Dominion offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri. The Saints still have their five 2022 O-line starters under contract, with starter-turned-swingman James Hurst also still rostered. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. rated Saldiveri as its No. 116 overall prospect; this selection gibes with that assessment.

While Hurst is a former free agent signing, Saldiveri gives the Saints six homegrown O-linemen drafted in the first four rounds. The Bears will pick up an additional fifth-round pick for moving down.

49ers Use No. 99 On K Jake Moody

April 28th, 2023 at 10:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

The first kicker has come off the board. The 49ers used pick No. 99 – their second overall selection in 2023 – on Michigan product Jake Moody.

Moody becomes the first kicker to hear his name called in the top-100 since the Buccaneers chose Roberto Aguayo in the second round in 2016. Moody was widely seen as the top option at the position in the 2023 class, but the timing of his addition is notable on a few levels.

He spent five years with the Wolverines, and had a highly effective time there over the past two seasons in particular. Moody was a consensus All-American in 2021, taking home the Lou Groza award as the nation’s top kicker. He followed that up by leading the NCAA in both field goal makes (29) and attempts (35) this past season.

The fifth-year senior posted FG percentages of 92% and 83% over the past two years. He also made all 60 of his extra point attempts, and will be tasked with converting that success to the NFL level right away, considering how the 49ers have proceeded at the kicker position this offseason.

It came out last month that veteran Robbie Gould would not re-sign in San Francisco this year, putting an end to his six-year run with the team. Over the course of the 40-year-old’s career, he has yet to miss a kick in the postseason, something which will make his absence a notable one in 2023 as the 49ers look to make another deep playoff run.

San Francisco has the other two members of their special teams battery (punter Mitch Wishnowski and long snapper Taybor Pepper) under contract, so Moody will still be entering a situation with familiarity at those positions. Still, given the identity of who he is replacing – and the value of the pick used to select him – he will no doubt face considerable expectations as a rookie.

Cardinals Send No. 96 To Detroit; Lions Select DT Brodric Martin

April 28th, 2023 at 10:00pm CST by Ely Allen

The Cardinals continue to deal picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, this time trading the No. 96 overall pick to the Lions in exchange for Detroit’s Nos. 122, 138, and 168, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The Lions used their new third-round pick to select Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin.

Coming out of Tuscaloosa with no stars in recruiting rankings, Martin went to North Alabama. He played for four years at the FCS school before transferring to Western Kentucky in the spring of 2021. Martin’s production saw no drop off as he elevated to the FBS level. In two years with the Hilltoppers, Martin totaled 62 tackles, six tackles for loss, and four sacks, all impressive numbers for a nose tackle.

At nearly 6-foot-5, 330 pounds, Martin is a boulder in the middle of the defensive line. While his technique wasn’t fully developed and sometimes lacks, he makes up for it with violent strength and deceptive quickness. He accumulated 143 tackles in five years of college play thanks to his ability to stack up and move laterally to defend multiple gaps in the line.

Defensive tackle was a bit of a need for Detroit. The Lions rolled mostly with Alim McNeill and Isaiah Buggs on the interior defensive line, rotating in Benito Jones as Levi Onwuzurike sat out the year recovering from back surgery. None of the linemen were necessarily dominant with McNeill grading out highest, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), ranking as the 33rd-best defensive tackle in the league.

Martin likely won’t be asked to play the 65-plus percentage of defensive snaps that McNeill and Buggs did in 2022, but he should provide strong contributions in short sample sizes. With Onwuzurike hopefully due to return soon, Martin won’t be expected to be an immediate contributor, but once he develops, Martin could be a strong nose tackle in Aaron Glenn‘s system.

Chiefs Acquire No. 92 From Bengals

April 28th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The past two AFC championship foes are making a third-round trade. The Bengals are sending No. 92 overall to the Chiefs in exchange for Nos. 95 and 217.

This year’s draft hosts selected Oklahoma tackle Wanya Morris. While Morris was not teammates with Sooner-turned-Chief Creed Humphrey, having transferred from Tennessee in 2021, he will join a Chiefs team that features some tackle uncertainty opposite Jawaan Taylor.

Kansas City is planning to move Taylor from his right tackle position, where he started four seasons with the Jaguars and played primarily in college, to left tackle. Taylor’s $20MM-per-year contract reflects that. Morris’ 2022 role would support Kansas City completing its Taylor transition plan. Morris started eight games at right tackle for the Sooners last season.

The Chiefs lost right tackle starter Andrew Wylie in free agency in March; Wylie, who had only played for the Chiefs over the course of his five-year career, is now with the Commanders. The Chiefs did not allocate much funding toward their right tackle spot during Orlando Brown‘s Missouri tenure, and they may not be prepared to do so opposite Taylor. Morris and former third-round pick Lucas Niang, who has dealt with extensive injury trouble, represent the team’s top options here.

Morris, who started seven games at left tackle during his 2020 sophomore season at Tennessee, becomes the second Oklahoma tackle taken in this draft. The Jaguars chose Anton Harrison in Round 1.

Vikings Send No. 87 To 49ers

April 28th, 2023 at 9:29pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have entered the draft room. For No. 87 overall, the 49ers are sending the Vikings Nos. 102, 164 and 222. San Francisco selected Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown.

The 49ers were armed with a plethora of late selections this year, so it comes as little surprise that they have spent a few of them to move up the board. Their decision to do so has landed them one of the top options available at the position in this year’s class.

Brown was not joined by many other highly-touted safeties in terms of draftable prospects, explaining his fall to this point on Day 2. He put up impressive numbers in the past two years in particular with the Nittany Lions, however, which could set him up for a notable early role in the Bay Area.

The 5-11, 203-pounder racked up 10 interceptions and eight PBUs in 2021 and ’22, adding eight tackles for loss during that span. That production could allow him to line up at a number of spots at the NFL level, and there are vacancies to be filled in San Francisco’s secondary given the way the early free agent period played out.

The 49ers lost Jimmie Ward and Tarvarius Moore to the Texans and Packers, respectively, last month. While San Francisco was able to re-sign Tashaun Gipson, the departures of the former two should allow for Brown to at least compete for rotational snaps as a rookie. Over the long term, he could easily find himself in a starting role down the road as a contributor on one of the league’s elite defenses.

2023 NFL Draft News & Rumors