ESPN, Todd McShay update Top 32 NFL Draft prospect rankings

On3 imageby:Sam Gillenwater11/18/22

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Frank Jansky, Joe Robbins, Scott Winters | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

As we enter the final two weeks of college football’s regular season, decisions about entrance into the 2023 NFL Draft are on the verge of being made. The top prospects across the country, especially the ones outside the CFP, have but a pair of regular season games and potentially some form of postseason appearance between them and their pro football dreams. With that in mind, who is evaluated as the best of the best with the year winding down?

ESPN’s Todd McShay released his updated 2023 NFL Draft Rankings on Thursday featuring his 32 best players who could hear their names called this spring. For him, Alabama remains a dominant force come draft season as he has a pair of Crimson Tide stars atop his list.

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  1. OLB Will Anderson Jr. – Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. QB Bryce Young – Alabama Crimson Tide
  3. QB CJ StroudOhio State Buckeyes
  4. DT Jalen CarterGeorgia Bulldogs
  5. DE Myles MurphyClemson Tigers
  6. DT Bryan Bresee – Clemson Tigers
  7. OT Olumuyiwa FashanuPenn State Nittany Lions
  8. RB Bijan RobinsonTexas Longhorns
  9. CB Kelee Ringo – Georgia Bulldogs
  10. DE Tyree WilsonTexas Tech Red Raiders
  11. OT Paris Johnson Jr. – Ohio State Buckeyes
  12. OT Peter SkoronskiNorthwestern Wildcats
  13. QB Will LevisKentucky Wildcats
  14. TE Michael MayerNotre Dame Fighting Irish
  15. WR Jordan AddisonUSC Trojans
  16. WR Quentin JohnsonTCU Horned Frogs
  17. CB Christian GonzalezOregon Ducks
  18. CB Joey Porter Jr. – Penn State Nittany Lions
  19. S Brian Branch – Alabama Crimson Tide
  20. DE Lukas Van NessIowa Hawkeyes
  21. RB Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama Crimson Tide
  22. CB Cam SmithSouth Carolina Gamecocks
  23. WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Ohio State Buckeyes
  24. S Antonio JohnsonTexas A&M Aggies
  25. G O’Cyrus TorrenceFlorida Gators
  26. OLB Nolan Smith – Georgia Bulldogs
  27. DE Jared VerseFlorida State Seminoles
  28. OT Broderick Jones – Georgia Bulldogs
  29. ILB Trenton Simpson – Clemson Tigers
  30. CB Clark Phillips IIIUtah Utes
  31. OLB BJ OjulariLSU Tigers
  32. OLB Andre Carter IIArmy Black Knights

Will Anderson Jr. and Bryce Young will go down as Nick Saban’s next two greats as they’re near locks to go in the Top-10, if not Top-5, in this draft. However, McShay has two more Tide players near the top of this draft with Brian Branch just inside of the Top-20 and Jahmyr Gibbs just outside of it.

If you think you’re seeing a lot of familiar faces at similar schools, don’t worry. You are. Georgia tied with the Crimson Tide for first with four selections while Ohio State and Clemson tied with three. It’s not only that those four schools have the most names in McShay’s ranking. It’s that they have the cream of the crop with all four of those schools having two players featured within the first 11 picks.

Liking defense could mean you’ll be excited for the upcoming NFL Draft too. Of McShay’s 32 selections, six are defensive linemen, five are linebackers, and five are corners. That means, in total, we see 18 of his picks are prospects who could be playing for NFL defenses by as early as next year.

With several big games, bowl season, and the CFP left, plenty of football is still left to be played. However, these are a lot of the names we’ve seen all season long and, regardless of what order they’re selected, they’re near guarantees to be the names we see atop of the draft boards come late April in Kansas City.