Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - With the 2023 NFL Draft set to get underway Thursday evening in Kansas City, it’s time to post my first and only mock draft of the year.
This mock draft is a trade-free mock based on what I believe each team should do, based on the best player available at the time of the pick and team needs.
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Here's a look at how the draft board will fall in this mock:
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1.) Carolina Panthers (from Chicago Bears): Bryce Young - QB - Alabama
2.) Houston Texans: Will Anderson Jr. - EDGE - Alabama
3.) Arizona Cardinals: Tyree Wilson - EDGE - Texas Tech
4.) Indianapolis Colts: Will Levis - QB - Kentucky
5.) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos): Jalen Carter - DT - Georgia
6.) Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams): Christian Gonzalez - CB – Oregon
7.) Las Vegas Raiders: Devon Witherspoon - CB - Illinois
8.) Atlanta Falcons: C.J. Stroud - QB - Ohio State
9.) Chicago Bears (from Carolina Panthers): Paris Johnson Jr. - OT - Ohio State
10.) Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans Saints): Bijan Robinson - RB - Texas
11.) Tennessee Titans: Anthony Richardson - QB – Florida
12.) Houston Texans (from Cleveland Browns): Jaxon Smith-Njigba - WR - Ohio State
13.) Green Bay Packers (from New York Jets): Peter Skoronski - OT – Northwestern
14.) New England Patriots: O’Cyrus Torrence - OG - Florida
15.) New York Jets (from Green Bay Packers): Broderick Jones - OT - Georgia
16.) Washington Commanders: Joey Porter Jr. - CB - Penn State
17.) Pittsburgh Steelers: Deonte Banks - CB - Maryland
18.) Detroit Lions: Nolan Smith - EDGE - Georgia
19.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Hendon Hooker - QB - Tennessee
20.) Seattle Seahawks: Lukas Van Ness - EDGE - Iowa
21.) Los Angeles Chargers: Jordan Addison - WR – USC
22.) Baltimore Ravens: Brian Branch - S - Alabama
23.) Minnesota Vikings: Quentin Johnston - WR – TCU
24.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Darnell Wright - OT - Tennessee
25.) New York Giants: Kelee Ringo - CB - Georgia
26.) Dallas Cowboys: Dalton Kincaid - TE - Utah
27.) Buffalo Bills: Zay Flowers - WR - Boston College
This would be considered my dream scenario for the Bills at 27. That run on wide receiver never really comes because of the run on corners, offensive line and edge in the middle of the first. If Zay Flowers is the Bills guy, I do wonder if Brandon Beane gets anxious and tries to move up a few spots, maybe with Baltimore to jump in front of Minnesota and the Giants to ensure they get their guy, because we know when Beane has his guy, he’ll get aggressive and go get him.
I do have concerns about moving up in this draft for a wide receiver, but in terms of where Flowers falls with the rest of this class, I think he’s the second-best receiver in the class behind Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He flourished with inconsistent quarterback play at Boston College, he oozes that ‘process’ DNA that Beane and Sean McDermott covet. The Bills have met with Flowers both at the Combine and as a top-30 visit. Since taking over, Brandon Beane has never selected someone in the first round they didn’t use a top-30 visit on, so there’s enough evidence for me that they like Flowers and could spend a first on him.
The question remains though; what they will do to replace Tremaine Edmunds. IF they end up trading up for Flowers, that could bring that second-round pick into play, which would really concern me. That’s why this scenario is ideal for the Bills to get their top target at receiver and have the assets to potentially move up and grab either Trenton Simpson from Clemson or Jack Campbell from Iowa. Both could be day one starters for the Bills on defense.
In 4-wide receiver sets, having Diggs, Davis, Flowers and Harty on the field all at the same time; you could really have something here for Ken Dorsey to take the necessary step as a play caller in 2023.
28.) Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Mayer - TE - Notre Dame
29.) New Orleans Saints (from Denver Broncos vis San Francisco 49ers): Myles Murphy - EDGE - Clemson
30.) Philadelphia Eagles: Calijah Kancey - DT - Pittsburgh
31.) Kansas City Chiefs: Anton Harrison - OT - Oklahoma
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