NFL mock draft 2023 – Jordan Reid’s preseason predictions for every first-round pick, landing spots for five quarterbacks and team needs

All is right again, as the 2022 college football season is finally here. Week 0 marks the start of a new journey for the NFL scouting community, as well as for many prospects vying to help their draft stock over the next eight months. I’m excited to get back on the scouting trail and see more live games this year as we get set for the 2023 NFL draft.

NFL teams are still in the early stages of the evaluation process, and scouts and evaluators are starting to make the rounds to schools in their areas to collect background information on certain prospects. We still have a long way to go, and a lot will change between now and next April. But with college football kicking off, here is my first 2023 NFL mock draft projecting 31 picks. Remember, the Dolphins forfeited their own first-round pick this year after violating league anti-tampering policies.

How did I get my draft order, though? The first-round order is based on ESPN’s Football Power Index, though the projections do not yet account for post-June 1 moves or the Deshaun Watson suspension. Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk, and I also included early positional needs for each team. Who is projected as an early pick next year?

Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama*

General manager Joe Douglas has set the franchise up nicely for the future, and the Jets are hoping to take another step forward this season — but they land the No. 1 pick in ESPN’s FPI projections. Will there be turnover at key positions — including perhaps quarterback — if this is the scenario? Either way, I think New York would simply take the best player in the draft, and that’s Anderson. Adding him to Carl Lawson and Jermaine Johnson gives the Jets a ferocious group off the edge. Anderson led the FBS with 17.5 sacks, 34.5 tackles for loss and 79 pressures last season.

Biggest needs: OT, LB, DL

Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia*

There are some scouts around the league who believe Carter has the most upside in this draft class, and he’s the type of player around whom new GM Ryan Poles could build an entire defensive unit. He had just 3.0 sacks last season, but he was sharing snaps with multiple 2022 first-round picks. Carter consistently lives in the other team’s backfield. A true penetrator as a 3-technique, he’s a wrecking ball with high-level explosiveness, hand power and finishing ability.

Biggest needs: OL, WR, DL

C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State*

Yes, Davis Mills could continue to play well and hang on to the starting QB gig,…