The NFL Draft class of 2023 is shaping up to be a relatively weak one -- at least according to a few prospect hounds.
In a preview article marking the start of this week's annual Scouting Combine, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reports that one team told him it had rated just 15 players as what would be considered first-round talents in an average year.
What they all agreed on was that the elite class is low on numbers this year and that once you get out of the top 10, it may seem like players are being drafted too high. And that theme continues through the first round—one team I talked to had just 15 first-round grades in the class at this stage.
In addition to the top three quarterbacks -- Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's CJ Stroud, and Kentucky's Will Levis -- Breer identifies six players around whom a consensus has formed identifying them as "elite" prospects.
Those players are: Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson, Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson, Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skorosnki, Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, and Texas running Bijan Robinson.
The report also said there are several players considered to be on the fringe of the elite group: Clemson edge rusher Myles Murphy, Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee, and Iowa edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.
ESPN's Todd McShay told Breer that he has first-round grades on 14 players, while NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah told Breer that players in the back half of the first round will be interchangeable with those taken early in the second round.
“To me, the difference between pick 12 and pick 40 is not much,” Jeremiah adds. “Get to that point, and it's just preference.”
The first 10 picks, in order, belong to: the Bears, Texans, Cardinals, Colts, Seahawks, Lions, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers, and Eagles.
They are followed by the Titans at No. 11, Texans at 12, Jets at 13, Patriots at 14 and Packers at 15.
Somewhere in this range is where things could get interesting, according to Breer and his sources.
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