Who are the most talented prospects at each position in the 2023 NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft is one of the most highly anticipated events in the world of sports, with millions of fans eagerly awaiting the chance to see the next generation of football stars take the field. As we approach the 2023 NFL Draft, speculation is already heating up about which players will be selected, and how they will perform in their rookie seasons.

In this article, we will take a look at the potential top picks from the 2023 Draft, and assemble an All-NFL draft team, highlighting the most talented and promising young players at each position.

This includes everything from quarterback to kicker/punter and will include a complete depth chart at the end. This is a 53-man roster and includes four players from Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia respectively. Without further ado, let’s meet the team.

The 2023 All-NFL Draft Team

Quarterbacks:

C.J. Stroud – Ohio State

Bryce Young – Alabama

Quarterback play goes a long way in determining how successful an NFL team will be, and the All-Draft team’s hopes rest in the hands of C.J. Stroud, and Bryce Young. I considered taking Anthony Richardson or Will Levis here, but ultimately they are both too raw and have a lot more development to go before they can be NFL starting quarterbacks.

On the other hand, I think Stroud or Young could start in an NFL game tomorrow and play well. The real discussion would be, who do you start between Young and Stroud?

Personally, I would ride with the former Ohio State Buckeye, C.J. Stroud. This is because I think he is the more pro-ready QB, and the better overall prospect than Young. Over the past two seasons, Stroud has combined for 8,123 yards, 85 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in just 25 games.

Running Backs:

Bijan Robinson – Texas

Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama

Zach Charbonnet – UCLA

Devon Achane – Texas A&M

I really love this running back group as a whole. They have an elite talent in Bijan Robinson and three other guys who excel in specific areas. For example, Jahmyr Gibbs brings elite receiving ability to this runningback room, while Devon Achane brings absolute home-run-hitting speed. Meanwhile, Charbonnet excels as a short-yardage or blocking back, and Bijan Robinson, well he does just about everything at an elite level.

With that being said, I believe Robinson would be the clear starter out of this tailback group. Over his three years in Austin, Bijan has totalled 3,410 rushing yards and 33 touchdowns with a 6.3 yards per rush average. Additionally, he has added 60 receptions for 805 yards and 8 touchdowns.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1637206492129492995

Wide Receivers:

Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Ohio State

Jordan Addson – USC

Quentin Johnston – TCU

Zay Flowers – Boston College

Josh Downs – North Carolina

Jalin Hyatt – Tennessee

This is one of the more underwhelming receiving groups to come out over the past few years, but there is still absolutely some talent at the top. Although this receiver class lacks a true WR1 all of these receivers can bring something special to an NFL offense, in their own way. You can find out exactly what that would be in my WIDE RECEIVERS SUPERLATIVES article.

Tight Ends:

Michael Mayer – Notre Dame

Dalton Kincaid – Utah

Darnell Washington – Georgia

This is one of the deeper tight-end classes in recent memory. In my opinion, there are as many as six tight ends that I could have picked in any of these spots including, Luke Musgrave, Sam LaPorta, and Tucker Kraft.

Both Michael Mayer and Dalton Kincaid had over 800 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns last season, and Mayer has over 2000 yards in his career. Therefore, they would be the two tight ends I would choose if I had to start a team today, but Darnell Washington is a very interesting prospect that some teams could fall in love with.

Washington stands at around 6’7″, 270 pounds and is without a doubt the best blocking tight end in this entire class. He was sometimes used as a sixth offensive lineman last year for Georgia and in 72 instances of that, he did not give up a single pressure. He is also a special athlete for his size and has an elite catch radius because of his 83 3/4″ wingspan (6’11 3/4″).

Offensive Tackles:

Paris Johnson Jr – Ohio State

Broderick Jones – Georgia

Anton Harrison – Oklahoma

Darnell Wright – Tennessee

This is one of the best offensive tackle classes I have ever seen, and there are as many as ten tackles that I believe could play in an NFL game tomorrow. This includes the tackles I selected above, as well as Dawand Jones, Matthew Bergeron, Jaelyn Duncan, Cody Mauch, and Blake Freeland.

Outside of Darnell Wright, who only plays right tackle, all three of these other tackles could play on either side of the line, and all have experience in different O-line positions.

My favourite out of the group is Paris Johnson Jr, who I believe will be a top-ten pick come draft day. Johnson Jr is an elite athlete that boasts top-end explosiveness to go along with elite movement skills. He also possesses exceptional range as a run blocker and was even used as a puller at times last season for Ohio State.

If an NFL left tackle was built in a lab, he would look a lot like Johnson Jr. The former Buckeye stands at 6’6″, 313 pounds and his 36 1/8″ arm length was the third-longest at the combine behind only his Buckeye teammates, Dawand Jones and Zach Harrison.

Offensive Guards:

Peter Skoronski – Northwestern

O’Cyrus Torrence – Florida

Steve Avila – TCU

Andrew Vorhees – USC

This is one of the weaker position groups in the entire draft, top to bottom. The only truly top-tier OG in this class isn’t even really a guard, and that is Peter Skoronski.

The former Northwestern Wildcat, played LT throughout his college career, but because of concerns over his (32 1/4″) arm length many project him to be an IOL in the NFL. Additionally, there are a ton of other great tackles in this draft class, but very great few guards, beyond Skoronski.

Torrence and Avila are widely projected as second-round picks, but there is a massive drop-off after them. The fourth guard I selected, Andrew Vorhees isn’t even projected to go on day one or two of the draft but is a projected fourth-rounder.

Centers:

John Michael Schmitz – Minnesota

Luke Wypler – Ohio State

The All-NFL Draft offensive line is anchored by one of the better center prospects in recent years in John Michael Schmitz. The former Golden Gopher is a powerful center that stands at 6’3 1/2″, 306 pounds and has a 78 7/8″ wingspan. Schmitz excels as both a run or pass blocking center, but where he really shines is in the zone run game, specifically between the tackles.

Beyond Schmitz, there is fantastic depth at the center position in this year’s draft class, and there are as many as five centers that I think could start for an NFL team next season. Those include Michael Schmitz as well as Luke Wypler, Joe Tippmann, Olusegun Oluwatimi, Juice Scruggs and Ricky Stromberg.

Defensive Tackles:

Jalen Carter – Georgia

Calijah Kancey – Pittsburgh

Bryan Bresee – Oklahoma

Siaki Ika – Baylor

This is one of if not the thinnest position groups in this entire draft. In my opinion, Jalen Carter Is the only DT who could start and be a three-down lineman for an NFL team this coming season. The former Georgia Bulldog is one of the best defensive tackle prospects to enter the draft in recent years, and if his legal issues are able to get squared away, he should be a top-5 lock come draft time.

Beyond Carter, Calijah Kancey is the only other projected first-round pick, but he has some major red flags that may cause some teams concern. Kancey is a very undersized defensive tackle measuring in at 6′ 1″ and just 281 pounds. Despite that, he is one of the best defensive tackles in this class at penetrating the pocket from the interior, evidenced by his 27.5 TFLs and 14.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

Edge Defenders:

Will Anderson Jr – Alabama

Tyree Wilson – Texas Tech

Lukas Van Ness – Iowa

Nolan Smith – Georgia

Myles Murphy – Clemson

Adetomiwa Adebawore – Northwestern

Keion White – Georgia Tech

This is one of the more intriguing positions groups in this whole draft class. To begin, the top three of Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson and Lukas Van Ness are all very different players but are all mortal locks to go within the top 15. Anderson is the best of the group and I would be shocked if he is not a top-5 pick. Throughout his three years in Tuscaloosa, Anderson has combined for 204 tackles, 58.5 TFLs, and a wild 34.5 sacks.

Coming out of the NFL combine all anybody could talk about was Nolan Smith and Adetomiwa Adebawore, and for good reason. At the combine, Nolan Smith measured in at 6’2″, 238 pounds and posted a 41.5″ vertical jump and ran an absolutely blazing 4.39 40-yard dash. Likewise, Adebawore measured in at 6′ 2″, 282 pounds, and boasted a 37.5″ vertical jump and an insane 4.49 40-yard dash, which was the fastest for any player over 270 pounds ever.

Despite my belief that all of the players I chose will go within the first 30-40 picks of the draft, I still believe there to be many other great edge rushers that I did not choose. For example, Will McDonald, BJ Ojulari, Derick Hall, Isaiah Foskey, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah could all feasibly go within the top 50 picks.

https://twitter.com/jontweetssports/status/1631495298907361280

Linebackers:

Daiyan Henley – Washington State

Jack Campbell – Iowa

Trenton Simpson – Clemson

Drew Sanders – Arkansas

Dorian Williams – Tulane

This is one of the more disappointing linebacker groups to come out in recent memory, but despite that, there Is still absolutely some talent at the top. Firstly, the 2022 Butkus award winner Jack Campbell who has been a beast at MLB for Iowa over the past two seasons, totalling 265 tackles, 9 TFLs, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions, 7 pass deflections and 2 forced fumbles. Campbell also lit up the NFL combine with a 10′ 8″ broad jump, 4.24s short shuttle and a wild 6.74s three-cone, at 6′ 5″ 249 pounds.

Both Trenton Simpson and Drew Sanders are very interesting prospects as well. Simpson is a dynamic linebacker who can line up all over the field. Throughout his career, at Clemson, he has combined for 165 tackles, 23 TFLs, 13 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.

On the other hand, Drew Sanders, who transferred to Arkansas from Alabama this past season is an absolute heat-seeking missile at linebacker. In his one season for the Razorbacks, he had 103 tackles, 13.5 TFLs to go along with 9.5 sacks, 5 pass deflections and 3 forced fumbles.

Cornerbacks:

Christian Gonzalez – Oregon

Devon Witherspoon – Illinois

Joey Porter Jr – Penn State

Deonte Banks- Maryland

Cam Smith – South Carolina

Emmanuel Forbes – Mississippi State

This is one of, if not the deepest position groups in this entire draft. All six of these corners and even potentially more could all feasibly go in the first round. Additionally, there are three elite CB1s at the top of this class in Christian Gonzalez, Devon Witherspoon, and Joey Porter Jr.

All three of those corners are expected to go within the top 20, and I would expect one or two of them to go within the top ten. Beyond those top-tier corners, Emmanuel Forbes is one of the most interesting players in this entire draft.

To begin, he is an elite ball-hawk and that shows up on tape and in the numbers. During Forbes’ three seasons in Starkville, he snagged 14 interceptions and an absurd 6 pick-sixes, which is the most in FBS history.

The one problem with Forbes is that he is 6’0 and just 166 pounds. In fact, 166 pounds is the lightest cornerback measured at the combine since 2000. To put that in further context, since 2007 no cornerback under 181 pounds has been selected in the first round, and only two have gone in the second round.

https://twitter.com/NFLRookieWatxh/status/1621648459555037185

Safeties:

Brian Branch – Alabama

Antonio Johnson – Texas A&M 

Sydney Brown – Illinois

Jammie Robinson – Florida State

This is one of the weaker position groups in this draft class but is highlighted by one of my favourite players in the draft, Brian Branch. The former Alabama standout is one of the most versatile players in this entire draft.

This past season he put up 90 tackles to go along with a ridiculous 14 TFL’s, 3 sacks, 2 interceptions, and 7 pass deflections. In fact, his 14 TFL’s last season led all defensive backs in college football, and is the most for an Alabama DB in the Nick Saban era.

Beyond Branch, this group is pretty disappointing as I believe there is no one else with a chance to go in the first round, and you may even have to wait till the third round to hear Antonio Johnson, Sydney Brown, or Jammie Robinson’s names called.

Kicker:

Jake Moody – Michigan

Last season at Michigan, Moody converted 92% of his field-goal attempts and all 56 extra-point attempts, becoming the first player in school history to take home the Lou Groza award. He also possesses a booming leg, evidenced by his career-long 59-yarder that he hit In the College Football Semifinal against TCU.

Punter:

Adam Korsak – Rutgers

Throughout his career at Rutgers, Korsak has been one of the best punters in the country. This past season he averaged 44.0 yards per attempt, and had 52.7% of his punts land inside the 20-yard line.

Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano had this to say about Adam Korsak, “Adam is the best punter that I’ve ever been around in 35 years. That’s a pretty big statement, I’ve been around a lot of them.”

How successful do you think the All-NFL Draft team would be if it actually took the field this fall, and played in a full NFL season?

Depth Chart:

First Team: Offense

QB: C.J Stroud

RB: Bijan Robinson

WR: Quentin Johnston

WR: Jordan Addison

WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba

TE: Michael Mayer

OT: Paris Johnson Jr

OG: Peter Skoronski

C: John Michael Schmitz

OG: O’Cyrus Torrence

OT: Broderick Jones

First Team: Defense

DE: Will Anderson Jr

DT: Jalen Carter

DT: Calijah Kancey

DE: Tyree Wilson

LB: Jack Campbell

LB: Trenton Simpson

CB: Christian Gonzalez

CB: Devon Witherspoon

CB: Joey Porter Jr

S: Brian Branch

S: Antonio Johnson

Second Team: Offense

QB: Bryce Young

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs

WR: Josh Downs

WR: Zay Flowers

WR: Jalin Hyatt

TE: Dalton Kincaid

OT: Anton Harrison

OG: Steve Avila

C: Luke Wypler

OG: Andrew Vorhees

OT: Darnell Wright

Second Team: Defense

DE: Lukas Van Ness

DT: Bryan Bresee

DT: Siaki Ika

DE: Myles Murphy

LB: Drew Sanders

LB: Daiyan Henley

CB: Deonte Banks

CB: Cam Smith

CB: Emmanuel Forbes

S: Sydney Brown

S: Jammie Robinson