16. 2. 21. 135. I'm moving Gibbs into my top 25 in these final rankings -- he has been my No. Steven Jones Jr., Appalachian State 19. 28. Mel Kiper Mel Kiper Jr. is known as an American football analyst on ESPN. 68. Well, if I were doing a regrade, it'd have to be an A+, right? 7. If they had their own pick at No. We can slot him in as a starter on the other side of Adoree' Jackson. Atonio Mafi, UCLA Isaiah McGuire (126) can be a rotational pass-rusher as a rookie. Xazavian Valladay, Arizona State Kenny McIntosh, Georgia 28. 142. 7. He is undersized, but he tested well during combine workouts and had six interceptions last season. 8. Tucker Kraft, TE, South Dakota State 19. Chris Ojoh, New Mexico State Ryan Miller, Furman The Commanders went back to the secondary in Round 2, picking my fourth-ranked safety Jartavius Martin (47), who played a lot as a nickel. 24. The Jets had two first-round picks last year, but 2023 was much more of a low-key draft -- unless you expand that out to the few days before, when they finally completed the Aaron Rodgers trade. 16. Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary A.T. Perry, WR, Wake Forest Coming into the 2022 season, we thought he might be a first-round pick; he had nine touchdowns on just 38 catches in 2021. This is how to support an inexperienced passer. 70. 107. And that's what Bill Belichick was able to do, trading down for cornerback Christian Gonzalez (17), a player I had ranked in the top 10. With 12 total picks entering Day 1 -- tied for most in the league with Las Vegas -- including two in both Rounds 1 and 3, the Texans needed to find starters on both sides of the ball. As I wrote in my mock draft 2.0, Forbes is a boom-or-bust corner. Antoine Green, North Carolina 14 overall, the Patriots were in an interesting spot in this draft. Mississippi Valley State Jayden Reed, WR, Michigan State Ventrell Miller, Florida Byron Young, DT, Alabama Aaron Frost, Nevada Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson State As I noted in my post-combine list, he is the second-heaviest player to run a sub-4.4 40 and have a vertical jump of more than 40 inches since 2006 (Vernon Davis is the other). Jayden Reed, Michigan State Will Anderson Jr., Alabama I'd like to see him use his legs to scramble for first downs; he can be a little too rigid in the pocket. 41 and 72 plus a third-rounder next year (and adding No. Back-to-back-to-back-to-back wide receiver selections in the middle of Round 1. 40 in my current role. 27 overall on Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson, clearly a piece . Zach Harrison, DE, Ohio State 11. I ranked 150 total prospects and went much deeper for each position. Grant Miller, Baylor Michael Mayer, Notre Dame 17. 27. Tyler King, Edward Waters And all 31 first-round picks came from major conferences for the first time in the common draft era. Terell Smith (165) is my 14th-ranked cornerback, and the Bears got him a round later than I had him going. 38. Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland Top needs entering the draft: DE, WR, OT, DT, TE. Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson I don't love drafting running backs in Round 1, but Robinson deserves this ranking; I grade based on ability, not my first-round philosophy. That prediction had Buffalo using their top pick at No. In the rest of Carthon's group, Peter Skoronski (11) was my top-ranked offensive lineman in the entire class, and running back Tyjae Spears (81) is extremely talented, assuming his medical reports check out. Tavius Robinson, DE, Ole Miss 9. I liked the choice of safety Christopher Smith (170), but his tape is much better than his measurables, and I don't know if he'll ever develop into a starter. Tyson Bagent, Shepherd, Adrian Martinez, Kansas State He ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash and put up a 42-inch vertical leap at the combine. Cincinnati filled needs on Day 2. Braeden Daniels, Utah I wrote in September that I wanted to see his sack production rise before moving him up, and while he didn't have elite numbers, he did improve. Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu, Oregon, Kadeem Telfort, UAB I mentioned this Friday night, but the Giants landed three of my top 45 prospects in the first two days of the draft. Top needs entering the draft: DE, CB, RB, WR, C/G. I like his chances to be a starter in 2024 and beyond. DJ Ivey, Miami This will be Kiper's 39th NFL draft broadcast on ESPN. 22. Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State Tarique Milton, Texas He had 12 quarterback pressures in his final three games for the back-to-back national champs. And I have to say, I'm impressed by several of the prospects general manager Andrew Berry landed. 1. Nick Saldiveri (103) played mostly right tackle in college, but he likely will move inside to guard for New Orleans. TyJuan Garbutt, Virginia Tech 6. His full analysis on each pick can be found here . Jordan Lee, Washington State Marquel Broughton, Army Kiper's 2023 NFL draft grades: Why two teams clearly had the best weekend, 'That was crazy, no cap': How one wild sequence helped the 76ers steal Game 1, 'Aggressive' Harden takes over as 76ers stun C's, Suns' Paul leaves G2 loss with left groin tightness, Devils blank Rangers for 1st series win since 2012, Jokic powers Nuggets to 2-0, shrugs off MVP talk, Serena announces she's pregnant with 2nd child, Snoop Dogg joins Sparks' bid to buy Senators, Jets bolster OT group by signing veteran Turner, Ohio halts betting on Alabama baseball games. Evan Hull, Northwestern 8 to Atlanta. Jake Bobo, UCLA 7. Brandon Barnes-Brown, Fayetteville State, 1. Austin Stidham, Troy Larry Harrington, Langston Cornerback Cam Smith (51) excelled in zone coverage in college, and he locked down SEC wideouts. All he does is make plays, though. 36. I liked defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy (141) in Round 5; he can be solid nose tackle. Many of Levis' turnovers came when he tried to use his arm to force throws, and he's going to be punished for mistakes at the next level. Share. 11. Mel Kiper Jr. and Kirk Herbstreit wont be in Las Vegas. Witherspoon allowed 16 receptions on 54 targets as the primary defender last season. When should Pirates fans buy into this team? In L.A., he'll get reunited with two of his former wide receivers in Johnston and Davis. Plus, if Rodgers plays a bunch for the Jets, New York will owe the Packers its 2024 first-rounder. Kendre Miller, TCU He can maneuver the pocket and throw on the run. As I wrote Thursday, putting Carter next to Jordan Davis again makes total sense. 35. Gambling Problem? 35. Kwabena Bonsu, Army He started 39 games at tackle in college. Stroud there. Jordan Battle, Alabama 21+ (18+ NH/WY). (The Spun) Filed Under: NFL Related: ESPN's Brian Windhorst Explains He's Talking Quietly Because His Hotel Neighbor's Threat Paul Finebaum Not Liking What He's Hearing About Alabama 5. Chad Ryland, Maryland As for the rest of this class? Joseph Ngata, Clemson Minnesota went back to USC for cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (102) in Round 3. Instead, he will broadcast live from his home studio in Maryland. Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss Addison can run any route, and he can line up all across the formation. 25. 23. If you look at the other NFC East teams, Dallas needed to beef up to stop the run. Alex Cook, Washington Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee 34. 16. 13. He doesn't make many mistakes. Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa Blake Whiteheart, Wake Forest Noah Taylor, North Carolina 26. Parker Washington, WR, Penn State, 101. Everything else was overshadowed by the news that the quarterback would be back. 2 wideout behind Justin Jefferson. 7. 14. Nick Herbig, LB, Wisconsin This Green Bay offseason is going to be remembered for all of the theatrics around Rodgers, but I thought the Packers did well in this draft, especially if Van Ness turns into an All-Pro. Ryan Jones, East Carolina Isaiah Moore, NC State The downside of landing Levis, as I mentioned Friday, is that it involved a significant trade up. Porter is 6-foot-2 with long arms, and he can flip his hips in coverage. 5. Tyrique Stevenson, Miami 9. And this year, the projection for former Kentucky quarterback Will Levis was way off, with no one being more wrong about the mayonnaise-instead-of-cream-and-sugar-in-his-coffee lover . Antonio Johnson, S, Texas A&M 5. 17. 4. He's going to start as a rookie. Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA So how did they do? Demontrey Jacobs, USF NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. will participate in ESPN's television broadcast covering the tentpole event from his home studio in Maryland and not onsite in Las Vegas because he is unvaccinated against COVID-19, he said Monday. With JuJu Smith-Schuster signing in New England, the Chiefs can increase the snaps for Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney while rotating in Rice to try to replace Smith-Schuster. 6. Kendall Smith, Illinois Isaiah Land, Florida A&M Adetomiwa Adebawore, Northwestern Harris LaChance, BYU Moro Ojomo (249) is a solid depth defensive tackle late in Round 7. I don't know that Carter Warren (120) is a candidate to play as a rookie. Check out the positions I listed above. The Rams blew up their roster this offseason -- Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner, Taylor Rapp, Leonard Floyd and Troy Hill are among the defenders no longer on the team -- and clearly are entering a rebuild. Keidron Smith, Kentucky DeAndre Square, Kentucky Top needs entering the draft: TE, DE, ILB, WR, RB. And it's the receiving part that makes Gibbs such an intriguing prospect -- and could land him in Round 1. Everyrime hes in it looks like hes got parkinsons like shakes but he still dominates every single segment. Collin Duncan, Mississippi State 11. Nic Jones, Ball State Jarrick Bernard-Converse, LSU Top needs entering the draft: DE, DT, CB, WR, QB. This is a bit of a mixed bag overall, but the top two picks were excellent value. 29. Tyler Steen, Alabama 51. 25. Jason Taylor II, Oklahoma State With Cam Robinson facing a suspension for violating the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy, Anton Harrison (27) might have to be thrown into the fire on the left side. James Patterson, Buffalo Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan 7. Steve Avila (36) is a plug-and-play starter at guard, while edge rusher Byron Young (77) is stellar value on my board. Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State 23. DiRenzo, Rutgers C.J. Time for one final update of my prospect rankings ahead of the 2023 NFL draft as Round 1 closes in (Thursday at 8 p.m. And yet, the arm strength and the dual-threat ability are so intriguing that a team near the end of Round 1 absolutely could take him and let him develop. Art Green, Houston 14. D'Shawn Jamison, Texas Caleb Murphy, Ferris State Jaren Hall, BYU Charlie Thomas, Georgia Tech Overall, I was impressed with what Ossenfort did in his first class as a GM, getting a plug-and-play left tackle and prime 2024 picks. Luke Haggard, Indiana 3. Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia 146. 5 22 Related Topics ESPN Sports journalism Sports 22 comments Best Add a Comment 4t9rman 1 yr. ago He can play out of the slot or lined up outside. 39. 34. 13. 15. Anthony Bradford, LSU The questions about Young are purely related to his size; he measured 5-foot-10 and weighed in at 204 pounds at the combine. Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame JL Skinner, S, Boise State Anderson also went through every drill at the combine, showing he's not afraid of competition. And if you look at this team's biggest weakness from last season, it was stopping the run; Philly ranked 24th in yards allowed per carry (4.6). Picks correct: 1.5/31 Noteworthy: Not a particularly strong. Steve Avila, TCU 81 in this draft). 5. John Ojukwu, Boise State
How ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. and others sized up Dolphins draft - Yahoo Here we go, with the position-by-position rankings at the bottom (updated April 25, 10 p.m. 89. Cameron Latu, Alabama Thayer Thomas, NC State, 1. Aaron Rodgers knows that feeling; the Packers have now drafted a defensive player with 12 of their past 13 first-round picks, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. 1 with the Panthers, adding pick Nos. Christian Sims, Bowling Green, 1. I question the Bills not taking a corner until the seventh round, but the first three selections in this class are enough for a solid B. Jayden Thomas, Benedict. 128. He was fantastic after he returned in late October from missing two games due to a knee issue. 9. Julius Brents, Kansas State He might have been a top-five pick if he were a couple of inches taller. I would have done differently, but at least I liked who they added in Round 1. 2.
Why is ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. Not at the 2022 NFL Draft? Smith said Thursday night that Robinson is "a lot more than a running back," but that doesn't make this a good selection. These are my personal rankings. 62. Tank Dell, WR, Houston Cooper Hodges, Appalachian State 17. Keaton Mitchell, East Carolina 17. 4. 33. This is a team that needed a playmaker to take the load off Stefon Diggs, and Kincaid will help. Henry, DE, Clemson Wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (187) is one of the most intriguing prospects in this draft. Gervarrius Owens, Houston Alex Ward, UCF So while I thought for a little bit on Thursday that they might go for quarterback Will Levis at No. Miami entered this draft with just four picks, the fewest in the league, and it had already filled its biggest roster hole via the March trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Safety Jordan Battle (95) is extremely versatile; he started three years for Nick Saban's defense, so you know he has been well coached. 19. Tuli Tuipulotu, DL, USC Griffin Hebert, Louisiana Tech Is Mel kiper having some health issues? After an inconsistent game in the season-opening loss to Georgia, he was a lockdown corner the rest of the way. With three picks in the top 50, the Steelers entered the draft with a real chance to come away with multiple new rookie starters. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota Jadon Haselwood, Arkansas I like running back Eric Gray (172) as a potential steal on Day 3; he isn't a burner, but he can be a one-cut back behind Saquon Barkley. 20. Andrew Vorhees, USC In that deal, they swapped Round 1 selections with Green Bay, dropping down two spots. 5. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). 33. Grant Gibson, NC State, James Jackson, South Alabama It's just that both Gervon Dexter (53) and Zacch Pickens (64) were a round early based on my rankings. Mel Kiper health. Safety Jammie Robinson (145) had a stellar week of practices at the Senior Bowl in February. Dawand Jones, Ohio State Daiyan Henley, Washington State 3. The Seahawks went with two Michigan players I like on Day 3 -- defensive end Mike Morris (151) and center Olusegun Oluwatimi (154) -- and LSU's Anthony Bradford (108) is my fifth-ranked guard. Trades for Trey Lance and Christian McCaffrey depleted their capital. On Day 3, New England added both my top-ranked kicker Chad Ryland (112) and punter Bryce Baringer (192), becoming the first team since the 2000 Raiders to take a kicker and a punter in the same draft. I thought the Saints reached a bit for edge rusher Isaiah Foskey (40) on Day 2, and I would have preferred running back Devon Achane over Kendre Miller (71). Will Levis, a Madison native who declared for the NFL Draft out of Kentucky on Nov. 30 is receiving plenty of buzz from ESPN's NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Levis has landed . Blake Freeland, BYU The issue is the 2024 third-rounder Denver gave up to grab Moss, which dings this class. 4. Keondre Coburn, Texas Eku Leota, Auburn Colby Wooden, Auburn 139. Rejzohn Wright, Oregon State 82. Ben VanSumeren, Michigan State Tracking fifth-year options for 2020 first-rounders: Which were picked up, and which were declined? Thayer Thomas, NC State He has also gotten rave reviews about his interviews with coaches and execs in the pre-draft process. Longtime starting quarterback Derek Carr is out, and Jimmy Garoppolo is in. I appreciate my colleagues, particularly the production staff and my fellow commentators, for their support and flexibility. 133. We'll start with the best grades and go to the worst, with teams that have identical grades listed in alphabetical order: Jump to a team: Time for one final update of my prospect rankings ahead of the 2023 NFL draft as Round 1 closes in (Thursday at 8 p.m. They ranked near the bottom of the league in both offense and defense last season. At 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, he is undersized, but you can't teach his physical traits. Malik Cunningham, Louisville The Seahawks struck gold with cornerback Tariq Woolen and found solid rookie starters in offensive tackles Charles Cross and Abraham Lucas and running back Kenneth Walker. If Young & Co. struggle, Chicago might have a top-five choice. Brandon Joseph, Notre Dame I still have a few questions about this Detroit defense, but Holmes' Day 2 saved a C here. The Chargers passed on running backs, so I guess that means they won't give in to Austin Ekeler's trade demand. 50, Man United in pole position for top four, but can't take their eyes off Liverpool, The VAR Review: Red cards for Jota, Skipp; Richarlison penalty claim, Zags, Vols have gained spots in men's WTE Top 25, Titans quarterback Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day, After hoopla of going No. 23. Ethan Evans, Wingate Edge rusher Derick Hall (37) had 16 sacks over the past two seasons, but he went over a couple of other better pass-rushers. 122. 34. Seattle landed two of my top 14 prospects. Jordan McFadden, Clemson Did Steph Curry cook up the best Game 7 performance ever? Siaki Ika, DT, Baylor 144. The 2023 NFL Draft marked his 40th season covering the draft and he was pretty pleased by the overall class of the Las Vegas Raiders. The Bears received a spectacular haul when they traded down from No. 15. 48. AJ Finley, Ole Miss There's not much flash in this class, which is not usually how team owner Jerry Jones does things, but I can't knock many of these selections.