NFL mock draft 2023: Complete first round projections loaded with QBs

The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, giving us the opportunity to start looking at next year’s draft ceremony taking place in Kansas City. Several things can and will change between now and next April, but it’s never too early to begin familiarizing ourselves with the names that could be called in the 2023 class.

The current No. 1 overall pick odds from DraftKings Sportsbook suggests that the top pick will be a three-man race between Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (+200), Alabama quarterback Bryce Young (+225), and Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson (+330)

The current favorite Stroud threw for over 4,000 yards and 44 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman with the Buckeyes in 2021, winning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year honors and finishing the season as a Heisman Trophy finalist. He finished behind the 2021 Heisman winner in Young, who threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns. Meanwhile, some analysts have suggested that Anderson would’ve been the consensus No. 1 overall pick if he had been eligible to enter this most recent draft. The 2021 Bronco Nagurski Trophy winner was a wrecking machine for the Crimson Tide defense, finishing the season with 101 tackles, 31 TFLs, and 17.5 sacks.

The presence of Stroud and Young speaks to the 2023 quarterback class being incredibly stronger than the relatively weak 2022 class we just saw this past weekend in Las Vegas. Prospects like South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler and Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec are projected to have their names called in the first round while current sleepers like Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, Miami’s Tyler Van Dyke, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and a host of others could launch themselves up the board with a strong season.

We could also see a strong presence of defensive linemen in the top ten. Both Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy from Clemson could be taken off the board early while Georgia’s Jalen Carter is bound to continue the pipeline of NFL-bound front seven monsters coming out of Athens, GA. And on the receiver front, another strong class is projected to be led by Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State and Kayshon Boutte from LSU.

Below, we’ve compiled our first 2023 NFL Mock Draft based on the reverse order of current DraftKings Sportsbook Super Bowl odds.

1. Houston Texans (+20000): C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

2. Detroit Lions (+15000): Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

3. New York Jets (+15000): Will Anderson, Edge, Alabama

4. Atlanta Falcons (+15000): Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia

5. Jacksonville Jaguars (+13000): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

6. Carolina Panthers (+10000): Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina

7. New York Giants (+10000): Phil Jurkovec, QB, Boston College

8. Seattle Seahawks (+10000): Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson

9. Chicago Bears (+10000): Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State

10. Washington Commanders (+6500): Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (+6500): Eli Ricks, CB, Alabama

12. Philadelphia Eagles via NO (+5000): Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon

13. Minnesota Vikings (+4500): Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

14. New England Patriots (+4000): Jordan Addison, WR, Pitt

15. Las Vegas Raiders (+3500): Myles Murphy, DL, Clemson

16. Philadelphia Eagles (+3500): Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia

17. Miami Dolphins (+3000): B.J. Ojulari, Edge, LSU

18. Tennessee Titans (+2800): Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson

19. Arizona Cardinals (+2500): Jarrett Patterson, IOL, Notre Dame

20. Indianapolis Colts (+2200): Malachi Moore, S, Alabama

21. Baltimore Ravens (+2200): Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma

22. Cincinnati Bengals (+1800): Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

23. Houston Texans via CLE (+1700): Rakim Jarrett, WR, Maryland

24. Dallas Cowboys (+1700): Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

25. Seattle Seahawks via DEN (+1600): Jaren Hall, QB, BYU

26. Los Angeles Chargers (+1600): Isaiah Foskey, DL, Notre Dame

27. Miami Dolphins via SF (+1400): Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

28. Detroit Lions via LAR (+1000): Byron Young, DL, Alabama

29. Green Bay Packers (+1000): Derick Hall, Edge, Auburn

30. Kansas City Chiefs (+1000): Henry To’oto’o, Edge, Alabama

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+700): Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State

32. Buffalo Bills (+650): Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M