2023 NFL Draft News & Rumors

Florida QB Anthony Richardson Declares For Draft

December 9th, 2022 at 8:52pm CST by Ely Allen

After only one season at the helm as the Gators starting quarterback, redshirt sophomore Anthony Richardson announced on his Twitter account that he would be forgoing his team’s bowl game and the remainder of his college eligibility in order to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. With the announcement, Richardson officially kicks off what will surely be one of the biggest debates of the pre-draft process: will it be worth it?

There are a ton of question marks surrounding Richardson following his lone season under center in Gainesville. In fact, many scouts have voiced their opinions that they wish he would stay in college for another year to continue his development. Unfortunately for them, 13 games as a starting quarterback is all they’re going to get to evaluate the 21-year-old.

In those 13 starts, Richardson went 6-7, completing 188 of 347 (54.18%) pass attempts for 2,631 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He also showed a dual-threat ability, rushing 115 times for 680 yards and nine touchdowns in those starts. For his whole career, Richardson totaled 3,105 passing yards with a 54.71-percent completion percentage for 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions, adding 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Richardson only appeared in three games as a true freshman, attempting only two passes and running the ball seven times. After the redshirted season, Richardson appeared in seven games as a redshirt freshman and earned his first start against rival Georgia. Richardson waited his turn behind eventual Buccaneers quarterback Kyle Trask and Emory Jones, who would eventually transfer to Arizona State. Richardson finally became the team’s full-time starter as a redshirt sophomore.

Richardson led the Gators through a rocky season. After an opening win over the eventual Pac-12 champion Utes, Florida endured a challenging slate, beating teams it should but falling to the top teams in the SEC like Kentucky, Tennessee, LSU, and Georgia. After perhaps their worst loss of the season to the lowly Commodores, the team bounced back for a strong performance against in-state rival Florida State before eventually falling to the Seminoles in the season-finale.

Now, he faces the pre-draft gauntlet. As only a redshirt sophomore, Richardson won’t participate in any senior all-star games, so his only opportunities to show his stuff will be the Combine and Florida’s Pro Day. Scouts are in love with Richardson’s measurables and athleticism, at 6-foot-4 and 236 pounds. His physicality and running style have been compared to former No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton. The same scouts are highly critical of Richardson’s poor completion percentage and overall, in-game experience.

This brings his draft stock into question. Where will a prospect with so many questions marks and so many promising attributes fall in the NFL Draft? Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus (subscription required) recently released the site’s top-100 draft prospect rankings. Of the five quarterbacks who made the list, Richardson was not among them. Dane Brugler of The Athletic failed to put Richardson on his list, as well, even though his most recent version came in early-November. This could be a simple omission due to the fact that Richardson hadn’t announced his intentions at the time, but both lists included third-year Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who announced his intentions earlier this week.

On the other hand, three NFL scouts reportedly said this week that “they expect (Richardson) to be a top-10 draft pick come April,” according to Jason Cole of OutKick.com. These scouts see the teams that will fall in love with his talent and may be in the ideal situation to draft and stash the young quarterback, allowing him time to learn and adjust to the game at the NFL-level.

Cole points out that, of the teams who currently make up the top-eight projected picks of next year’s draft, only three will have an obvious need at quarterback: Houston, Indianapolis, and Carolina. With at least three quarterbacks, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, expected to be selected before Richardson, this leads to a situation wherein Richardson may get drafted to a team who can sit the quarterback for a year or two before forcing him into a starting role. It may end up being a situation like Bears quarterback Justin Fields or Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett where he only sits a few games before winning the job. Or it may be a situation like Packers quarterback Jordan Love, who has sat patiently behind Aaron Rodgers, waiting for his turn at the helm for a couple of seasons.

Regardless of speculation, the road to the NFL starts now for Richardson. He will have an opportunity to show scouts not only his athleticism and accuracy but his coachability, as well, at events like the Combine and his Pro Day. If he can’t prove to NFL teams that he has the ability to improve their team as a starter next season, he’ll have to focus on showing NFL teams that he has the malleability to be molded into a star in the league.

Arkansas LB Drew Sanders Declares For Draft

December 9th, 2022 at 10:34am CST by Sam Robinson

In a year’s time, Drew Sanders has gone from sparsely used Alabama contributor to a first-round prospect following a transfer to Arkansas. After one season as a full-time starter, the junior linebacker will head to the pros.

A breakthrough season led Sanders to declare for the 2023 draft, Pete Thamel of ESPN.com notes. Ranked as Mel Kiper Jr.’s No. 1 inside linebacker prospect, Sanders will pass on the Razorbacks’ Liberty Bowl matchup against Kansas. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s initial 2022 mock draft slots Sanders as the No. 24 overall pick, placing him just behind Clemson’s Trenton Simpson as the top draft-eligible linebacker.

“Football isn’t a lifetime sport; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime sport,” Sanders said, via Thamel. “I’ve enjoyed playing in college. It’s always been a dream for me to play in the NFL, ever since I can remember. There’s an opportunity for me to take, and I want to take it.

“… To me, the only way to get better at football is playing football. I’ve never doubted my skills. Arkansas has given me an opportunity for me to show my skills and get better by playing and providing the opportunity to be versatile.”

After starting three games for the Crimson Tide from 2020-21, Sanders transferred within the SEC and put together a breakthrough season. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound linebacker paired 103 tackles with 9.5 sacks, being used as both a middle ‘backer and a pass rusher in Barry Odom’s defense. Sanders ranked 10th in Division I-FBS in sacks, and his 103 tackles ranked third in the SEC. Sanders also totaled 13.5 tackles for loss during his lone Arkansas season.

Updated 2023 NFL Draft Order

December 8th, 2022 at 2:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL now has its first teams eliminated from playoff contention. The Texans and Bears, as they essentially have been doing throughout this season, are playing for next year. Other eliminations will soon follow, as the league’s playoff picture heats up.

Through that lens, the 2023 draft order will become an increasingly more pertinent topic. The 2023 draft will present an interesting subplot near its outset. Traded picks are set to produce early selections for the Seahawks, Lions and Eagles. Each of those picks currently land in the top five, as the teams on the other end of those trades — the Broncos, Rams and Saints — have disappointed, spectacularly so in Los Angeles and Denver’s cases.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2022 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is how the draft order would look entering Week 14:

Houston Texans: 1-10-1
Chicago Bears: 3-9
Seattle Seahawks (via Broncos)
Detroit Lions (via Rams)
Philadelphia Eagles (via Saints)
Carolina Panthers: 4-8
Jacksonville Jaguars: 4-8
Arizona Cardinals: 4-8
Indianapolis Colts: 4-8-1
Atlanta Falcons: 5-8
Green Bay Packers: 5-8
Las Vegas Raiders: 5-7
Houston Texans (via Browns)
Pittsburgh Steelers: 5-7
Detroit Lions: 5-7
Los Angeles Chargers: 6-6
New England Patriots: 6-6
Washington Commanders: 7-5-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-6*
Seattle Seahawks: 7-5*
Tennessee Titans: 7-5*
New York Jets: 7-5*
New York Giants: 7-4-1*
Denver Broncos (via 49ers through Dolphins)*
Baltimore Ravens: 8-4*
Cincinnati Bengals: 8-4*
Dallas Cowboys: 9-3*
Kansas City Chiefs: 9-3*
Minnesota Vikings: 10-2*
Buffalo Bills: 9-3*
Philadelphia Eagles: 11-1*

* = Denotes playoff team

The 2023 first round will resemble 2008 and 2016, when the Patriots were docked their Round 1 pick for their respective “gate” scandals. This year’s Dolphins saga never developed “gate” status, but the team lost a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-rounder due to the Tom Brady–Sean Payton tampering case. Thus, a 31-pick first round will commence.

While the Broncos, Rams and Browns lost their first-round picks due to trades for quarterbacks, the Saints passed theirs to the Eagles in this year’s pre-draft trade that allowed New Orleans a path toward moving up for Chris Olave. The No. 16 pick which was initially transferred from the Colts to the Eagles in 2021’s Carson Wentz trade was then moved to the Saints, netting Philadelphia a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second.

Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer Declares For Draft

December 7th, 2022 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

This year’s draft did not see a tight end go off the board until No. 55, when the Cardinals selected Colorado State’s Trey McBride. This position seems likely to have at least one first-rounder in 2023.

The best bet for such status will be Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer, who made it known Wednesday (via ESPN.com’s Pete Thamel) he is bypassing his senior season and entering the 2023 draft. Mayer will not play in the Fighting Irish’s Gator Bowl tilt against South Carolina. Gamecocks cornerback Cam Smith is also skipping that game.

Topping 800 receiving yards in each of the past two years, Mayer has been one of the most productive Division I-FBS tight ends in recent memory. His 180 receptions, 2,009 career receiving yards and 18 touchdowns rank first in Notre Dame history among tight ends. Those 180 catches rank third in Notre Dame history regardless of position. The 6-foot-4, 249-pound pass catcher ranks eighth on Mel Kiper Jr.’s most recent big board.

“The first reason I picked Notre Dame was the NFL; it was on my mind a very, very long time,” Mayer said, via Thamel. “I saw a lot of good tight ends in in the NFL from Notre Dame. That was one of the main reasons I went there.”

Kyle Rudolph, Cole Kmet, Durham Smythe and Tommy Tremble are currently carrying the Notre Dame banner among NFL tight ends, and the program has produced the likes of Dave Casper and Mark Bavaro. No Fighting Irish tight end has gone in the first round since the Bengals chose Tyler Eifert in 2013. Considering the dearth of reliable NFL receiving tight ends at present, Mayer stands to be quite the prize in 2023.

Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez Declares For Draft

December 5th, 2022 at 11:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the college football bowl schedule emerges, a handful of NFL hopefuls will pass on those games. Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez is one of them. The highly rated cornerback is declaring for the 2023 draft, he announced (on Twitter).

Gonzalez played two seasons at Colorado and one at Oregon, transferring within the Pac-12 this year. He will join several players who are passing on bowl games to guard against injury. Ohio State wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba is passing on a College Football Playoff semifinal, though he has missed most of this season due to injury.

ESPN’s Todd McShay slots Gonzalez as the second-ranked draft-eligible corner — behind only Georgia’s Kelee Ringo — while Mel Kiper Jr. pegs him as the class’ fourth-best corner. Gonzalez’s declaration follows the NCAA exits of Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. and South Carolina’s Cam Smith; both are consensus top-five prospects at the position and will thus be on the first-round radar. Oregon has not produced a first-round corner since Alex Molden in 1996.

Following the transfer, Gonzalez intercepted four passes — the first four of his career — and finished his 12-game season with a career-high seven passes defensed. While the 6-foot-2 defender only played six games during 2020’s COVID-19-altered Pac-12 season and will pass on his senior year, he closes his career having never missed a contest.

Oregon is set to play North Carolina in the Holiday Bowl. Next season will mark the last of the four-team CFP. The change will further diminish the bowls’ standing and put draft prospects who are on CFP-bound teams’ rosters to tests regarding participation.

Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba Declares For Draft

December 5th, 2022 at 4:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

With most college football players having only bowl games remaining on their schedules, many are beginning to declare for this spring’s draft. One notable member of that group announced on Monday that he will forego his remaining eligibility despite being a member of a playoff-bound team.

Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba has declared for the NFL draft, citing the fact that he will not be healthy in time to play in the Buckeyes’ upcoming CFP semifinal against Georgia. The decision confirms that injuries suffered in 2022 will limit his contributions to just three games and five receptions this season.

“I want to be out there competing with my brothers more than anything,” the junior said, via ESPN’s Pete Thamel. “The decision to turn pro was made after I was unable to come back on multiple occasions during the season and the doctors determined I would be unable to participate in the playoffs.”

The 6-0, 197-pounder had a modest freshman year, recording just 10 catches. His production the following year, however, made him one of the most celebrated WR prospects in the country. He set a new Big Ten record with 1,606 receiving yards, which came off of a team-leading 95 receptions. Smith-Njigba added nine touchdowns along the way.

Of note amidst those numbers, of course, is the fact that he was able to compile them on a team which also featured eventual first-rounders Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. Their departures led to sky-high expectations this season, but a lingering hamstring injury kept Smith-Njigba sidelined for most of the campaign. While that could hurt his draft stock, the decision by the Lions last spring to trade up and select Jameson Williams in spite of his ACL tear is a recent example of an NFL team being willing to accept the risk associated with an elite talent.

For Smith-Njigba (who is aiming to recover in time to participate in the Combine), that means he is still expected to hear his name called on Day 1 of the draft, something which will once again accompany significant expectations. Ohio State, meanwhile, will need to continue leaning heavily on sophomore phenom Marvin Harrison Jr. in the passing game when they look to upset Georgia.

South Carolina CB Cam Smith Declares For Draft

December 2nd, 2022 at 7:10pm CST by Ely Allen

South Carolina will say goodbye to their starting nickel cornerback as Cam Smith announced on Twitter today that he would be forgoing his senior year and declaring for the 2023 NFL Draft. The redshirt junior is the first member of the Gamecocks to make his intentions known.

Smith helped anchor a suffocating Gamecocks secondary unit that finished the regular season sixth in the nation for opposing quarterback completion percentage (53.5%). The team’s secondary will likely have a bit of a makeover next year. In addition to Smith’s departure, outside cornerback Darius Rush and free safety Devonni Reed will be out of eligibility at the end of the season. South Carolina’s other starting outside cornerback, Marcellas Dial, is also a redshirt junior who has yet to make his intentions known. Dial had a career year for the Gamecocks, leading the team in interceptions (3) and passes defensed (11) for the season, so he may also feel tempted to test his value as a pro.

Smith joined South Carolina as a member of the team’s 2019 recruiting class. Coming out of Westwood HS in Blythewood, he was a consensus four-star cornerback and the second-best recruit to come out of the Palmetto State. Smith chose South Carolina over Georgia Tech and fellow SEC competitors Georgia and Tennessee.

Smith retained the ability to redshirt his true freshman season after only appearing in three games and went on to appear in eight games in the team’s shortened 2020 season, starting three as a redshirt freshman. Smith’s redshirt sophomore season would see his most productive year as he was second on the team for interceptions (3) and led the team for passes defensed (11). He’ll leave Carolina with 91 total tackles, six interceptions, and 24 passes defensed over his career.

The 21-year-old is widely expected to be a late first- or early second-round selection this coming April. In an early look at positional prospect rankings, Smith is not as consistently ranked near the top of his position as Georgia’s Kelee Ringo, Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, or Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr., who recently announced his own declaration, but Smith caught the eye of ESPN’s Matt Miller, Todd McShay, and Mel Kiper, who ranked him as the second-best cornerback behind only Porter.

There’s no word yet on whether or not Smith will participate in the team’s bowl game, but if he does, he will be able to utilize that extra game, the NFL Scouting Combine, and South Carolina’s Pro Day to attempt to increase his draft stock before the first round commences.

Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr. Declares For Draft

November 30th, 2022 at 10:03pm CST by Ely Allen

Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr. announced on Twitter today that he intends to forgo his senior season (as well as his team’s bowl game) in order to prepare for and enter the 2023 NFL Draft. The son of former NFL linebacker Joey Porter just concluded an impressive redshirt junior season that saw him breakup a career high 11 passes.

The younger Porter came to Happy Valley as a consensus four-star recruit and the fourth-best athlete in Pennsylvania out of North Allegheny HS outside Pittsburgh. Porter quickly added 40 pounds to his 6-foot-2, 160-pound frame, giving him a lean, long, NFL-ready physique. He also took his four-star potential out of high school and became the top cornerback on many pundits’ boards coming out of college. He’s a big, physical cornerback with elite speed. There’s not too much to nitpick besides his lack of turnover production.

Porter has been a staple on a Nittany Lions team that has ranked top-10 in scoring defense for each of the past two years. This season Porter held opposing receivers to 5.86 yards per pass attempt under new defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. Over his four years of play, including a true freshman season that saw him appear in only three games, Porter racked up 113 tackles, two for a loss, 20 passes defensed, and one interception.

Porter is widely projected as a first-round pick with some placing him around the early 20s. He’ll compete with Georgia’s Kelee Ringo and Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez to be the top cornerback off the board, according to early predictions from ESPN.

Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr. No Longer Favored To Be No. 1 Pick?

November 20th, 2022 at 4:49pm CST by Adam La Rose

Entering the 2022 college football season, it was widely understood that the top of this year’s draft class would be more highly-touted than the previous spring’s crop of prospects. The presumed No. 1 pick was Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. As the regular season winds down, however, that may no longer be the case.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. writes that there is “serious doubt creeping in” with respect to Anderson being the first to hear his name called. Expectations were high for the true junior in 2022, after his massive production from the year before. His 17.5 sacks led the country in 2021, and left him fifth in Heisman voting.

2022 has not been a large disappointment from a statistical standpoint. Anderson has racked up eight sacks and 14 tackles for loss for the Crimson Tide, and totaled 60 QB pressures. That figure was 82 during his sophomore campaign, though, so a slight regression could be held against him during the pre-draft process. Kiper notes, however, that a drop in Anderson’s stock is not so much a reflection of his performance but a combination of other factors.

Quarterbacks – in particular Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Anderson’s teammate Bryce Young – have been in the conversation for the top pick, especially within the context of which team will end up with the No. 1 slot. If the Texans or Panthers have the opportunity to find their next franchise signal-caller, it would come as little surprise if Anderson is passed up. Kentucky’s Will Levis has also been mentioned as a contender to be the top quarterback in the class, though he has had a far more inconsistent college career to date.

Even if the first pick or two ends up being a passer, it is hardly a guarantee that Anderson will be the first defender to hear his name called at the draft. Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter has been as advertised this season, leading another stout Bulldogs defense despite previously dealing with a knee injury. Even if Anderson enjoys a strong finish to the campaign, then, he will not necessarily be the lock for the top pick that he was once considered.

2023 QB Draft Notes: Levis, Young, Richardson

November 15th, 2022 at 8:59am CST by Adam La Rose

Entering the second half of the NFL regular season, a number of teams are starting to look towards the upcoming draft. This year’s class is expected to feature a more promising group of quarterbacks compared to 2022, with Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud long considered the headliners.

Another name has seen a steady rise throughout the college season, however. Kentucky’s Will Levis continues to generate buzz during his second year with the Wildacats. After making 14 appearances in his first two years with Penn State, Levis has upped his production considerably since 2021. The 6-3, 222-pounder has also been erratic, on the other hand, leading to serious questions about his NFL readiness come the spring and summer.

In spite of that, PFF’s Doug Kyed recently cited two sources who deemed it “likely” that Levis will find himself being drafted in top-10 of the 2023 draft. That falls in line with previous buzz this season, with some whispers even indicating Levis could overtake Young and Stroud as the top QB off the board. Per ESPN’s Todd McShay, Levis has drawn comparisons to Josh Allen and Carson Wentz from NFL general managers based on his blend of size and athleticism – with the caveat that a significant amount of refinement in his passing ability will be needed for him to reach his potential.

Here are some other QB notes regarding the 2023 class:

The aforementioned Young entered the season with massive expectations, given his Heisman-winning performance in 2021. The junior has not been able to replicate his success from last year, though, with a dip in completion percentage (63%) and yards per attempt average (8.9). Overall, the 8-2 Crimson Tide are lacking at the skill positions and up front compared to most seasons, greatly contributing to Young’s step back. As noted by McShay’s colleague Matt Miller, though, NFL evaluators are not holding that fact against him, which likely means Young will still be among the first players to hear his name called in the spring.
Another name who has been the subject of plenty of pre-draft buzz is Anthony Richardson. The Florida prospect generated excitement heading into the season with his athletic profile, but also had a distinct lack of experience. Another raw talent like Levis, the 6-4 passer has been inconsistent through the air (55% completion percentage, seven interceptions in 10 games) but highly productive on the ground (584 rushing yards, nine touchdowns). As a result, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that Richardson is expected to declare for this spring’s draft. Pauline himself, along with his sources, agree that doing so would be premature though, and that remaining with the Gators for his senior year would be better for his development. Given Richardson’s high ceiling, Pauline predicts an NFL team could reach for him as early as the first round.