We’re down the home stretch — the 2023 NFL Draft gets underway on April 27 — and while we’ll continue the wall-to-wall coverage through the “With the First Pick” podcast (check it out here!), CBS Sports HQ and those mock drafts you love so much, I thought I’d take a moment to roll out our Top 100 Big Board.
1. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
2. Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia
3. Will Anderson Jr., ED, Alabama
4. Tyree Wilson, ED, Texas Tech
5. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
6. Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
7. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
8. Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
9. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
10. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
Unlike a year ago, this quarterback class has the interest of the teams at the top of the draft, and the expectation is that two will go off the board with the first two picks. The order remains an uncertainty, but for us, Bryce Young is QB1 — but it’s close. C.J. Stroud had a solid season for the Buckeyes and he continued to impress during the pre-draft process, both at the combine and his Pro Day, and no doubt during private workouts. My podcast co-host and former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman and I made the Pro Day rounds last month and you can catch our Bryce Young recap here.
As for why Young just edges out Stroud, it’s pretty simple: Yes, he’s 5-10 and probably played around 185 pounds last fall, but he’s the best anticipation thrower in this class, his pocket awareness is second to none, and he did more with less in that Alabama offense than his predecessors, Tua Tagovailoa and Mac Jones. He’s a Day 1 starter.
On pure football ability, Jalen Carter is the best player in this class. He was the best player on the 2021 Georgia team that had five defenders go in the first round. The issues are whether he’ll be locked in on every single snap because at times last season he looked bored. There are also the misdemeanor reckless driving charges that Carted pleaded no contest to in March that will likely factor into draft-room discussions about where he fits on teams’ boards.
Christian Gonzalez has drawn comparisons to Kaiir Elam, the Bills’ first-rounder a year ago, but he’s considered by many teams to be a better athlete with better ball skills. He’ll be in the running for CB1, and for good reason, though he’ll have competition from Devon Witherspoon, who recently ran 4.40 and has his weight up to 185 pounds.
Yep, that’s running back Bijan…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at CBSSports.com Headlines…