The 2023 NFL draft is getting closer and closer, as we’re now through Week 9 of the college football season. Draft boards are starting to come together, and scouts now have a good sample of 2022 game tape to watch on the class’s top prospects.
But not all boards are the same, and we asked our draft analysts — Mel Kiper Jr., Jordan Reid and Matt Miller — to pick out players they are high or low on at this point. Plus, is Anthony Richardson still a first-round prospect? And who is the top cornerback in the class?
Kiper, Reid and Miller also single out prospects rising up their draft boards and players flying under the radar who could get a draft-stock boost. Finally, they empty their notebooks with everything they saw and heard over the weekend. Let’s get started.
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Big questions | Risers
Under the radar
Emptying the notebook
Which prospect are you higher on than the early consensus among draft analysts?
Kiper: Brian Branch, DB, Alabama. I’m a big fan of the versatility and instincts of Branch, who is my third-ranked safety and could be a top-50 pick in April. He plays a bunch of slot-corner snaps for the Crimson Tide, wearing a lot of hats for that defense. I wrote about him a few weeks ago as a riser, and he keeps flashing on tape. The 6-foot Branch can get a little grabby in coverage, but he makes plays (five passes defended) even if he doesn’t come down with the interception. He also is a good blitzer, recording two sacks this season. Branch will play early and often when he reaches the NFL.
Reid: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech. At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, Wilson’s size speaks for itself. What makes Wilson so intriguing is that he’s still operating mainly off his raw traits. He has the versatility to rush off of the edge, reduce outside on obvious passing downs or drop in coverage. And now, he is starting to string together pass-rush moves — he has six sacks this season — and is showing more durability against the run. At the next level, I see him as either an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme or maybe a 5-technique in a 4-3 defense. Wilson is my No. 7-ranked prospect, and as the pre-draft process progresses, don’t be surprised if he starts to get top-10-pick buzz.
Miller: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame. He’s called Baby Gronk for a reason, and despite being overshadowed by Georgia phenom Brock Bowers (a 2024 prospect) this season, Mayer is still the best tight end in the 2023 draft class — and it’s not close. He is a do-it-all playmaker…
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