NFL Draft 2023: Notable Picks from Mel Kiper and Latest Expert Mocks
The biggest mystery in the 2023 NFL draft could be who the Houston Texans select with the No. 2 overall pick.
Houston has been projected to land one of the available quarterbacks and a top defensive prospect in recent mock drafts.
The assumption is the Texans will choose between C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis at quarterback if Bryce Young is the Carolina Panthers' No. 1 overall pick.
Alabama edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. will also be there at No. 2, so new head coach DeMeco Ryans, who has a defensive background, may be willing to go after the premier player in the draft class on that side of the ball.
A decision to draft Anderson would shake up the top 10 and allow other quarterback-needy franchises to either draft Stroud, Richardson or Levis, or for someone to trade up to take either of those prospects.
The Detroit Lions at No. 6 could decide how the rest of the top 10 or 15 plays out because they could go so many ways on defense.
Most mock drafts agree the Lions will select a defensive prospect, but they could take a defensive lineman or a cornerback. The defensive line selection would open up the race for corners involving the teams beneath the No. 6 pick.
Houston After Quarterback or Will Anderson Jr.
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The consensus around mock drafts is Houston will take either a quarterback or Anderson.
ESPN's Todd McShay projected the Texans would land Stroud in his recent three-round mock draft with Mel Kiper Jr.
McShay noted in his analysis of the pick that he wouldn't be surprised if the Texans went after Anderson.
"I really wouldn't be surprised if Houston jumps at the chance to draft a dominant defender like Alabama's Will Anderson Jr., but I'm making the pick here, and there's no way I'm passing up one of the top two quarterbacks in the class with that glaring need," McShay wrote.
ESPN.com's Matt Miller projected that Anderson would be Houston's first draft pick on Thursday.
"When filling out a mock draft, you try to balance intel with logic. The intel surrounding this pick says that the Texans will select Anderson," Miller wrote.
Other mocks have neither Stroud nor Anderson landing at No. 2. NFL.com's Chad Reuter made Levis the Texans' selection and Pete Prisco is one of two CBS Sports experts who believe Young will drop to No. 2.
Ryans' defensive background could lead to Anderson being the pick, and no one would blame the Texans if they went about fixing their defense right away.
But the danger with that pick is none of the premier quarterbacks will be around at No. 12, and that may force the Texans to use that selection to trade back up into the top 10.
The Texans can't be complacent at quarterback with Davis Mills while they are in this situation. Mills did a fine job in 2022, but he is not on the same level as the elite quarterback prospects in the 2023 draft class.
That may force the team's hand at No. 2 no matter how much Ryans and his staff love Anderson's skill set.
Mixed Opinions on Detroit's No. 6 Pick
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The assumption across all mock drafts is Detroit will reinforce its defense at No. 6.
McShay predicted Texas Tech edge-rusher Tyree Wilson would be the pick, while Miller and Reuter both have Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon going to Detroit.
The Lions traded Jeff Okudah to the Atlanta Falcons this offseason. They improved their secondary depth with the additions of Cameron Sutton and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. Another new arrival could make the secondary the biggest strength of the Lions defense.
Those free-agent signings could also push the Lions toward a defensive lineman, like Wilson or Georgia's Jalen Carter.
Detroit's opinion on selecting a defensive lineman may come down to the Seattle Seahawks' decision at No. 5.
Defensive line is one of Seattle's biggest needs, and it could go after Carter or Wilson.
If Detroit goes corner over defensive line, it could spark a run of cornerbacks since a handful of teams in the top 15 have a need at the position.
One other scenario the Lions could explore is wide receiver. They just released Quintez Cephus, and Jameson Williams will be suspended for the first six games of 2023.
No wide receivers are expected to go off the board in the top five, so the Lions could surprise us and add a top-tier receiver because of the sudden need there.
No Wide Receivers in Top 10
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The run on wide receivers will happen after the top 10 picks are completed in the eyes of most experts.
Kiper and McShay have four wide receivers going in the first round of their combined mock draft. Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the first wideout in that mock at No. 12 to Houston.
Boston College standout Zay Flowers, USC star Jordan Addison and TCU's Quentin Johnston are the other three first-round wide receivers in the Kiper and McShay mock.
They believe Flowers will go to the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 17 despite the AFC North side adding Allen Robinson II in a recent trade.
"The Steelers are adding Allen Robinson via trade, but he's a much different receiver than Flowers. This deal doesn't change Pittsburgh's need, and I could see it still adding Flowers here," Kiper wrote.
The pair of ESPN experts have Addison going to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 21 and Johnston landing with the Dallas Cowboys at No. 26.
Miller has the same first-round quartet of wide receivers, but Flowers, Addison and Johnston all go off the board in the final 10 picks of the first round, starting with Flowers at No. 22 to the Baltimore Ravens.
Reuter has the Ravens choosing a wide receiver as well, but Smith-Njigba is the pick in his mock draft.
Baltimore needs more help at wide receiver despite signing Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency. Lamar Jackson needs more offensive weapons to work with, and the addition of a first-round wide receiver to complement Beckham and Rashod Bateman would be a welcome sight in an AFC with plenty of loaded wide receiver rooms.
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