While there may be no NFL football big screens during the NFL offseason, that does not mean plays are not being made. Behind the scenes, teams and big names in football are making moves to prepare for the 2023 NFL draft that begins on April 27.
With fans waiting to hear the new lineups for their favorite teams, analysts are weighing in on predictions for the year. Numerous mock drafts are made by sports analysts and fans, hoping to guess how the draft will shake out.
Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Tyree Wilson and Anthony Richardson are a few of the names predicted to be among the first few names to be called.
The Carolina Panters have the first pick. Many suspect they will snatch up quarterback Bryce Young because of their need for that position.
As other teams begin to filter in with their picks, experts predict the high number of top-notch tight ends will play a key role in team’s picks for the year.
“The tight end group is the best I’ve seen in the last 10 years,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said in an AP News article. “I have 11 tight ends that I have Top-3-round grades on, which is a ridiculous number,” Jeremiah said. “It’s just a really, really good group.”
Those top tight ends include Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Utah’s Dalton Kincaid at the top of the pack. Georgia’s Darnell Washington, Oregon State’s Luke Musgrave, Iowa’s Sam LaPorta and South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft, according to AP News.
While many of the athletes have shown their skills throughout their college seasons, a select few stand out even more before the drafting process begins. They are called “draft risers.”
“A draft riser climbs the charts through the season and into the pre-draft process. He gets somebody’s attention and forces an adjustment, or three, to the grade he carried when the college football season began,” ESPN said.
ESPN has an extensive list ranking draft risers of the year beginning with Tennessee’s offensive tackle Darnell Wright who is now at 17 by Scouts Inc.
While Wright struggled in some of his former college years, he worked on his footwork and technique which showed vast improvement and was highlighted significantly during Tennessee’s 52-49 win over Alabama last season.
“Scouts had a third-round grade on him, at best, in August. They thought he had been inconsistent at the Vols’ left tackle in 2021. So, in a lot of databases, he opened the season as a Day 2 or even early Day 3 pick. Now, he sits solidly with a first-round grade and is expected to be among the first tackles off the board,” ESPN said.
Also on the list is Luke Musgrave, a tide end from Oregon State; Yasir Abdullah a former Louisville edge; fomer Geogia quarterback Stetson Bennett; Chandler Zavala, a guard from North Carolina State; Florida A&M offensive linebacker Isaiah Land; and Joey Fisher an offensive tackle from Shepherd.
All the predictions will become just that when the draft itself starts 8:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 27 for round one. Each year, a surprise move catches fans off guard as NFL teams try out new strategies to improve their lineups.