We have finally made it to the day of the NFL Draft! As I do every year, here is my 7 round mock draft based on what I think WILL happen in the NFL draft. I do not project trades in my 7 round mock draft, so sometimes a player may fall to a team I think could take him. These are based on what I am hearing, visits, and my experience with the NFL Draft.
The first round of this 7 round mock draft will be entered in The Huddle Report Mock Draft contest along with my Top 100. After this is graded, I will enter the past 5 year leader board. My 4 year average would currently rank 3rd on the list, so see where I can go if this is accurate!
For more on the NFL Draft and other 7 round mock draft, check these out:
Shane P. Hallam Draft News & Notes
I’ll be tweeting about my mock draft, fantasy football, and the NFL Draft for the totality of the football year @ShanePHallam as well as @Draftcountdown.Â
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See Round 4-7
2023 7 Round Mock Draft (Rounds 1-3)
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carolina Panthers (f/ CHI) | Bryce Young QB/Alabama | This one appears to be locked in the bag as the Panthers go and get the small, but cerebral QB to lead their franchise. |
| 2 | Houston Texans | Will Anderson EDGE/Alabama | The Texans will likely consider Stroud, Levis, Anderson and Tyree Wilson. Ultimately, I think they make the smart choice with my top player in the draft to add a pass rush element. |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | Paris Johnson OT/Ohio State | Addressing the OT position would be massive for this offense and Johnson is the best fit for their system. It may be tough passing a defensive player, but if they don't move down, Johnson is the guy. |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | CJ Stroud QB/Ohio State | My conspiracy theory brain says the Colts want Stroud to get pushed down the board so they can take him and thus leaked some of the negative info. He is a fit in the Streichen offense. |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks (f/ DEN) | Jalen Carter DL/Georgia | The Seahawks are never shy about taking risks and Carter may be the most talented player in the draft. He fills a hole as well. |
| 6 | Detroit Lions (f/ LAR) | Devon Witherspoon CB/Illinois | Witherspoon is my CB3 in this draft, but his nickel ability and physicality line up with what the Lions need. |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | Tyree Wilson EDGE/Texas Tech | Wilson could go higher with his size, explosiveness and length. But, his lack of production and injuries is a question. The Raiders need a versatile inside/outside player who can add a new element for the defense. |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | Nolan Smith EDGE/Georgia | Bijan Robinson is a strong possibility here, but the Falcons have needed pass rush forever. Despite signing a few 1 year band aids, the local Smith would give a stand up pass rusher for a long time. |
| 9 | Chicago Bears (f/ CAR) | Darnell Wright OT/Tennessee | Wright fits what the Bears want in an OT. Length, toughness, and good film. He can slot into RT immediately. |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles (f/ NO) | Christian Gonzalez CB/Oregon | Maybe the Eagles move around here (see their pick at 30 and my explanation) but if they stick, Gonzalez makes a ton of sense. He can develop slowly and be a starter in 2024. |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | Anthony Richardson QB/Florida | The Titans showed with the Malik Willis pick they want athletic upside at QB, and ARich is the ultimate one. |
| 12 | Houston Texans (f/ CLE) | Will Levis QB/Kentucky | The Texans could take Levis at 2, or move around from 12 to get him. I'm not a fan, but they need to get a QB. |
| 13 | Green Bay Packers (f/ NYJ) | Lukas Van Ness EDGE/Iowa | The Packers jumped the Patriots and though many think it was for a WR or TE, EDGE could be the factor too. LVD is a perfect Patriots and Packers player. |
| 14 | New England Patriots | Zay Flowers WR/Boston College | Bill Belichcik taking a first round WR is scary, but Flowers quick twitch ability could come in handy. |
| 15 | New York Jets (f/ GB) | Peter Skoronski iOL/Northwestern | The Jets likely view Skoronski as an OT who can play as well as he did in the Big Ten |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | Broderick Jones OT/Georgia | Could be a steal to get a possible RT or LT like Broderick Jones who could start immediately. |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Joey Porter Jr. CB/Penn State | The Steelers get a physical press corner who also have the bloodlines they like. |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | O'Cyrus Torrence iOL/Florida | Lions need to get more physical inside and no one does it better than Torrence. |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Anton Harrison OT/Oklahoma | Harrison is a sharp pass protector to allow the Bucs to improve the OL for the future. |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | Deonte Banks CB/Maryland | Banks fits the mold to start across from Tariq Woolen |
| 21 | Los Angeles Chargers | Dalton Kincaid TE/Utah | Kincaid may go higher but the Chargers need to add weapons. He can play the Dalton Schultz role in the Kellen Moore offense. |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens | Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR/Ohio State | JSN tumbling this far would be a surprise, so perhaps the Ravens move up a bit to get him if they don't trade for Hopkins. He would complete a new trifecta at WR. |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Emmanuel Forbes CB/Mississippi State | Forbes is small, but his playmaking ability can fit the new Vikings defense under Flores. |
| 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Will McDonald EDGE/Iowa State | McDonald is one of the best pure pass rushers in the draft and fits across from Travon Walker. |
| 25 | New York Giants | Jordan Addison WR/Southern Cal | The Giants like their small route runners and Addison is that guy. One of the best players available here. |
| 26 | Dallas Cowboys | Michael Mayer TE/Notre Dame | Mayer may not fall this far, but the Cowboys could move around to get him and immediately upgrade that offense. |
| 27 | Buffalo Bills | Brian Branch S/Alabama | The versatile Safety/Nickel CB adds an element of toughness against the run and pass. |
| 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | Jahmyr Gibbs RB/Alabama | If the Bengals are getting rid of Joe Mixon, Gibbs gives a huge weapon on an offense that throws to the RB. |
| 29 | New Orleans Saints (f/ SF through MIA and DEN) | Myles Murphy EDGE/Clemson | Murphy is big and fast, but need polish. He would help solidfy the run and pass defense. |
| 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | Bijan Robinson RB/Texas | Bijan isn't falling this far, but the Eagles could move down from 10 or up from 30 to go get him to have an insane offense. |
| 31 | Kansas City Chiefs | Quentin Johnston WR/TCU | The outside WR position for the Chiefs is lacking and having a YAC monster like QJ with size just fits. |
| Pick | Team | Player | Explanation |
Pick Team Player
32
Pittsburgh Steelers (f/ CHI)
Keeanu Benton DL/Wisconsin
33
Houston Texans
Jalin Hyatt WR/Tennessee
34
Arizona Cardinals
Steve Avila iOL/TCU
35
Indianapolis Colts
Kelee Ringo CB/Georgia
36
Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Bergeron OT/Syracuse
37
Seattle Seahawks (f/ DEN)
Mazi Smith DL/Michigan
38
Las Vegas Raiders
Hendon Hooker QB/Tennessee
39
Carolina Panthers
Jonathan Mingo WR/Mississippi
40
New Orleans Saints
Bryan Bresee DL/Clemson
41
Tennessee Titans
Joe Tippman iOL/Wisconsin
42
Green Bay Packers (f/ CLE through NYJ)
Luke Musgrave TE/Oregon State
43
New York Jets
John Michael Schmitz iOL/Minnesota
44
Atlanta Falcons
Cam Smith CB/South Carolina
45
Green Bay Packers
DJ Turner CB/Michigan
46
New England Patriots
Cody Mauch iOL/North Dakota State
47
Washington Commanders
Jartavius Martin S/Illinois
48
Detroit Lions
Drew Sanders LB/Arkansas
49
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jack Campbell LB/Iowa
50
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
BJ Ojulari EDGE/LSU
51
Miami Dolphins
Devon Achane RB/Texas A&M
52
Seattle Seahawks
Trenton Simpson LB/Clemson
53
Chicago Bears (f/ BAL)
Adetomiwa Adebawore EDGE/Northwestern
54
Los Angeles Chargers
Zach Charbonnet RB/UCLA
55
Detroit Lions (f/ MIN)
Darnell Washington TE/Georgia
56
Jacksonville Jaguars
Calijah Kancey DL/Pittsburgh
57
New York Giants
Julius Brents CB/Kansas State
58
Dallas Cowboys
Kendre Miller RB/TCU
59
Buffalo Bills
Josh Downs WR/North Carolina
60
Cincinnati Bengals
Dawand Jones OT/Ohio State
61
Chicago Bears (f/ SF through CAR)
Darius Rush CB/South Carolina
62
Philadelphia Eagles
Isaiah Foskey EDGE/Notre Dame
63
Kansas City Chiefs
Keion White EDGE/Georgia Tech
Pick Team Player
Pick Team Player
64
Chicago Bears
Derick Hall EDGE/Auburn
65
Houston Texans
Luke Wypler iOL/Ohio State
66
Arizona Cardinals
Felix Anudike-Uzomah EDGE/Kansas State
67
Denver Broncos (f/ IND)
Zach Harrison EDGE/Ohio State
68
Denver Broncos
Tank Bigsby RB/Auburn
69
Los Angeles Rams
Israel Abanikanda RB/Pittsburgh
70
Las Vegas Raiders
Sam LaPorta TE/Iowa
71
New Orleans Saints
Brenton Strange TE/Penn State
72
Tennessee Titans
Blake Freeland OT/BYU
73
Houston Texans (f/ CLE)
DeMarvion Overshown LB/Texas
74
Cleveland Browns (f/ NYJ)
Zacch Pickens DL/South Carolina
75
Atlanta Falcons
Roschon Johnson RB/Texas
76
New England Patriots (f/ CAR)
Clark Phillips CB/Utah
77
Los Angeles Rams (f/ NE through MIA)
Tuli Tuipulotu DL/Southern Cal
78
Green Bay Packers
Sydney Brown S/Illinois
79
Indianapolis Colts (f/ WAS)
Tyler Steen OT/Alabama
80
Pittsburgh Steelers
Carter Warren OT/Pittsburgh
81
Detroit Lions
Jake Haener QB/Fresno State
82
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Antonio Johnson S/Texas A&M
83
Seattle Seahawks
Cedric Tillman WR/Tennessee
84
Miami Dolphins
Luke Schoonmaker TE/Michigan
85
Los Angeles Chargers
Marvin Mims WR/Oklahoma
86
Baltimore Ravens
Chandler Zavala iOL/NC State
87
Minnesota Vikings
Byron Young EDGE/Tennessee
88
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyrique Stevenson CB/Miami (FL)
89
New York Giants
Nick Saldiveri iOL/Old Dominion
90
Dallas Cowboys
Riley Moss CB/Iowa
91
Buffalo Bills
Daiyan Henley LB/Washington State
92
Cincinnati Bengals
Tucker Kraft TE/South Dakota State
93
Carolina Panthers (f/ SF)
Henry To'o To'o LB/Alabama
94
Philadelphia Eagles
Gervon Dexter DL/Florida
95
Kansas City Chiefs
Wanya Morris OT/Oklahoma
96
Arizona Cardinals
Siaki Ika DL/Baylor
97
Washington Commanders
Garrett Williams CB/Syracuse
98
Cleveland Browns
Jammie Robinson S/Florida State
99
San Francisco 49ers
Jordan Battle S/Alabama
100
Las Vegas Raiders (f/ KC through NYG)
Jakorian Bennett CB/Maryland
101
San Francisco 49ers
Cameron Mitchell CB/Northwestern
102
San Francisco 49ers
Tyler Scott WR/Cincinnati
Pick Team Player
See Round 4-7
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