By Michael Lachenschmidt.
It’s back by popular demand. The Lach Draft returns to its roots, a full first round mock draft. All 31 picks (remember Miami had to forfeit its selection) in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft selected by yours truly, plus sleepers and busts. Let’s get it started and as always no trades.
1 Carolina Panthers select Bryce Young QB Alabama….. Young is extremely accurate with his throws. Above average athleticism for the position allows Young to make plays with both his arm and his legs. Excellent footwork and anticipation. Young doesn’t have the strongest arm. Lightweight and short, durability is a major concern. Playing with elite players at every position also complicates the evaluation.
2. Houston Texans select C.J. Stroud QB Ohio State……Strouds arm is fantastic, he can truly make any throw on the field. He also is extremely accurate, completed almost 70% of his passes. Stroud is well built. A elongated release and a almost unwillingness to run are the main issues. Plus when’s the last time an Ohio State QB had a good NFL career?
3. Arizona Cardinals select Will Anderson Jr. EDGE Alabama….Anderson Jr. might be the best football player in the draft. A stud athlete, he compiled 34.5 sacks at Alabama while constantly facing double teams. Great hands and able to turn the corner with his hips, he could be a nightmare for offensive tackles for years to come. Not very bulky, could struggle to set the edge against the run. Wasn’t asked to drop in coverage much in college.
4. Indianapolis Colts select Anthony Richardson QB Florida….. A polarizing prospect. Richardson is raw but has talent. Amazing arm strength, and athlete he got away with throwing into tight window’s. Really calm in the pocket, he also trucked defenders when he escaped the pocket. Richardson has very little touch on his passes which leads to overthrows. His passes especially sail when attacking the middle of the field. Only completing 53% of his passes last year is a major red flag.
5. Seattle Seahawks select Tyree Wilson EDGE Texas Tech…….. Seattle needs help on defense. Enter a physical freak. Wilson stands at 6-6 and weighs 270 lbs. He improved his explosion off the line, and with his size he has room for error if his first pass rush move fails. Questionable anchor and angles in pursuit are big question marks in Wilson’s game.
6. Detroit Lions select Devon Witherspoon CB Illinois…. Witherspoon’s speed is noticeable on tape. Flashes in coverage especially in bump and run. Can run with any receiver he’s also a willing tackler. He can be inconsistent on technique especially his footwork. Could probably add 10-15 lbs he’s very skinny.
7. Las Vegas Raiders select Paris Johnson OT Ohio State…. Great length and a mean spirit, Johnson punshes defenders when he gets his hands on. Gets to the second level quickly in the run game, also has good recovery skills in pass protection. Really skinny lower body for his size. Johnson can get caught leaning which leads to getting caught off balance.
8. Atlanta Falcons select Jalen Carter DT Georgia…. Athletically special for his size, simply a great quick twitch athlete. Plays with good leverage and technique. College opponents could not block him one on one. Motor issues, and lack of discipline both on and off the field could derail a promising career before it even starts.
9. Chicago Bears select Peter Skoronski OT Northwestern…. A technician, Skoronski maybe the safest pick in the draft. Great at pass protection, shows good balance and agility for his size. NFL pedigree, his Grandfather was a offensive lineman for the Green Bay Packers. Bit of a tweener body, better position in the pros might be guard. Average strength for his position might limit his upside.
10. Philadelphia Eagles select Lukas Van Ness EDGE Iowa…. Van Ness has an excellent build. Powerful hands and excellent strength allows Van Ness to win with his bull rush. Plays with his hair on fire, effort will not be an issue. Van Ness can struggle to move laterally often taking choppy like steps. Has balance issues at times ends up on the ground more than he should.
11 Tennessee Titans select Will Levis QB Kentucky…. Tennessee has gone about as far as they can with Ryan Tannehill, and Malik Willis looked like a bust. Levis could be the future in Nashville. Strength, size, arm talent, and toughness are all off the charts. Plays the game like a linebacker, often lowering his shoulder on runs. A gunslinger, he can flick the ball 60 yards with minimal wind up. Ball sails at times. Bad decisions by over trusting his arm leads to picks. Will probably have to sit for a year to refine his game.
12. Houston Texans select Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR Ohio State…. Smith-Njigba has high football IQ. A smooth but not explosive athlete, reminds me of Greg Jennings. High effort in the run game as a blocker. Accelerates out of his cuts allowing for maximum separation from his defender. Struggles against press man. Major medical concern, he struggled with injuries and productivity in 2022.
13. Green Bay Packers select Dalton Kincaid TE Utah… Jordan Love gets a new weapon here. Kincaid bring elite quickness to the position. Runs behinds his pads often carrying two or three defenders along for a ride. Wide catch radius and good hands allows him to bring down errant passes. Raw, playing only one year of high school football. Not a great blocker but willing, and his routes needs more subtlety to truly max out his potential.
14. New England Patriots select Broderick Jones OT Georgia…. A run on o-lineman begins here, which makes sense as this draft class isn’t particularly great at that position. Jones is a good athlete. Soild footwork in pass protection. Plays through the whistle and is always looking for someone to hit. His aggressiveness can hurt him, often caught leaning in the run game which allows the defender to shed. Too many missed assignments in picking up blitzing defenders.
15. New York Jets select Darnell Wright OT Tennessee…. The Jets traded for Aaron Rodgers, now they’ll need to beef up their o-line. Wright would do just that. He’s probably the best pass protector in the draft. Powerfully bulit he simply mauls people. Versatile, played both Tackle and Guard in college. His heavy build can create awkward movements. Can struggle against speed but I’m not concerned about it, his tape was just so good.
16. Washington Commanders select Joey Porter Jr. CB Penn State…. NFL pedigree, dad Joey was a stud linebacker. Joey Jr. unsurprisingly has freakish size for a corner. 35 inch arms allows him to be a great press corner. Really good ball skills as well. Lacks fluidity as an athlete. Sometimes gets caught flat footed. Hooks his recivers too often, could be a penalty waiting to happen in the pro game.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers select Nolan Smith OLB Georgia…. A refined pass rusher, Smith uses a quick first step and a bevy of pass rush moves to give offensive lineman fits. Solid balance, and tough Smith can also play special teams. Short, and a little small. Smith will not beat anyone with his bull rush. Can struggle to set the edge against the run.
18. Detroit Lions select Bijan Robinson RB Texas. …. Incredible value pick. Robinson might be the best back to come out of college since Saquan Barkley. Robinson’s size and speed are truly elite. Powerful runner that lowers his shoulders and finishes runs, is also a solid receiver. Vision is a concern, looks for cutbacks and often loses yards he shouldn’t. Pass blocking needs work.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers select Christian Gonzalez CB Oregon….. A explosive athlete, Gonzalez glides across the field with ease. Good length and size allows him to jam receivers. Honestly Gonzalez plays with too much finesse especially with the ball in the air. Can struggle against more physical recievers, even with his size he struggles on 50/50 balls.
20. Seattle Seahawks select Calijah Kancey DT Pittsburgh….. Kancey reminds me of John Randal, he’s too small, but he’s so quick and is always around the football. Plays with unbelievable leverage and can contort his body to get around blocks. He’s small at 5’11 280 lbs. Kancey can get moved off the line, especially against double teams.
21. Los Angeles Chargers select Michael Mayer TE Notre Dame….. Mayer has good play strength, handles his blocking assignments well, and is a strong runner after the catch. Can be moved out to the slot and impact the offense that way. Not very long, which impacts his catch radius, especially while running down the seam. Blocking technique needs a lot of work.
22. Baltimore Raven select Jordan Addison WR USC….. Addison could be a nightmare for defenses to cover, a solid route runner, snaps off his cuts with precision. Good speed and solid hands with added value of being able to play both outside and in the slot. Like most recievers in this class Addison is small at only 175 lbs. Durability, and being able to get off press man coverage are the man concerns going forward.
23. Minnesota Vikings select O’Cyrus Torrence Guard Florida…. Minnesota was physically whipped in some of their losses, especially on the line. Enter 350lbs of mean aggressiveness. Torrence is a mountain of a man. Huge, heavy hands, he packs a punch in the run game. Steel hands he locks on and never lets go. Slow feet means there’s no chance to ever hope to play tackle in the league. He’s a guard only prospect.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars select Myles Murphy EDGE Clemson…. Murphy does a lot well. Gets out of his stance and has burst to get to the Q.B. Plays with effort, and sets a solid edge in the run game. Murphy will struggle in coverage and is a little tight in the hips.
25. New York Giants select Jalin Hyatt WR Tennessee… One of my favorite players in the draft. A deep threat, Hyatt shows off his speed by stacking corners on deep routes. Great hands, able to snatch passes that look out of his reach. Generates a lot of yards after the catch due to his athleticism. Skinny, so durability maybe an issue. Not a good blocker, needs to be a better route runner. Played in a receivers dream offense in college, so will need to adjust to a more pro style system.
26. Dallas Cowboys select Emmanuel Forbes CB Mississippi State…. Forbes made a name for himself in college with six pick sixes setting an NCAA record. Great hips can flip them and run. Weird body, super long arms and legs help in coverage. But he’s so damn skinny, he probably played at about 160 lbs. last year. Really not sure he can handle more physical recievers.
27. Buffalo Bills select Brian Branch Safety Alabama…. Branch is a fantastic tackler, he shows great awareness and is always around the football. Plays faster than his 40 times suggested. Can also play slot corner in a pinch. Played more “star” position (slot corner) than deep safety so will need time to develop.
28. Cincinnati Bengals select Deonte Banks CB Maryland…..Great frame and long strides allows him to stay with most recievers. Has really good ball skills, and shows anticipation in reading QB’s. Struggles to follow his recievers on crossing routes. At times it looks like he’s allergic to tackling which is more than frustrating.
29. New Orleans Saints select Zay Flowers WR Boston College…. Flowers is amazing at getting open. Creates space in the passing game by using his speed and herky jerky motions. Can return punts and kicks. Like most recievers in the draft he’s small. Questionable if he’ll ever be able to play outside or if he’s strictly a slot receiver. He can’t break tackles, mostly due to his size.
30. Philadelphia Eagles select Quentin Johnston WR TCU…. Unlike Jones before him, Johnston is huge, standing 6’4 and over 200 lbs. he’s a physical specimen. Has good speed for his size, and beating press man coverage will not be an issue. Has questionable ball skills, often jumping early on 50/50 balls. Needs to improve his route running ability.
31. Kansas City Chiefs select Keion White Edge Georgia Tech…Effort is really noticeable, has a high motor. Really good size for the position. Can be moved inside on passing downs. Not super athletic, nor is he violent with his hands.
A quick note: Before we get to sleepers, obviously with no trades a guy like Hendon Hooker gets lost in the shuffle. I do think he’ll get drafted in the first round. He might even end up being the best QB in the draft. Look for Minnesota or Atlanta to trade back up in the first round to get him.
5 Sleepers: Here are some guys that could surprise people with solid pro careers.
Tyjae Spears Tulane RB: A small back with elite speed. He’s so dangerous in the open field. Catches the ball out of the backfield well. Needs to run more downhill and not try to bounce everything outside. Grade: 4th round.
Cedric Tillman WR Tennessee: While most of the wide receivers in this class are short, small, and fast. Tillman brings a different build, he’s tall and pysical. Wins 50-50 balls, and is smooth out of his routes. Not a burner, foot and ankle injuries destroyed his season last year, so medical evaluation is important here. Grade: 2nd-3rd round.
Tyson Bagent QB Shepherd: Bagent had over 17,000 yards passing at Division II Shepherd. Good size and a good but not great arm will give him a chance to be drafted. His ability to work quickly through progressions will allow him to stick, either in the NFL or one of the spring leagues (XFL or USFL). Not a great athlete, needs to drive the ball more on sideline throws. Grade: 6th-7th round.
Andre Carter II EDGE Army: Carter II will be the highest military academy player picked in recent memory. Standing 6’6 255 lbs. his size and speed are too good to pass up. Plays with good effort, often chasing plays down from behind. 15.5 sacks his Junior year, so the productivity is there. May need a redshirt year, needs to get stronger. Grade: 2nd-3rd round
Ejzohn Wright CB Oregon State: He’s a large corner at 6’2 he thrives in zone coverage. Doesn’t miss tackles or get lost in coverage. Jury is still out on if he can play man coverage consistently enough to stick. Grade: 5th round.
Busts: Obviously we want everyone to be successful but that’s not reality. Here’s some guys I’m worried about.
Jalen Carter DT Georgia: I have him going 8th, and he has all the talent in the world. Off the field problems including a fatal car accident, and showing up overweight and out of shape at his pro day are the biggest red flags.
Anthony Richardson QB Florida: He’s got the physical tools, but a lack of touch on his throws and accuracy issues scare me.
Christan Gonzalez CB Oregon: Simply plays with too much finesse. Needs to be more aggressive, and physical or will be exposed in the NFL.
Thanks for reading! Enjoy the 2023 NFL Draft!
View From The Bench 