5 way-too-early 2023 NFL Draft predictions
Is it too early to talk about the 2023 NFL Draft? The 2022 NFL season is still months away and we have no idea which franchises will end up at the bottom of the standings and what needs may arise.
WIth that in mind, absolutely not. It's never too early to talk about the following year's draft. It's fun and it's relevant and these young prospects deserve to be talked about.
Here are 5 way-too-early 2023 NFL Draft predictions:
1. There won't be another Georgia in the 2023 NFL Draft
Last year's Georgia Bulldogs were a historically dominant team in the SEC, only losing in the conference championship to Alabama. They later exacted revenge and defeated Alabama by two possessions in the national championship game. They ended up with 15 draft picks this year, setting an all-time record in the first six rounds of the seven-round event.
@GeorgiaFootball set the record for the most players drafted in a 7-round draft in NFL history 
💪🐶 @GeorgiaFootball set the record for the most players drafted in a 7-round draft in NFL history
Is this Bulldog team the greatest in college football history? https://t.co/LsDnuNvIRK
The Bulldogs and the 2020 championship Crimson Tide team that preceded them, sent an average of 12.5 picks to the league. With the two perennial SEC powers reloading somewhat after the last few seasons, there should be more parity when it comes to where draft picks are coming from.
2. The SEC will continue to lead the way in most NFL Draft picks
With the Bulldogs and the Crimson Tide reloading, there will be more picks from around the SEC. The conference, which has produced the last three College Football Playoff Champions, has also produced the most draft picks for the past 16 years straight.
Expect more of the same after the 2022 season. LSU had 10 draft picks despite also owning a losing record in Ed Orgeron's final season and should once again send several five-star recruits to the pros under Brian Kelly.
Florida and Auburn should improve record-wise and likely increase their production of NFL Draft picks next season. They had four picks between the two of them this past April.
Georgia and Alabama will continue to produce professionals for next year's draft, albeit not setting a new record.
Kentucky and Tennessee are on the rise in the SEC East with potential first-round quarterbacks. Texas A&M could be a sleeping giant of a draft mine, and the rest of the conference will maintain a level of excellence the rest of the country cannot reach.
3. Will Anderson will be the top defensive NFL Draft pick
Alabama linebacker Will Anderson was projected as one of the top 2023 prospects by ESPN's Matt Miller. When asked whether or not the Crimson Tide bruiser would have been selected No. 1 in 2022, Miller didn't hesitate:
"Anderson is that talented, and NFL teams were valuing the pass-rushers this year over offensive tackles and quarterbacks. Anderson has the production that Travon Walker didn't have (17.5 sacks in 2021). He is a lot like Kayvon Thibodeaux in terms of his first-step quickness, but he plays with much more power despite being listed 10 pounds lighter (245)."
Anderson led the NCAA's Division I with 17.5 sacks in 2021, and has the stalking ability to serve as a versatile run-stopper and QB container in the flat.
4. C.J. Stroud could wind up being the 2023 NFL Draft No. 1 pick
Breaking away from SEC worship here for a moment, C.J. Stroud from the Ohio State University could wind up becoming the No. 1 overall pick after a strong junior season.
The Buckeyes signal-caller has been favorably compared to Alabama's Bryce Young, with Matt Miller giving him the edge in several important areas:
"Stroud (6-3, 215) has a stronger arm (than Young) and is able to bounce off would-be-tacklers. Stroud's field vision, arm strength and second-effort playmaking ability are his biggest strengths."
Ohio State is the only Big Ten team to win a national championship since college football shifted to the CFP model. They won the inaugural CFP national championship game of the 21st century back in January 2015.
5. The 2023 NFL Draft will be the year of the quarterback
It was a mild shock to see no quarterbacks taken in the first 19 picks this year. Kenny Pickett out of Pitt was first taken at No. 20, by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Desmond Ridder was picked next by the Atlanta Falcons, at No. 74 pick in the third round. Malik Willis and Matt Corral slipped to No. 86 and No. 94 respectively.
The last thing you could call the 2022 draft is the 'year of the quarterback'. That won't be the case a year from now.
Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox spoke of no less than nine signal-callers that could be taken in the first round of next year's draft:
"The 2023 class doesn't end with Young and Stroud either. Stanford's Tanner McKee, Kentucky's Will Levis, N.C. State's Devin Leary, South Carolina's Spencer Rattler, Fresno State's Jake Haener, Brigham Young's Jaren Hall and Florida's Anthony Richardson could all work their way into the first-round conversation by December."
Prepare for a much different NFL landscape a year from now. Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger and Phillip Rivers are gone. Question marks hang over the longevity of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan. The age of the grizzled veteran is almost over, and opportunities are coming for the next generation of signal callers.