Mel Kiper 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: Examining Final Rankings Before Round 1
The first round of the 2023 NFL draft kicks off Thursday night.
While franchises put the finishing touches on their big boards, draft analysts are doing the same.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. recently released his final prospect rankings, and we're here to relay the most interesting aspects.
The Top 30
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1. Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
3. Will Anderson Jr., OLB, Alabama
4. Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
5. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
7. Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
8. Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
9. Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
10. Peter Skoronski, G/OT, Northwestern
11. Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
12. Nolan Smith, OLB, Georgia
13. Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
14. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
15. Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
16. Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
17. Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
18. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
19. Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
20. Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
21. Jordan Addison, WR, USC
22. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
23. Will McDonald IV, OLB, Iowa State
24. Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
25. Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
26. Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
27. Lukas Van Ness, DE, Iowa
28. Calijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh
29. Quentin Johnson, WR, TCU
30. Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
What About the Other Quarterbacks?
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One piece of advice for all of the teams with quarterback needs: Don't wait too long to address them.
While four of Kiper's top-seven ranked prospects are signal-callers, the league's most important position is almost entirely absent from the rest of his top 150. Only Tennessee's Hendon Hooker (No. 54) and Fresno State's Jake Haener (No. 126) made the cut.
Kiper, though, extended his rankings at each position, so the remainder of his top 10 quarterbacks list looks like this:
- 7. Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
- 8. Jaren Hall, BYU
- 9. Stetson Bennett, Georgia
- 10. Clayton Tune, Houston
Thompson-Robinson had 3,169 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns in 2022, plus another 645 yards and 12 scores on the ground. Hall struggled with injuries, but he stayed mostly healthy the past two seasons and amassed 51 touchdown throws with only 11 interceptions.
Bennett helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back national championships, statistically peaking as a senior in 2022 with 4,128 yards on 68.1 percent passing and 27 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Tune capped his five-year career at Houston by throwing 70 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions in his final two seasons.
Names to Watch
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In the modern NFL, there is always a question about how early is too early to draft a running back.
That question even applies to a star prospect like Bijan Robinson, who has top-10 talent in this class. Is that talent enough to justify an early Round 1 cost, though? Stay tuned.
Staying at running back, Jahmyr Gibbs has raced up big boards in recent weeks thanks to his electricity with the ball and ability as a pass-catcher. He could still be dinged for his position, though, and he might not be an every-down back at this level. Still, the perks of having a game-breaking playmaker sort of speak for themselves.
Emmanuel Forbes is another one to keep an eye on. Kiper called him a "boom-or-bust corner," noting both his 14 interceptions over the past three seasons and the fact he can allow big plays at times. He also weighed in at just 166 pounds at the combine. So, what will teams focus on at the draft: his ceiling or his floor?
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