The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday night, and former college football players from around the country will see their professional dreams come true. Bryce Young, C.J Stroud and Bijan Robinson are just a few of the players who will hear their names called in the coming days after lighting up opponents on Saturdays. Other skilled players at lesser-known positions like Peter Skoronski, Will McDonald and Ivan Pace Jr. will also take their talents to Sundays after successful college careers.
NFL teams don’t draft players based on their college careers, but that isn’t stopping me from breaking down the top 32 players in the draft from that point of view. To be clear, though: This is not a mock draft. I repeat, this is not a mock draft. These rankings are based on overall college production, contribution to team success and the player’s overall value to their college program.
One more time with feeling: This is not a mock draft.
1. Stetson Bennett IV, QB, Georgia: The former walk-on doesn’t have a Heisman Trophy, video game statistics or the overall physical tools attractive to NFL scouts. However, he has the most important bullet point on his résumé: National titles. Plural. The former Bulldog threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns in last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship over TCU and 224 yards and two touchdowns in the title game over Alabama two seasons ago. Simply put, he is a Georgia hero who will go down in history as a college footbal legend.
2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama: Young won the 2021 Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns for a Crimson Tide team that topped eventual national champion Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. He followed that up with 3,328 yards and 32 passing touchdowns as a junior in 2022 despite playing through a shoulder injury during the final two months of the season. That college success should transfer to the first round of the NFL Draft, where he is expected to be selected in the top five.
3. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State: Quarterback is the most important position on the field, and Stroud starred as the starting quarterback over the last two seasons. He threw for 3,688 yards and 41 touchdowns in 2022 and 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns in 2021. He earned trips to New York City as a Heisman Trophy finalist in each of those two seasons and helped the Buckeyes reach the College Football…
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