When the Panthers traded up for the No.1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, the betting odds for who would be selected swung from Alabama’s Bryce Young to Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. As we have crept towards the pivotal day, Young has forced his way back into the favorite position. Questions about how the teams following Carolina will approach their picks have some believing in a potential slide for Stroud on Thursday. According to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, the current belief is that Stroud won’t make it past the Raiders at No. 7 overall.
While some believe that quarterbacks could be the focus of the first four picks, there are possibilities for each pick. The Panthers could choose Young, and there’s a chance the Texans will go pass rusher. Arizona likely won’t take a passer after paying Kyler Murray, and the Colts have Kentucky quarterback Will Levis as an option opposite Stroud. The Seahawks and Lions follow them, but both have veteran quarterbacks coming off of strong seasons.
That brings us to the Raiders. Even after Las Vegas brought in Jimmy Garoppolo, rumors have claimed that the team will still look into drafting a passer with their top pick. If Stroud somehow pinballs his way past the first six picks, it would be extremely difficult for the Raiders to pass him up.
Here are a few other rumors as we close in on Draft Day:
- As we mentioned above, if the Texans pass on quarterback, they could choose a pass rusher with the second-overall pick. Many believe Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson could be that selection, but according to Pauline, Houston has some problems with his medicals. If Wilson is not their selection as a pass rusher, Alabama’s Will Anderson would likely be the other option.
- There has been some reported certainty that Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter will be the Seahawks choice at No. 5 overall. According to Pauline, that certainty is coming from more external sources than internal. Reportedly, Seattle has some hesitancy about handing over the $30MM of guarantees that Carter would get in that draft slot. We’ll have to wait and see if that hesitancy wins out.
- One name that continues to rise up draft boards is that of Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Despite the lack of ideal size, at 6-foot-1, 281 pounds, Kancey has convinced many that he is a lock to be selected on Day 1, according to Pauline. The Saints, in particular, are a team that have really done their due diligence on Kancey. They could feel really good about nabbing a certain first-round talent with the 29th pick of the draft.
- According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears could be looking to add a tight end in a year that is incredibly deep at the position. Chicago won’t likely use a top ten pick on Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer or Utah’s Dalton Kincaid, but thanks to the Roquan Smith-trade, the team has two second-round picks and may use them on such prospects as Georgia’s Darnell Washington, South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft, or Iowa’s Sam LaPorta.
- Speaking of Iowa, a recent mock draft by Pro Football Network’s Adam Caplan slotted Iowa pass rusher Lukas Van Ness as a top ten pick. Caplan explains that he’s spoken with several executives that believe Van Ness won’t make it past the Eagles at No. 10 overall. Philadelphia had been looking into pass rushers in free agency with an aging Brandon Graham, and Van Ness may be the answer.
Chicago doesn’t need a TE imo. They have Cole Kmet and they just signed Robert Tonyan to a one year deal. The Bears need to strengthen their offensive line and defensive line. The cornerback position also needs to be a priority over grabbing any of these TE’s.
Agreed. The Bears have had in the past an odd habit of stockpiling tight ends in the offseason, but there are so many other places that Chicago has needs that tight end shouldn’t be one. If they do end up taking one, it bears reasoning (no pun intended) that Tonyan would be the one to go. Chicago’s signing him seems to have been done with the thought that they WOULDN’T be taking a tight end in the draft, but Tonyan does have limitations as a blocker, so if he is slotted in as the number two, Chicago could consider a younger option to fill that spot. Ultimately though, it would feel redundant to pick a tight end with a valuable pick after that signing and with so many other needs.
Isn’t Pauline the same guru that heard rumblings that an unnamed team was going to trade up into the number 3 draft position…for a offensive lineman? Hmmmm.
I don’t see Stroud getting out of the top five either by a regular pick or a trade up. I just can’t see him falling. What he did against Georgia should show teams what he can do against top teams.
Check out his S2 score results…just saying
Wasn’t overly impressed by Fields when he was at OSU and even less so with Stroud. Lots and lots of hype about both he and Richardson when it’s likely neither will ever be a top tier QB
I agree. Part f me says that if Stroud and/or Richardson drop to #7, they’ll be good trade bait for my Raiders. But part of me is afraid that the Raiders might draft one of them.
How can you compare Stroud and Richardson? Stroud took his team to the playoffs and darn near beat Georgia and Richardson won 6 games at Florida, where they are very talented. No comparison to me.
Ohio State is also very talented, but does not play a higher level of competition than Florida. Both schools run fairly simplistic offenses, but Stroud is clearly the more developed passer in comparison to Richardson. Given his skillset, I’d say that Ohio State definitely ran a more pro friendly passing scheme than Florida did. Richardson undoubtedly has a much higher ceiling than Stroud-and likely higher than any of the other quarterbacks-but he’s going to need a lot of experience playing in a pro system to even have a chance to exploit that potential.
Of course, some team could always pull a Baltimore and build a run based offense around Richardson to allow him to compete for a few years immediately, but that type of system will likely limit his development as a passer.
How can you compare Stroud and Richardson?
=====================
I’m not. I wouldn’t hate it if Stroud fell to the Raiders at #7, but we have a lot of needs. And Stroud will make better trade bait.
please no van Ness to Philly @ #10
I of course could be very wrong as a fan on the couch, but I definitely see Van Ness as much more of a run stopper than a pass rusher at the next level. Now, that’s not to say that he’ll BAD as a pass rusher, but it seems to be that he’ll more impactful against the run than the pass as a pro.
Of course, his fellow Iowa alum Anthony Nelson just had a successful year as a big bodied rotational pass rusher in Tampa this past year, so there’s that.