2023 NFL Draft: Best available prospects entering second round
The first round of the NFL Draft is over but there is still plenty of time to go for players to live out their dreams of being selected. On top of that, there are several incredibly talented players still available, some of whom were assumed to be first round picks.
ESPN broke down the remaining draft picks, including some of the biggest names in the draft, like Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, and just because a player falls out of the first round doesn’t mean they can’t have a phenomenal career. Just ask Jalen Hurts.
The second and third round of the NFL Draft begin on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. EST. Then, on Saturday, rounds four through seven will kick off at noon.
Here are the 25 best available prospects, according to ESPN:
- Will Levis, quarterback, Kentucky
- Michael Mayer, tight end, Notre Dame
- Joey Porter Jr., cornerback, Penn State
- Brian Branch, safety, Alabama
- Luke Musgrave, tight end, Oregon State
- Hendon Hooker, quarterback, Tennessee
- Steve Avila, guard, TCU
- Keeanu Benton, defensive tackle, Wisconsin
- Jonathan Mingo, wide receiver, Ole Miss
- Darnell Washington, tight end, Georgia
- Joe Tippmann, center, Wisconsin
- Tyrique Stevenson, cornerback, Miami
- O’Cyrus Torrence, guard, Florida
- Sam LaPorta, tight end, Iowa
- Julius Brents, cornerback, Kansas State
- Keion White, defensive end, Georgia Tech
- BJ Ojulari, outside linebacker, LSU
- Jayden Reed, wide receiver, Michigan State
- John Michael Schmitz, center, Minnesota
- Jalin Hyatt, wide receiver, Tennessee
- Kelee Ringo, cornerback, Georgia
- Adetomiwa Adebawora, defensive end, Northwestern
- Matthew Bergeron, tackle, Syracuse
- Cody Mauch, tackle, North Dakota State
- Trenton Simpson, linebacker, Clemson
There are some great players available in the second round of the draft. Obviously, that starts with Will Levis, who saw odds on him being the top overall pick explode before the draft. Now, he needs to find the right situation for him to thrive. That’s also true for Hendon Hooker, the only other quarterback in the top-25 players available.
Joey Porter Jr. and Michael Mayer were both considered first round NFL picks. However, that didn’t happen for either of them. Still, they won’t have to wait long to hear themselves get picked in the second round.
Interestingly, the second round of the draft is also expecting a run of tight ends. There are four excellent tight ends available and that does start with Mayer.
There are currently three teams, Georgia, Tennessee, and Wisconsin, who have multiple players ranked in the top 25. Meanwhile, Cody Mauch of North Dakota State is the only FCS player that ESPN has ranked this high at this point in the draft.