There are now only four weeks remaining in the 2022 NFL season, which means that many teams are about to enter offseason mode. 2023 NFL Draft talk is certainly heating up as players at the college level decide whether they’re going to head to the professional level or try one last time to improve their NFL Draft standing by entering the transfer portal. In other words, we’re firmly in the middle of 2023 NFL mock draft season.
Mock drafts are historically less accurate than the average person’s NCAA March Madness bracket, but they serve as an opportunity to do a number of things that make the exercise far from pointless.
- Mock drafts explore possibilities
- Mock drafts highlight prospects
- Mock drafts explore and reflect team needs (as well as tendencies)
- Mock drafts highlight rising and falling players in the pre-draft process
If you know who to follow and who to listen to out there, mock drafts can be rather educational even if they’re inaccurate in the long run. With all of that being said, let’s look through a brand-new 2023 NFL mock draft scenario with some twists and turns throughout.
Note: There are only 31 selections because the Miami Dolphins had to forfeit a 1st-round pick
Latest 2023 NFL Mock Draft: Bryce Young and Will Levis go back-to-back
1. Houston Texans: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Heading into the 2022 NFL season, I think there was at least a reasonable argument to be made that the Houston Texans needed to give the year and keys to the offense over to Davis Mills. There was some continuity on the coaching staff with Lovie Smith taking over as head coach and Pep Hamilton returning for another season after helping Mills to an impressive rookie year. After year two of Mills in Houston, I think it’s pretty obvious that it’s time to move on.
Bryce Young is going to be a hotly contested prospect for some because of his lack of ideal size for the position but as we’ve seen, teams are able to not only get around that in today’s NFL, they can excel and succeed with smaller quarterbacks. One thing that would be nice for Bryce Young as he acclimates to the NFL? He will have former Alabama teammate John Metchie III with him in Houston.