Mel Kiper Jr. 2023 Mock Draft: Notable Picks from ESPN Expert's Final Predictions

ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his final 2023 NFL mock draft Thursday morning before the commencement of the first round of the draft on Thursday night, and it featured Alabama quarterback Bryce Young at the top.

In addition to Young going first overall to the quarterback-needy Carolina Panthers, Kiper's top 10 was as follows:

1. Carolina Panthers - Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

2. Houston Texans - Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama

3. Tennessee Titans (projected trade with ARI) - C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

4. Indianapolis Colts - Will Levis, QB, Kentucky

5. Seattle Seahawks - Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

6. Detroit Lions - Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

7. Las Vegas Raiders - Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

8. Atlanta Falcons - Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech

9. Chicago Bears - Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State

10. Philadelphia Eagles - Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

In addition to three quarterbacks getting taken in the top four picks, Kiper had five quarterbacks selected in the first round overall, as he projected the Minnesota Vikings to move up from No. 23 to No. 15 to select Florida's Anthony Richardson and the Houston Texans to move back into the first round at No. 30 overall to take Tennessee's Hendon Hooker.

While Young going to Carolina with the top pick has long been expected, Kiper believes the quarterback-needy Houston Texans will pass on a quarterback in favor of Alabama pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr.

That would open the door for a team to trade into the No. 3 spot with the Arizona Cardinals to nab a quarterback, and Kiper projected the Tennessee Titans to do precisely that and take Ohio State's C.J. Stroud.

The Titans still have a veteran quarterback in Ryan Tannehill, which would potentially allow them to have Stroud sit and learn behind him for some or all of the 2023 season before getting his shot as a starter.

Kiper's third and final quarterback to come off the board inside the top four is Kentucky's Will Levis, who he has going to the Indianapolis Colts and their new offensive-minded head coach Shane Steichen.

Richardson was viewed as a candidate to go inside the top five or top 10 following his dominant performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he fell to 15th in Kiper's final mock, and the Vikings took the opportunity to engineer a trade up to take him in that scenario.

Minnesota doesn't have an immediate need at quarterback with Kirk Cousins coming off a strong year, but like Stroud in Tennessee, Richardson would have the luxury of sitting behind a veteran before taking the reins.

Kiper has Houston bolstering its roster on both sides of the ball with the Nos, 1 and 12 overall picks, taking Anderson and Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers before trading back into the bottom of the first round for its quarterback.

The Texans conceivably could take Stroud, Levis or Richardson at No. 2 overall, but Kiper believes they will wait and take the fifth quarterback of the first round in Hooker.

After two hugely productive seasons at Tennessee, Hooker may have been a projected top-five or top-10 pick if not for the fact that he tore his ACL in November. As a result, he could prove to be a massive steal for the Texans.

Another situation to monitor in the first round of the draft is the running back position with both Texas' Bijan Robinson and Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs expected to come off the board.

Kiper has the Eagles bucking their usual trend of avoiding early running back picks by betting on Robinson's talent at No. 10 overall.

He then has Gibbs going to the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 21 overall, which would perhaps signal a willingness to honor running back Austin Ekeler's trade request.

The first round of the 2023 NFL draft starts Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.