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2023 NFL mock draft: Cowboys, Falcons make massive trades up

By Sayre Bedinger

2023 NFL mock draft: Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball while defended by Anthony Johnson Jr. #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
2023 NFL mock draft: Bijan Robinson #5 of the Texas Longhorns runs the ball while defended by Anthony Johnson Jr. #1 of the Iowa State Cyclones in the first half at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on October 15, 2022 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /
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2023 NFL mock draft
2023 NFL mock draft: Hendon Hooker #5 of the Tennessee Volunteers warms up prior to the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Sanford Stadium on November 5, 2022 in Athens, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

30. Philadelphia Eagles: Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina

CB. South Carolina. player. 54. Pick Analysis. Cam Smith. 30. Scouting Report

The Philadelphia Eagles went after a player in the trenches earlier on in this mock draft scenario, and here they add to the secondary which not only lost CJ Gardner-Johnson, but also defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, a defensive backs expert by trade who undoubtedly had his handprints on that unit.

Cam Smith comes in from the South Carolina program and helps give the Eagles added depth in the secondary as well as some much-needed youth with both Darius Slay and James Bradberry approaching or on the wrong side of 30.

There’s something in the water at USC these days and Cam Smith plays with a similar fast and physical brand of football as we saw from Jaycee Horn coming out a few years ago.

31. Indianapolis Colts (trade): Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee

Scouting Report. Tennessee. Hendon Hooker. 46. Pick Analysis. QB. 31. player

And here it is, the pick Colts fans (hopefully) stuck around for. Obviously, this is a selection made with the future in mind. The Colts signed Gardner Minshew to a modest, short-term deal to reunite him with Shane Steichen. That’s a “W” move because Minshew has been solid in the times he’s been called upon since he was a rookie back in 2019 with the Jaguars.

At this point in time, planning on Hendon Hooker making any contributions in 2023 would be extremely presumptuous, so the Colts would have to do something else on top of this in all likelihood if they aren’t planning on sticking with Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger. In reality, though, I think this would be a situation where the Colts could go through half of the season with Minshew or one of the other guys previously mentioned, then finish out the 2023 campaign getting a good look at Hendon Hooker similar to what we saw Houston do in 2021 with Davis Mills.

You don’t want to trade up too much to get a player like this late in round one because the Colts could very well be in the market for a QB early in the 2024 class, but this is a decent risk worth taking since you hired Steichen to develop QBs.

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