The clock is ticking. We’re now just a few hours away from the 2023 NFL Draft and now is the perfect time to fire off some predictions. The 2023 class doesn’t have a lot of elite talent, but there’s an extraordinary amount of depth across the board, especially in some premium positions. Whatever happens, the first round is expected to be as exciting as ever. Let’s get to the predictions.
- The Cardinals can’t negotiate a trade and draft Paris Johnson Jr.
The ideal scenario for the Arizona Cardinals is that they find a dance partner and trade out of the No. 3 overall pick to acquire some more valuable draft assets. Quantity and quality are imperative for one of the worst rosters in the league at this juncture. But draft day trades that see teams trading up into the top 10 are rare. We’re going to talk about a scenario later on that might take place, but it doesn’t happen for the Cardinals. Sorry, Arizona.
It’s not all bad, though, because the Cardinals will still end up with a top-10 talent and arguably the best offensive tackle in the class in Paris Johnson Jr., someone Kyler Murray has reportedly banged the table for ahead of Thursday’s draft. It makes sense. The Cardinals’ offensive line is one of the worst in the league and PJJ has enough positional versatility to play anywhere across the line early on – though he projects best as a left tackle.
- Jalen Carter doesn’t fall out of the top 5
Much has been made of Jalen Carter’s draft stock over the last few months. Off-field issues and character concerns have seen Carter drop from a surefire top 5 pick and, likely, the first defensive player off the board to a player who could fall out of the top 10 entirely. The concerns are legitimate and should be taken seriously, but Carter isn’t falling out of the top 10.
In fact, we’re not even sure he falls out of the top 5. The film is the film and it shows Carter being one of the most disruptive defenders that could enter the league in quite some time. He wins with a rare blend of power and speed, moving like a man who’s not 314 lbs (though he did weigh 10 lbs heavier at his pro day) and his traits are just too hard to pass up on. If he’s still on the board when the Seahawks are picking at No. 5, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Pete Carroll and John Schneider take a shot on him. They’ll believe they can get the best out of him and simultaneously help him mature.
- Five offensive tackles are taken in the first round
If you’re a team in search of an offensive tackle then you’re in luck, the 2023 draft class is filled with them – at least in the first two rounds. There is a drop-off after the first six or seven guys, but that first crop of players are all ultra-talented. This one isn’t going out on a limb, but expect to see at least five offensive tackles picked in the first round, and potentially four in the top 20.
We’ve already predicted Paris Johnson Jr. to the Cardinals, so that leaves Peter Skoronski, Broderick Jones, Darnell Wright, and Anton Harrison or Dawand Jones making up the rest of the picks. Broderick Jones has the chops to be a franchise left tackle, while Skoronski is the most technically refined tackle in the draft but could wind up playing as a guard. There’s going to be a run of tackles in the early 10s, and a lot of teams are going to be happy. Beyond that, Harrison and Jones could easily both land in the top 32, but let’s play it safe and say only one of them will, and it’ll be Harrison.
- The Titans trade up to draft C.J. Stroud
Now, now. We know what we said. Draft day trades of the top-10 variety are ultra-rare in the NFL, but we’ll make an exception here. There are four quarterbacks pegged to be drafted in the top 10 alone, and the chances are that one of them will fall – it might not be by a lot, but it could be by enough to convince someone to trade up to get them. The player is Stroud, and the team could be the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans have been linked to trading up into the top 10, drafting a quarterback, and causing some chaos for a few weeks now. It’s a real possibility. The Ryan Tannehill era is coming to an end and the Titans might be thinking about a succession plan sooner rather than later. If Stroud falls to the 7-9 range, the Titans could pull the trigger, trade up from No. 11 and draft their quarterback of the future.
-Thomas Valentine
Twitter: @tvalentinesport
Photo: Maize & Blue Nation. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.