ESPN releases complete seven-round NFL mock draft including massive shakeup in top ten
NFL Draft week is upon us. The highly-anticipated event will kick off on Thursday night, with the first round beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET. Ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller has released a full seven-round mock with a couple of major shakeups early in the first round.
A quarterback is all but guaranteed to go with the No. 1 overall pick, with Alabama‘s Bryce Young the most likely option to be selected with the top choice. The question is what happens after that. Many experts view Alabama defender Will Anderson Jr. or Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud as the likely candidates for the Houston Texans at No. 2, but the odds appear to be shifting elsewhere.
On Saturday, Kentucky quarterback Will Levis emerged as the favorite to be taken with the second pick, edging out Anderson, Stroud and Texas Tech‘s Tyree Wilson.
With Lamar Jackson still without a resolution with the Baltimore Ravens, in addition to the Tennessee Titans putting Ryan Tannehill on the trade market, more big moves could be made in the coming days at quarterback.
Another intriguing player to watch in the first round is Texas running back Bijan Robinson. Viewed as a generational running back talent, he could find himself selected anywhere in the opening round. With a few teams around the league searching for an upgrade in the backfield, perhaps the Los Angeles Chargers due to Austin Ekeler’s uncertain future, Robinson could be another coveted asset that wreaks havoc on the draft as teams look to secure him.
Overall, five quartebacks were selected in the first round of Miller’s mock draft with 12 total NFL teams taking fliers on signal-callers in later rounds.
First round of ESPN’s full 2023 NFL mock draft
- Carolina Panthers (via CHI): Alabama QB Bryce Young
- Houston Texans: Alabama DE Will Anderson Jr.
- Arizona Cardinals: Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson
- Indianapolis Colts: Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud
- Seattle Seahawks (via DEN): Georgia DT Jalen Carter
- Detroit Lions (via LAR): Illinois CB Devon Witherspoon
- Las Vegas Raiders: Florida QB Anthony Richardson
- Atlanta Falcons: Georgia OLB Nolan Smith
- Chicago Bears (via CAR): Iowa DE Lukas Van Ness
- Philadelphia Eagles (via NO): Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez
- Tennessee Titans: Kentucky QB Will Levis
- Houston Texans (via CLE): Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
- New York Jets: Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr.
- New England Patriots: Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski
- Green Bay Packers: Utah TE Dalton Kincaid
- Washington Commanders: Penn State CB Joey Porter Jr.
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Tennessee OT Darnell Wright
- Detroit Lions: Pittsburgh DT Calijah Kancey
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Georgia OT Broderick Jones
- Seattle Seahawks: Clemson DE Myles Murphy
- Los Angeles Chargers: Texas RB Bijan Robinson
- Baltimore Ravens: Boston College WR Zay Flowers
- Minnesota Vikings: Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Maryland CB Deonte Banks
- New York Giants: Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes
- Dallas Cowboys: Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer
- Buffalo Bills: TCU WR Quentin Johnston
- Cincinnati Bengals: Michigan CB DJ Turner
- New Orleans Saints (via SF/MIA/DEN): Northwestern DT Adetomiwa Adebawore
- Philadelphia Eagles: Alabama safety Brian Branch
- Kansas City Chiefs: USC WR Jordan Addison
You can find the rest of ESPN’s 2023 NFL mock draft here. Rounds 2-7 include plenty of interesting selections, with seven more quarterbacks coming off the board.
Draft week is here. But a lot could change between now and Thursday night. The 2023 NFL Draft will begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday with Rounds 2-3 on Friday night and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday. If this mock draft is any indication, the NFL could look very different by this time next week.