NFL draft rumors 2023

[HappyDays]

It's that time for the annual draft rumors thread.

 

Most of the rumors I post are from Charlie Campbell. Every year a few of his rumors come to fruition and he's one of the most reliable mock drafters in the industry - last year he correctly mocked all of the top 10 picks which is almost impossible to do. So his information is legitimate.

 

Any legitimate looking rumors posted in the thread I will add to this original post.

 

Added 4/27:

 

 

 

 

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Added 4/24:

 

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Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles moved up in the first round to select Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis, and if the Eagles could have their way, they would do that again to reunite Davis with his former teammate Jalen Carter. NFL team sources have told WalterFootball.com that Philadelphia has made calls to see what it would take for teams to move down to the 10th-overall pick. Given the cost of trading in the top 10, the Eagles are not looking to move into the top five. Their calls have focused on the teams in the back half of the first round.

Of course for a trade to happen, Carter would have to slip past No. 5 in the 2023 NFL Draft. The only top-five-picking team that looks like a possibility for Carter is the Seahawks with the fifth selection. Detroit, Las Vegas and Atlanta are not going to take Carter because of his poor character and work-ethic issues not meshing well with their team cultures. The Bears could easily take Carter if he got to the No. 9 pick, so the Eagles would want to jump them. Among that trio at No. 6-8, the Raiders and Falcons are probably the most likely trade-down partners. Both Las Vegas and Atlanta could use more draft picks, so a trade is possible. The Seahawks are the key to the situation, and if they pass on Carter, then he has a real shot to join Davis in Philadelphia

 

Sources say that if the Eagles don't land Carter, Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness is one of the top candidates for them. They want, and need, more youth on their defensive line, and Van Ness would be a great scheme fit. There has been some hype that Philadelphia might take Texas superstar running back Bijan Robinson, but sources say the franchise are more likely to take a defensive lineman. Everybody around the league loves Robinson, but the value teams place on running backs will cause some teams to take lesser players over Robinson because those players play a more in-demand position. If the Eagles don't take Carter, it sounds like Van Ness is a top target for them.

 

Where Robinson will go in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft is a big mystery. There are many teams that have him as the highest-graded player in the draft, and Robinson is a lock to go as a top-20 pick. However, teams feel he could go higher than expected.

One source said the Houston Texans love Robinson and that he is in the running for the 12th pick of Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Taking running back Dameon Pierce in the fourth round last year is one of the few successes that Texans general manager Nick Caserio can claim, so it would be a surprise if Houston did take a running back given Pierce's excellent rookie season.

However, it is the Texans we are talking about, and they have made a plethora of mistakes over the past five years, with incompetence stemming from owner Cal McNair, former head coach Bill O'Brien, and now Caserio. Robinson would probably be a great player for the Texans, but considering they already have a good running back, it does not make sense to take another when there a lot of other positions starved for talent on their roster. Still, sources say Houston is high on Robinson and if he gets to the 12th pick, he could be too good for the organization to pass up.

 

Late in the draft process, teams get their medical reports, and if players get flunked medically, they can be dropped off draft boards. One high-profile prospect who some teams have flunked medically is Georgia tight end Darnell Washington. Along with the medical, some team sources said there are some minor character concerns. If Washington slides on the second day of the 2023 NFL Draft, the medical and the character will be the reasons why.

 

Another tight end who has been hurt by the medical evaluation is Iowa's Sam LaPorta. LaPorta is a sleeper prospect who a lot of teams really loved. In speaking to sources at multiple teams, they said the medical report was not bad enough to get LaPorta dropped off their board. However, it was not clean ,and it would be the reason if LaPorta slides into the middle or back half of the second round during the 2023 NFL Draft.

 

 

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Dane Brugler has a source that says the Cowboys would take Michael Mayer if he is there at 26:

 

 

Added 4/12:

 

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On Monday, ESPN reporter Adam Schefter reported that six teams have inquired with the Arizona Cardinals about a trade for the third-overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. WalterFootball.com reported months ago that Arizona wanted to move down. We checked back on Tuesday night with multiple sources from other teams with top-10 picks, and they said they felt that the report from ESPN was floated out by the Cardinals in hopes to drum up a trade market that is not producing significant offers.

 

"They have, maybe, talked to two teams max," said a director from another team in the top 10. "I don't think they have any kind of serious interest or a substantial offer, if any."

 

Other teams felt the same way. A general manager of a team picking in the top 10 texted that Arizona wants to move down and is trying to create a market with that report.

 

"Arizona saying six teams have talked to them is them trying to drum a market because they want to move down, but no team is offering a good package of picks," said a director from a different team with a top-10 pick.

 

In every draft, there are teams that badly want to move down but are stuck at their pick without a quality offer. That could be the case for Arizona this year. Despite the media hype about players like Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson and Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, both players did not have a good season of tape in 2022 and are viewed as developmental projects.

 

"It's all drumming," texted a long-time general manger. "I would guess maybe six have called, at the most. But only two of them might be POSSIBLE trade partners."

 

In 2020, many criticized the Detroit Lions for not moving down from the third-overall pick given that Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert were available. The Lions, however, did not have a quality offer to make the move, so general manager Bob Quinn was forced to stick and pick, selecting Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah. Perhaps Arizona's tactic will be successful this year though. There are teams desperate for a quarterback, so it might work out for the Cardinals, and Schefter's report could succeed in helping to create a trade market.

 

That being said, sources from multiple other teams picking behind Arizona in the top 10 think that the franchise is trying hard to drum up a market, but a trade down is not a guarantee and the team may not have a serious trade market materialize.

 

 

Added 4/7:

 

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After a string of years with good wide receiver talent for the NFL drafts, the 2023 NFL Draft is viewed as a down year at the position with only three wideouts expected to be sure-fire first-rounders. Last year, four receivers were selected in the first dozen selection, with six going in the top-20 picks. For the 2023 NFL Draft, the first-round wideouts are considered to be TCU's Quentin Johnston, Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba and USC's Jordan Addison. Boston College's Zay Flowers is a candidate to sneak into Round 1 as well. However, the order they come off the board could be very random because there is not a consensus among teams about which one is the top receiver prospect.

 

Sources from a handful of teams said the offensive scheme and the type of receivers who are already on a roster are going to dictate what a team is looking to draft at the position.

 

"It will vary by team," said an NFC general manager. "I think it will depend on the type of wide receivers they currently have under contract. Different flavors will appeal to different teams."

 

The general manager elaborated that if a team wanted a big receiver, they would prefer Johnston, and if they wanted speedm they would be more inclined to Smith-Njigba or Addison.

"Jaxon [Smith-Njigba] and Quentin [Johnston] are the top two in my mind," said an AFC director of player personnel. "Addison is third."

 

Most team sources believe that a wide receiver will not crack the top 10, but that the top three could start coming off the board in the teens.

 

 

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Miller: The Buffalo Bills are another AFC title contender with eyes on moving up, based on what I've heard from sources around the league. The Bills will play the board and see who is falling, but with the No. 27 selection, it's very possible general manager Brandon Beane gets anxious and moves up for an interior offensive lineman or offensive skill player. That said, Buffalo has six total selections in this draft, so trading up very far wouldn't be possible without mortgaging future draft classes.

 

Other select quotes from that article posted here:

 

 

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Daniel Jeremiah said on his podcast, “Can I give you the team that I have been told to keep an eye on that’s exploring this and looking into this? Again, this is just people around the league who said do not sleep on Numero 11. The Tennessee Titans. The two teams to keep an eye on with the trade-ups were the Raiders and the Titans.”

 

 

Added 4/3:

 

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Reports came out recently that Las Vegas Raiders had ruled out Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter. Carter is one of the most talented players for the 2023 NFL Draft and is an elite athlete. However, there are a lot of character and work-ethic concerns with Carter around the league. Those were established before his street-racing incident, and then he gained nine pounds between the combine and pro day, with Carter being so out of shape that he could not complete his pro-day workout. Those issues led to Carter being ruled out by the Raiders, according to media reports. WalterFootball.com spoke with sources from two other teams picking in the top 10 that need help at defensive tackle, and they said that Carter is getting pulled off their draft boards as well.

 

"We definitely need him, but we won't be drafting him," said a director of player personnel. "We aren't going to mess with him with that work ethic and character."

 

Carter gave the character and work-ethic concerns more validation with his weight gain after the combine and having failed to prepare enough to do his pro day workout. Sources also said that the interviews with Carter have been underwhelming.

 

"The car-racing issue is very troubling, but beyond that mistake the work ethic and character aren't going to be a fit with us," said another director of player personnel."

 

Some team sources are unconvinced that Carter can be reeled in and grow into being a professional. "He was allowed to get away with a lot of stuff at Georgia," said an area scout. As a result, there are doubts that Carter is going to handle being disciplined well.

 

In their pursuit of National Championships, the Bulldogs program has earned a reputation of having a lot of low-character individuals, including the likes of Adam Anderson - multiple sexual assault accusations - and Devonte Wyatt - domestic violence issues. Other players who have had character concerns included Steelers wide receiver George Pickens. This year, Bulldogs left tackle Broderick Jones also has character issues, according to some team sources.

 

Not all teams picking high in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft feel that Carter's character issues are bad enough to remove him from their board, with one NFL general manager texting as much. While Georgia has been willing to tolerate poor character, not all pro teams are following suit, and as a result, multiple franchises with top-10 picks are pulling Carter off their draft boards.

 

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For the 2023 NFL Draft, Texas running back Bijan Robinson is a consensus first-round pick, but he isn't alone. Sources from eight of the 11 different teams that WalterFootball.com spoke with had Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs with a first-round grade. Some of them have Gibbs among the highest-graded players in the draft at any positions.

 

"We only have four players with an elite grade," said an AFC director of player personnel. "Bijan Robinson, Will Anderson, Jalen Carter and Jahmyr Gibbs. We have Gibbs just a hair behind Robinson."

 

Gibbs showed big-play ability at both Georgia Tech and Alabama during his collegiate career. In 2022, Gibbs averaged 6.1 yards per carry for 926 yards and seven touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. He also had 44 receptions for 444 yards and three scores. At the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Gibbs showed tremendous speed with a time of 4.36 seconds in the 40-yard dash. His speed has drawn some comparisons to Chris Johnson, and his style of play has evoked a lot of echoes of Alvin Kamara.

 

One NFC director of player personnel texted WalterFootball.com, "I think Gibbs is one of the best prospects in the draft, period."

 

"I can't imagine [Gibbs] not being a first-round pick," said an AFC assistant general manager.

 

However, there were a couple of sources who felt the downgrading of running backs could bump Gibbs down.

 

"Positional value with runners," said an NFC general manager. "Both Hall and Walker were second-rounders, yet both were d*** good players. You can always get runners."

 

It only takes one team to pull the trigger on a prospect, and with the consensus of Gibbs grading out as a first-round pick, he stands a good shot of going in the back half of Round 1 on the opening night of the 2023 NFL Draft.

 

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Iowa tight end Sam LaPorta was one of the stars of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He had a solid time in the 40-yard dash of 4.59 seconds, but he was superb in the field drills. Sources from a number of teams raved about his route-running and how well he performed in the receiving drills. After that workout, one source mentioned to WalterFootball.com that they thought LaPorta might go late in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. That led me to reach out to sources from around the league to see if there was a consensus that LaPorta had a shot at being a late first-round pick. Sources from four teams said yes, and sources from two teams said no. It only takes one team to fall in love, meaning LaPorta has first-round potential for the 2023 NFL Draft.

 

"Yes, I think he has a shot at going late one," said an area scout. "He has really good tape. This is a deep tight end class, so it'll be 'what's your flavor,' but he's top-50 for sure."

 

Sources from a couple of teams are disappointed that LaPorta has risen because they were hoping he could be available to them in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. While LaPorta still being around on Day 2 still is not impossible, that does not look like a given because some teams believe LaPorta might sneak into Round 1. If he isn't a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he could end up an early second-round selection.

 

https://walterfootball.com/nflhotpress/article/Round-2-Could-Have-Run-on-Tight-Ends

 

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Team sources say they feel there are a number of tight ends in the 2023 NFL Draft who would be a the top tight end prospect in a normal year. With the abundance of tight ends in this draft class, one would think there could be some mid-round steals. Sources with pro teams, however, told WalterFootball.com they believe there is going to be a huge run on tight ends in Round 2 of the 2023 NFL Draft. Those sources said they think the good value prospects at the position could be all gone by the end of the second round and should definitely be gone by the third round.

 

In speaking to team sources, they identified six prospects who they believe are near locks to be gone by the end of the Round 2 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Those tight ends are:

 

Notre Dame's Michael Mayer

Utah's Dalton Kincaid

Georgia's Darnell Washington

Iowa's Sam LaPorta

Oregon State's Luke Musgrave

South Dakota State's Tucker Kraft

 

Other tight ends who could go on Day 2 include Michigan's Luke Schoonmaker and Cincinnati's Josh Whyle.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2023 by HappyDays

[ColoradoBills]

Thanks for the thread @HappyDays   You have no idea how much thread like these help me for the draft.

I sure hope the Bills can get another Dawson Knox sized TE and Dorsey learns how to maximize their production.

[GunnerBill]

LaPorta is intruiging. 

[MrEpsYtown]

I never believe the running back stuff, its the best smokescreen, but the he rest makes a ton of sense. 

[mrags]

Really like Laporta. Was hoping he didn’t run very well at the combine. Could have had possibly even in the 3rd before that happened. Not now. 

[Alphadawg7]

9 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

LaPorta is intruiging. 

 

5 minutes ago, mrags said:

Really like Laporta. Was hoping he didn’t run very well at the combine. Could have had possibly even in the 3rd before that happened. Not now. 

 

I would bet money LaPorta goes inside the first 47 picks.  

[Dr. Who]

Too much TE talent in this draft. I'd be disappointed if there is a run on them in the second and the Bills miss out on the upper echelon picks and then settle on a Day 3 afterthought. Charlie Campbell is currently mocking Jahmyr Gibbs to the Bills in the first, btw. I ridiculed Mike Tannenbaum for making that selection in his mock. I wonder where all this is coming from. Very talented player, but can't see rb in the first.

[Coach Tuesday]

Got me thinking - does LaPorta’s Pizza still exist?

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

9 minutes ago, Dr. Who said:

Too much TE talent in this draft. I'd be disappointed if there is a run on them in the second and the Bills miss out on the upper echelon picks and then settle on a Day 3 afterthought. Charlie Campbell is currently mocking Jahmyr Gibbs to the Bills in the first, btw. I ridiculed Mike Tannenbaum for making that selection in his mock. I wonder where all this is coming from. Very talented player, but can't see rb in the first.

I hate the idea of RB in the first so much I'd sooner they draft another small DT 

[Dr. Who]

Just now, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

I hate the idea of RB in the first so much I'd sooner they draft another small DT 

Two wrongs don't make a right. I think they are going to overdraft MLB.

[Coach Tuesday]

If Beane takes Gibbs in the first it will crush my soul.

[Richard Noggin]

5 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Got me thinking - does LaPorta’s Pizza still exist?

In Williamsville? It did as of this past Fall. Not sure about now...the owner wasn't super optimistic about his prospects back then (I work with restaurants).

[HappyDays]

10 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

If Beane takes Gibbs in the first it will crush my soul.

 

I'd be shocked. His skill set is just a plus version of James Cook. For once in Beane's draft history I'd like to see him draft a RB on day three and have them compete with Harris for the last spot.

[OldTimer1960]

9 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

If Beane takes Gibbs in the first it will crush my soul.

Especially Gibbs.  I’m not saying he is terrible, but isn’t he just the same as Cook, except maybe 15-20% better?  Still, a small RB isn’t going to play to his capabilities behind this line as currently constructed.

[NewEra]

18 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

If Beane takes Gibbs in the first it will crush my soul.

Yeah mine too….. but I’d be happy to watch him be special. I think he’s a top 15-20 talent in this draft.  But he’s a RB.  

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

I'd trust sources from my sons HS more than Walter Football. He's like the equivelant to Ecklund from Hockeybuzz

 

[Buffalo03]

Latest rumor is the Bills will draft some players. Don't know how true that is but that's what I heard

[JaCrispy]

Sounds like Marcel…😉

[gonzo1105]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

LaPorta is intruiging. 

So you’re okay with the idea of Laporta in round 2 but I took Kraft in round two and you hated it. There ain’t much of a difference. Kraft is a better blocker and Laporta is a better pass catcher as it sits now but not by some wide margin 

[schoolhouserock]

Sam LaPorta was the only player worth watching on Iowa’s putrid offense in 2022. Had Iowa fielded even a middling offense, folks would be talking about LaPorta in the same breath as Hockenson, Fant, and all the other past Iowa TEs.