The Best-Kept Secrets of the 2023 NFL Draft
On Thursday night, the biggest names in the 2023 NFL draft class will start coming off the board. Blue-chip prospects such as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. have the best shot of becoming the All-Pros who will define the league for years to come.
However, some impressive talents are bound to slip through the cracks.
Whether they're from a small school, don't play a premium position or weren't stars in college, at least a handful of prospects will eventually emerge as hidden gems.
With the draft only two days away, take a look at some prospects who haven't received much attention but could be the steals of the 2023 draft class.
Edge Viliami Fehoko Jr., San Jose State
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When it comes to edge prospects, teams are primarily looking at three things: size, athleticism and production. San Jose State's Viliami Fehoko Jr. has all three.
While a lot of edge prospects are on the small side and will need to bulk up in the NFL, Fehoko comes in at 6'4" and 276 pounds with 33" arms.
Fehoko doesn't stand out athletically. His 5.36 relative athletic score is only slightly above average compared to every defensive end prospect with testing numbers since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network. However, his three-cone (5.85 seconds) and 40-yard dash (4.77 seconds) suggest he's athletic enough to play in the league.
Production-wise, Fehoko improved every year at San Jose State. He dominated with a career-high 19 tackles for loss and nine sacks in his final year with the Spartans. He received an elite 90.9 grade from Pro Football Focus with 66 pressures.
Even if Fehoko's athleticism doesn't translate into pass-rushing production in the NFL, he has the potential to be a strong run defender who should carve out a long career. However, he's only a projected fifth-round pick on the NFL Mock Draft Database.
TE Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion
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When it comes to tight ends, it's never a bad idea to just take a hyper-athletic prospect. The position naturally requires a lot of athleticism and a few years to develop.
It doesn't get any more athletic than Zack Kuntz from Old Dominion. He has the highest relative athletic score for a tight end prospect since Kent Lee Platte's database starts in 1987.
The 6'7", 255-pounder ran a 4.55 40-yard dash, posted a 40" vertical and a 6.87 three-cone time. All three are incredible numbers for any tight end, let alone one with that kind of size.
For now, Kuntz's success in the NFL is all hypothetical. He isn't a good blocker, and he had only 12 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns in five games in 2022 before he suffered a season-ending injury.
Kuntz did have 73 receptions for 692 yards and five touchdowns in his penultimate season with the Monarchs, but it would have been nice to see him build on that last year. He might get lost in the mix of a deep tight end class that has seven players in the top 100 of Bleacher Report's big board.
He's a projected fourth-round pick based on NFL Mock Draft Database's numbers. That means one team might get a breakout tight end prospect later than it otherwise should.
DB Jartavius Martin, Illinois
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The 2023 draft is going to be a great infomercial for new Purdue head coach Ryan Walters and Illinois defensive coordinator Aaron Henry. Walters spent the last two seasons as the defensive coordinator at Illinois, where Henry was the secondary coach.
The duo will likely watch cornerback Devon Witherspoon become a top-10 draft pick after coming to Illinois as a 0-star prospect in 2019, per 247Sports. Meanwhile, Illinois safety Sydney Brown ranks 120th overall on the latest B/R big board.
Unlike Witherspoon and Brown, Illinois defensive back Jartavius Martin is not ranked in the B/R Scouting Department's top 225. Those two might have caused him to fall under the radar, but he could get drafted this weekend as well.
Martin brings versatility and athleticism in spades. He's on the smaller side for a safety at 5'11" and 194 pounds, but he posted a 44" vertical and 4.46-second 40-yard dash at the combine. He can play a little bigger than his frame would indicate when the ball is in the air.
He primarily played in the slot at Illinois, according to Pro Football Focus, but he played nearly 300 snaps in a deep alignment over the past three years. That's enough experience to believe he could also be a free safety or a nickel corner depending on scheme and team fit.
Wherever Martin lined up, he found a way to get his hands on the ball. He had three interceptions and 11 passes defended this season.
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RB DeWayne McBride, UAB
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It's fun to wonder where DeWayne McBride would be in the draft discourse if he got even 20 targets at UAB last season. He caught only two passes for 10 yards.
That's part of the reason he only ranks as the 125th player on the B/R big board.
Since NFL teams continue to ask running backs to be more involved in the passing game, McBride's lack of receiving production caused him to get buried in the draft conversation. But as a pure runner, he has the goods.
In three years at UAB, McBride averaged 7.3 yards per carry on 484 carries. The 5'10", 209-pounder has a thick build and pinballs off would-be tacklers with ease.
"He is a tough, violent runner who only gets better the more clutter and chaos there is. He's nimble enough at the line of scrimmage to handle those scenarios, but more than that, he has the demeanor and balance to consistently fight for yardage," B/R's Derrik Klassen wrote of McBride's running style.
McBride is reminiscent of Tyler Allgeier, who had only 46 receptions during his four years at BYU. The Atlanta Falcons took him out in the fifth round last year, and he went on to rush for 1,035 yards as a rookie.
If McBride gets drafted by a team willing to make him its primary between-the-tackles runner, he should be a functional part of a backfield right away.
WR Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss
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It's rare for a 6'2", 220-pound wide receiver to get somewhat unnoticed, particularly when he's coming from a program that has produced several NFL wideouts. Yet here we are with Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo.
The program responsible for two of the NFL's best big-bodied deep threats in DK Metcalf and A.J. Brown also produced a receiver in Mingo that ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash. Thanks in part to his elite 39.5" vertical and 22 bench press reps, he had a 9.86 relative athletic score, which ranked 43rd among more than 3,000 receiver prospects since 1987.
That speed isn't just a hypothetical, Underwear Olympics illusion, either. Mingo was clocked going 22.1 miles per hour in a game this season.
Despite everything he brings to the table, he's a projected third-round pick on NFL Mock Draft Database.
Coaches will love Mingo for his willingness to block in the run game and field-stretching speed. That bodes well for his ability to contribute on special teams right away and at least get on the field as a receiver.
Beyond that, it would be unwise to bet against him developing into a serious contributor because of his physical tools.
LB Dorian Williams, Tulane
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If Dorian Williams weren't a touch undersized and hadn't played at Tulane, he likely would be getting a lot more buzz. Although the 6'1", 228-pound linebacker isn't a hulking prospect, he's a smooth mover with plenty of production.
He's also projected to be a fourth-rounder on NFL Mock Draft Database.
Williams is essentially a safety when it comes to coverage. He's confident playing in space and allowed only 161 yards in coverage last season, according to Pro Football Focus. With 4.49-second speed in the 40-yard dash, he can carry tight ends up the seam and shouldn't have problems sticking with running backs in open space.
Williams was a productive blitzer for Tulane, too. He had five sacks and 8.5 tackles for a loss to go with his 132 total tackles, two interceptions and seven passes defended this past season. He's had that nose for the ball for a while, having racked up 316 career tackles and 13 passes defended.
Williams still needs to develop more as a run defender. B/R scout Matt Holder noted that he "isn't violent" and "lacks the strength to stack and shed" in his scouting report.
Coaches will have to give Williams additional tools to shed blockers against the run, but he's an asset as a pass defender. That takes precedence in the league today.
OT Jake Witt, Northern Michigan
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According to Pro Football Reference, Northern Michigan hasn't produced an NFL draft pick since Mark Maddox was selected in the ninth round of the 1991 draft.
He's also the last Northern Michigan alum to even play in the league. He played his last game in 2000.
Those streaks should come to an end this week thanks to offensive tackle Jake Witt.
Witt has a rare athletic profile. He came to Northern Michigan as a tight end, but he was forced to play tackle because of a rash of injuries on the team. He made the switch at halftime of a game against eventual Division II national champion Ferris State.
"After 10 minutes of coaching Jake to play a whole new position, he allowed zero sacks or pressures against the best defensive line in the country," Northern Michigan interim head coach Dylan Chmura told local news station WLUC.
Witt is now 6'7" and 302 pounds. He posted a relative athletic score of 9.8, the 26th-highest score for an offensive tackle since 1987, per Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network.
The testing numbers for Witt include a 4.89-second 40-yard dash, a 1.71-second 10-yard split and a 7.44 three-cone time. Not only does he run well in a straight line, but he has the quickness and agility that often translates to line skills.
Witt isn't even projected to be drafted by NFL Mock Draft database, which would be shocking given his frame, traits and potential.
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