While the playoff picture is coming more into focus, and teams begin their final push to get into the postseason, at the other end of the spectrum we have the teams positioning themselves for the 2023 NFL Draft.
It speaks to the nature of their failures this year, but portends to the possibility of brighter days ahead.
At this point it is very unlikely that someone other than the Texans are going to get the first overall pick in next year’s draft. They have just one win and their next three games are against playoff teams. Finishing 1-15-1 is probably how it will go.
They will get their choice of either Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud, giving them a quarterback to begin the rebuild.
The Bears have their quarterback in Justin Fields, so with the No. 2 overall pick they can begin to rebuild their defense by taking EDGE rusher Will Anderson, Jr. from Alabama. He is the most obvious pick for anyone not needing a quarterback, so if the Bears were to fall lower than No. 2 there is a good chance that won’t get him.
When the Seahawks traded away Russell Wilson everyone thought the Broncos’ first round pick that was going to Seattle would be a late first-rounder. Instead it’s No. 3, and will definitely stay in the top-five by season’s end. And that will give the Seahawks yet another stud rookie to go along with this year’s great rookie class.
Most draft experts agree that Georgia’s Jalen Carter will get picked here, and give Seattle an anchor on the defensive line.
You know who could really use this pick? The Los Angeles Rams. Instead it belongs to the Lions from the Matthew Stafford trade. L.A. got a Super Bowl, so they can’t complain. And neither can Detroit. Showing the fruits of their labors the last few drafts, the Lions can now get the franchise quarterback they’ve been pining for.
Between Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, whichever doesn’t go to Houston, he will go here.
Thanks to the New Orleans Saints trading away their pick to the Eagles, the best team in the NFL is going to get a top-10 pick, and as of today it’s a top-five pick. They traded for Robert Quinn midseason to address their pass rush, but he’s not a long-term solution. But Myles Murphy from Clemson will be.
Murphy is long, athletic, and it’s almost criminal that a team as good as Philadelphia gets to add him to the mix.
The search for the Panthers next quarterback continues, and up next will be Will Levis of Kentucky. He hasn’t quite had the 2022 that all of us expected, but the tools for a good NFL quarterback are there. If he doesn’t go to Carolina at No. 6, he becomes an option later in the top-10.
The Jags could use a wide receiver to help out Trevor Lawrence, but their pass defense has been their biggest weakness this season, and getting their pick of cornerbacks will be too much to pass up. Look for Kelee Ringo of Georgia or Cam Smith of South Carolina to join the Jaguars next season.
The Cardinals have a lot of areas to address, but none are more important than protecting the team’s most important asset, Kyler Murray. There are two great offensive tackle options here - Paris Johnson of Ohio State and Peter Skoronski of Northwestern - and the Cardinals would be fools to not draft one of them.
The Colts don’t really have a quarterback for 2023, but instead of drafting one, they may go for Jimmy Garoppolo, Taylor Heinicke, Daniel Jones, or Jacoby Brissett. That would allow them to draft TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, giving them an instant star on the outside.
There are five other teams with just five wins, so the Falcons could drop, and teams like the Packers, Steelers, or Lions could move into the top-10. But as of now it’s Atlanta’s, and they need a quarterback. Maybe Anthony Richardson goes here.
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Tanner Kern breaks down the biggest news from the NFL world, discusses fantasy football stategy, and gives his future bets for the 2022 season on the debut of the CHFF Show.