2023 NFL Draft Rumors: Roundup of Latest Buzz Around the League

Some years, we have a good idea of how things will unfold at the top of the NFL draft. This isn't one of those years.

What we do know is that the Carolina Panthers have already traded up to the No. 1 pick in a move that cost them the ninth and 61st picks in this year's draft, a 2024 first-round pick, a 2025 second-rounder and wideout DJ Moore. If Carolina paid that price for any position other than a quarterback, it would be a major shock.

Which quarterback the Panthers will take, however, remains an unknown. There is no clear-cut top prospect like Joe Burrow or Trevor Lawrence in this draft class. There's also no telling what will happen after Carolina makes its selection.

All of the latest predraft buzz points to this year's first round being one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.

Panthers May Be Favoring Bryce Young

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Alabama QB Bryce Young

There appear to be three viable candidates for the Panthers at No. 1: Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young and Florida's Anthony Richardson. However, there isn't a consensus top quarterback among them.

As was the case in 2018, when the Cleveland Browns ultimately selected Baker Mayfield over Josh Rosen and Josh Allen at No. 1, we may not know the choice until the opening day of the draft.

However, it looks like the Panthers prefer Young.

"The momentum toward Young is real," ProFootballTalk's Peter King wrote Monday.

This meshes with a report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler from over the weekend. Fowler said the following on a Saturday edition of SportsCenter (h/t Bleacher Report's Doric Sam):

"Most teams around the league I talked to believe that Bryce Young is the most mentally ready quarterback of the bunch. And that's played out a little bit in the process with Carolina because I'm told the Panthers are one of the teams in the NFL that uses what's called an S2 Cognition test. ... And I confirmed from multiple sources that Bryce Young did very well on the test, put up a high number."

It's important to remember, though, that teams spew a lot of smoke this time of year. Carolina could legitimately be high on Young, but it could also be trying to prompt a trade up by a team like the Houston Texans, who might covet Young at No. 2. In theory, the Panthers could trade down a spot or two, still land its quarterback of the future and recoup some of the capital it used to get the top pick initially.

Nobody Knows How the Early Draft Will Unfold

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Kentucky QB Will Levis

Carolina's choice at No. 1 could have a huge domino effect on the ensuing selections. The Texans are presumably eyeing a quarterback at No. 2, though King reported last week that the Texans won't force the pick of a signal-caller it doesn't love.

The Arizona Cardinals, who have an entrenched starter in Kyler Murray, could trade the No. 3 selection, while the Indianapolis Colts may not be eyeing one of the top three QBs with the fourth overall pick. Kentucky's Will Levis could be Indy's preferred target.

"Will Levis and the Colts...there is a little bit of buzz leaguewide about that pairing at No. 4 overall," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said April 2 on SportsCenter.

According to NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, the Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders are two teams to watch as it relates to trading up for a quarterback. Other teams could be eager to make a move too.

All of that is before we even get to blue-chip defensive prospects like Alabama's Will Anderson Jr. and Clemson's Myles Murphy.

Early on opening night, a quarterback-needy team will be left weighing Anderson—the top prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department's draft rankings—against the second-, third- or fourth-best quarterback on its board.

While some teams may be scrambling to get a signal-caller, others will be content to bypass the position and simply take the best player available. It all adds up to teams not knowing what to expect from other teams early in Round 1.

"I thought about this Saturday evening when I was swapping information—or trying to, anyway—with a well-connected operative from a team with a pick in the top 12," King wrote. "'I don't know what's happening in front of us,' he said. 'Anything.'"

The early first round could be full of surprises.

Things Are Very Unpredictable at Receiver

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Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba

The B/R Scouting Department has TCU's Quentin Johnston as its top-ranked receiver with Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba as its No. 2, USC's Jordan Addison at No. 3 and Boston College's Zay Flowers at No. 4.

That's just one evaluation, though, and it's becoming clear that NFL teams each view this year's receiver pool differently.

"The receivers are all bunched up. One team thinks it's nuts for Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be ranked ahead of USC's Jordan Addison. Another team has BC's Zay Flowers the top-ranked wideout on the board," King wrote. "In short, we're going to see some surprises at receiver on draft night."

Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Reese's Senior Bowl, took things a step further and suggested that for some teams, Smith-Njigba is the only wideout with a first-round grade.

Does this mean that Smith-Njigba will be the only receiver to go in Round 1? Absolutely not. If a team isn't particularly high on the receiver class but needs a receiver, it may be inclined to reach or even trade up for one of the few prospects they actually like.

It's the opposite of what may happen at a deeper position—like tight end—where a team may be just as comfortable landing its fourth- or fifth-ranked prospect as it is taking its top player a round earlier.

If many teams do indeed view the receiver class differently, this could be one of the most unpredictable position groups of the early draft.