7 Best Value Picks of the 2023 NFL Draft
Three exciting days and 259 selections later, the 2023 NFL draft has fully shifted to the analysis phase. An annual favorite is identifying players who waited longer than expected to hear their name called.
Who doesn't love a value pick?
As always, we acknowledge the uncertainty of the careers to come. After several years of watching them in college football and more months of reviewing film, though, we build rankings and use them for comparisons.
Looking at the 2023 draft, seven top-64 players in B/R's NFL Scouting Department evaluations stand out as high-value selections.
The choices are subjective but consider those final rankings of our scouting crew compared to a player's overall selection.
Joey Porter Jr., CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
1 of 7
Top-10 talent at the 32nd overall pick? Sign me up.
Checking in 10th on B/R's final rankings, Joey Porter Jr. surprisingly slid through the opening round of the draft. But the Day 1 disappointment simply preceded a very happy Friday night.
Porter went to the Pittsburgh Steelers, joining the franchise for which his father played. The elder Porter totaled 468 tackles and earned three AP All-Pro honors in eight seasons with the Steelers, who selected the younger Porter to bolster the cornerback room.
While he won't necessarily start as a rookie, it shouldn't be long until Porter is a first-stringer for the Steelers.
Trenton Simpson, LB, Baltimore Ravens
2 of 7
Although the Baltimore Ravens didn't have a second-round pick, they wound up with a second-round talent anyway.
Trenton Simpson posted 164 tackles with 22.5 for loss and 12.5 sacks in three seasons at Clemson. He finished 43rd on B/R's board, but the Ravens managed to snag him 86th.
Baltimore adds Simpson to a linebacker room that already includes Roquan Smith—the reason the Ravens didn't have that earlier selection—and Patrick Queen. The second level of the defense will be a serious strength in 2023.
Simpson also provides the Ravens with flexibility on whether to exercise Queen's fifth-year option for 2024.
Kelee Ringo, CB, Philadelphia Eagles
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The last of three additions to the Philadelphia Dawgs—I mean Eagles—was a surprise to reach Day 3.
Philadelphia landed Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge-rusher Nolan Smith in the first round. The general consensus on Kelee Ringo was that he'd be a Day 2 pick, and B/R ranked him 54th.
Instead, the UGA cornerback heard his name at No. 105 overall.
Darius Slay and James Bradberry are locked-in starters for the Eagles, but Ringo greatly pads the depth of the position with his 6'2" stature and physical play style. Philly has an ideal opportunity to develop Ringo behind two strong players and unleash him in a couple of years.
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Dawand Jones, OT, Cleveland Browns
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In the days leading to the draft, Dawand Jones made steady appearances around the late picks of first-round mocks. That didn't feel unreasonable for a player B/R ranked 41st, either.
Reality had a different idea.
Jones watched nine offensive tackles—and a handful of other tackle-capable prospects—get selected before him. He went to the Cleveland Browns as the 111th overall pick.
Yes, the Browns have Jedrick Wills Jr. and Jack Conklin as starting tackles, so Jones won't be asked to hold a first-string role. Knowing how often injuries happen in the NFL, though, it's a definite luxury to have a 6'8", 374-pound, two-time All-Big Ten blocker on the bench.
Clark Phillips III, CB, Atlanta Falcons
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Clark Phillips III closed at 25th on B/R's rankings and seemed like a strong contender to find a home on Day 2.
Like the three players before him, though, that expectation proved incorrect. Phillips stayed on the board until the Atlanta Falcons scooped him up with the No. 113 pick—and as the 15th cornerback selected.
But we're sticking to the scouting report.
"Overall, [Phillips] is an outstanding cover corner who shows versatility at both the outside corner and slot positions. His ball-hawking tendencies make him an elite player," B/R's Cory Giddings said.
Phillips has a legitimate chance to earn a starting role in Atlanta opposite A.J. Terrell within two years. Not bad for a fourth-rounder.
Christopher Smith, S
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Christopher Smith narrowly missed a first-round ranking from B/R's scouting panel, ending the predraft cycle at 35th overall.
Yet he barely avoided slipping all the way to the sixth round.
Prior to the Las Vegas Raiders choosing him 170th, Smith saw 11 other safeties leave the board. That outcome was shocking, considering B/R labeled him the second-best player at his position. Sure, our grades won't perfectly match NFL teams, but it was a dramatic gap.
Last season at Georgia, he racked up 61 stops with five TFLs and three interceptions. Smith's versatility and strong run support will bolster a Las Vegas defense that desperately needs to improve in 2023.
A.T. Perry, WR, New Orleans Saints
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A.T. Perry checked in at 64th on B/R's board. While he didn't attract first-round attention, the 6'3" wide receiver boasted back-to-back seasons with at least 71 catches, 1,096 yards and 11 touchdowns for Wake Forest. On paper, his scouting report screamed Day 2.
NFL evaluators did not agree. Perry fell to the New Orleans Saints at 195th overall as the 24th wideout off the board.
And his immediate outlook is intriguing.
While second-year pro Chris Olave is the Saints' top target, they're hoping Michael Thomas reclaims his All-Pro production and Rashid Shaheed builds on a nice run to close 2022. Neither is certain, though, and Tre'Quan Smith hasn't become more than a complementary player.
Perry may quickly rise from a Day 3 afterthought to a key receiver for Derek Carr and the Saints.
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