NFL Draft Triple Take (Mock Draft), March 22, 2023

and there or major surgery? Major surgery? I mean we had a big trade obviously, you know. I mean the Panthers moved up to one. That kind of shakes things around a little bit, and players stocks have changed. I mean we've been talking about this a lot. Then. I think there's ten to twelve players in this draft that are pretty much sure fire first round picks, but then the next forty could kind of go anywhere, so it's a little bit of a cluster after that. Yeah, that's

really the thing with this draft. I think it's not as top heavy as some other drafts. Usually you get fifteen to twenty guys who would be a first round pick every year. I don't know if this this draft is quite that deep in terms of the top end talent, but man, there's there's a lot of guys that could go. I think it even goes maybe sixty guys that could if they went in the first round. You go, oh, okay,

I get that. Yeah, yeah, and convers there's gonna be a bunch of guys are getting a second and third round. Any think, boy believe we're gonna hear a lot of that. Well, let's let's get to it day. Let's start with your top of the first round in your second mock here and oh surprise, a quarterback going to Carolina number one. What else did you find intriguing about this goal? Round one through ten? Well, you know, I think Carolina trading up the number one. I still think Bryce Young goes

to number one. He'll he'll throw today at his Alabama Pro Day. But I bumped Anthony Richardson up with Bryce Young off the board. I know CJ. Strott had a great combine Richardson din as well. Houston's they're not in it to win it this year. Necessarily. You can take the time to develop that guy. And then I have Christian Gonzalez at three to Arizona, but I don't think I think he ends up in Arizona. But I don't think that Arizona is going to be picking at three.

I still have Christian Gonzalez as my top cornerback in this draft, but I think somebody's gonna trade up to get Stroud, if if, if things would fall this way, and then you got Jalen Carter going down to five, you know, he's he's kind of now the guy that you look at, where does he go? And of course Jean Robinson at ten? Where does he go? Those are two of the kind of the guys in this draft to kind of swing everything wild cards X factors if you will that. Let's take a look at your picks

one through ten. No surprise quarterback to Carolina or your goal with the other guy. Yeah, I'm gonna disagree with the a little bit. I think Stroud not that he's separating himself, but I do think he's the favor to go one, and I think he's the target for the Panthers. Anderson at three again, that could definitely be a trade out spot. There's no doubt about that. I mean, maybe the Raiders move up. I mean there's multiple teams that could be interested in getting into three. I like the

fit with Richardson going to the Colts. I mean, if you think about it, they're coming over from Philadelphia. I mean you could just put the Jalen Hurtz offense in for Richardson. That makes all the sense in the world. I think Carter's the best football player in this draft, and what a building block he'd be for Seattle, who has two first round picks. So that makes a lot of sense to me as well. And like Dale, I

also had Paris Johnson going to Chicago. I mean they did a lot obviously in free agency, but one more tackle would go a long way. Yeah, I kind of made that unanimous. If we could throw my one through ten up there, I've got Paris Johnson also going to the Chicago Bears. I jagle Calrter going to the Chicago Bears when the Bears were possession of the first overall pick, but that shakes I like Strout among these quarterbacks. I think if I had to pick a quarterback, I would

pick Anthony Richardson. But I think it's gonna take a little time. Uh, he's gonna need a little bit of an adjustment period to the NFL. And unlike you guys, I watched enough Big ten football to know that Devin Witherspoon is the best cornerback in this draft. And I have him appropriately trying to have about him Mike, because he hasn't been able to work out at all throughout this process. It's a little uh annoying, let's say, or I don't want to say concerning, because I think it's

that that big a deal. I believe he's got something schedule on April the fifth, which is gonna be his third shot to run for the evaluators didn't do it at the Combine, didn't do it at the Illinois Pro Day. Some of them sure thinks Tyree Wilson will Anderson in this draft of boy, could be a lot of guys. Those two gots, they're gonna go high. And I've got the defensive tackle from Clemson going to Philly up Previously I had b Jehan Robinson going there, but there's been

a little uh departure on that defensive line. So the Eagles are gonna go with Matt say that name for me one. Thus, Brian brus say, I've heard it many different ways. I'll trust your judgment on that, man. Let's stick with you and go uh picks eleven through twenty. Okay, I kept Peter Scronsky going to Tennessee. Their Lyne pretty much needs a little bit of everything, and so he's going to fit in a tackle, he's gonna fit in

a guard and maybe even center. Who knows. Yeah, does it all affect his value that we don't know if he's a tackle or a guard ye? Or do we just think he's going to be real good at either one. I think he'll be adequate at tackle, but he could be an elite guard. I mean, I bring up Zack Martin a lot from the Cowboys coming out of Notre Dame. Very similar prospect, tremendous at what he did, but just not prototypical traits for tackle. M Witherspoon I'm a big

fan as well. We just talked about him a minute ago. But they took a corner last year and Stingley. That could be a heck of a combination for a long time there. Um. I still think the Patriots need a receiver. I have him taking Addison. He's not my favorite receiver in this draft, and my favorites to Jackson Smith and the Jigba who goes to Green Bay. That would be not what the Packers do. I mean pretty much, in the last ten years, their only first round pick that's

been on offense has been Jordan's Love. So they might have to buck that trend a little bit. Would be somewhat ironic if they picked the wide receiver in the first round this year without the day. Let's take a look at your eleven through twenty. Yeah, I have a Tennessee taking Smith and Jigba. You know, I think they could use everything, and I think he's the best player in terms of a guy who scores touchdowns and that's something that they need. They need to score more points.

Scronsky then goes at twelve again, is he at tackle? Is the guard? Doesn't doesn't really matter because they need everything. H you know, the Jets end go tackle, like Matt. I have the Patriots taking a wide receiver, just a bigger wide receiver. I think somebody outside the numbers would help them there. Uh and then you look at it. It's I got Will Levis falling down to nineteen. Tampa Bay buck in years again, I think that would be

an ideal situation for them. I don't know that their quarterbacks, and I know they signed Baker Mayfield, but wouldn't you like to have a young guy to absolutely kind of kickstart that at this point? Yeah, I got a faller as well, and my guy is unfortunately what there's two of them. B Jean Robinson I have going nineteen to Tampa. I think he's certainly not the nineteenth best player available

in this draft, not even close. He might be in the top five, top three, but it's running back, and you know, I'm most certainly one of those top twelve players. It would be a first round draft pick no matter What's tough to find him at home, and just ahead of him Richardson, I think Detroit has a short term solution that's working right now and seems to be acquiring enough of everything else that the Lions with their draft capital, can afford to grab Richardson and red shirt him, so

to speak, and then move on eventually. I have Green Bay taking Ryan Branch. I'm fascinated with Brian Branch. Oh love him. I mean, I think he's a great football player. He would fit him well there too. I think we both are all three of us had brought with Jones going to the Jets or at least two of us and the wide receivers just no matter what you like. I really like Jordan Addison. They could use them. I

mean they need some firepowers. Dale mentioned, I mean their passing game was lacking last year as they leave, let's wrap it up now by getting the bottom third of our three mock drafts here, Dale, why don't you take

us from twenty one to the end. Yeah, this is where things get a little crazy here, because again you can look at these, these these last eleven picks here and say, okay, there could be thirty guys that could be in these picks, So, you know, looking at it, I think Deante Banks to the Ravens just makes a ton of sense. He's a Maryland guy. You know, they keep him in State's. He's exactly what they want at cornerback, a big, physical, you know, guy that can run. I

also have Cam Smith another cornerback. He's my number five in the board. Brian Branch falls a little bit. He didn't have the greatest combine, but then you watch his tape and he just does everything well. Um, Joe Tipman to the Cowboys is an interesting one. I think he's he's my top center prospect in this draft. The guy

is massive. He could play him at guard. You could play him at center, I have, and I think you could even set him higher than the Minnesota guy I do from the Big ten the Big ten, but I think Tipman Tipman at six six could even kick out to right tackle if he wanted them to do that. I just he got pigeonholed at center at Wisconsin because it's Wisconsin and they've got seventeen you know guys that he was really good at it. All that stuff the Bills with with Zay Flowers, I think makes a lot

of sense. They could use some more help there at the receiving position. And then you know, the Bengals get Kaylee Ringo out of Georgia and again lost both of their safeties in free agency. Is Ringo of safety? Is he a corner? Doesn't matter? He just you just add him to that secon And Darry, I want to ask you about your first selection there in this in this grouping Nolan Smith Edge Chargers, I'm starting to think of him as an off the ball linebacker. Yeah, we talked

about a Yeah, we talked about that a lot. I had to imagine itially and I'm I'm gonna put him in the other group now, Yeah, I mean I think you can look at him both ways. Um, he was what two thirty five to thirty eight right now, you got the combine, So he's on the edge of being big enough as it were in the edge. Um, you know, but he ran so well at the combine. It just is a really uh, you know, a high caliber guy

in the locker room. You could do a lot of different things with him, And I think if you're a team, you could look at him the kind of as a you know, just a chip that you can move around a little bit. Matt. Let's take a look at your picks twenty one through thirty one. Uh, what I see, You've got Darnell right to tackle from Tennessee. At the start of this grouping Dale had him thirty one. I've got him thirty one also spoiler, but yeah, I wasna. I mean, Kansas City would love to get hold of them.

I'm sure they look both their tackles and brought in one. They might probably need to get another. I think it's gonna work out for them. The way it did when they got Clyde Edwards Hilaire, Okay, that's exactly what they needed. I don't know how the Chargers pass on him, though, I'm pretty confident right does go in the first round. Right tackle was a huge problem for them. Johnston might be gone by twenty two, but I think he fits the Ravens really well, and that he's a big bodied guy.

He's very very good at blocking, willing blocker as much as they run the ball, that should matter to them. I have Branch going twenty five to the Giants, and maybe he's gone before that. There's so many landing spots he could end up because he is such a good football player that you guys said Green Bay Jacksonville earlier. But the Giants play with more defensive backs on the field than any team in the league, so he'll just fit in somewhere. I mean, there's a ton of dime.

There's a lot of seven defensive backsets with those. That's the beauty of that guy. Right. They could play him in the slot, you could play him a deep safety, he could play in the box. There's just all kinds of things you can do with him. Yeah, and Frankly I'm believably infatuated with this tight end class and I have three going at the end of the round. There, what if you could put Musgrave behind Kelsey for a

year or two to learn. I think that's phenomenal. And the Bengals lost the tight end this year, you know, and the Bills need another weapon as we talked about. Yeah, I'm with you on the tight end things interesting. You've got Keyon White and Osiris Torrance in your bottom ten of this group of thirty one. I've got him higher.

You've both got a first round. It's just a matter aware and I think there's a kind of guys that PERSONI fight just how speculative this is going to be and how much it's going to depend on what specific teams really like or need as opposed to the perception of pecking order under scent. And I don't know if he gets the thirty or not when it's all said and done. I mean, he's a plug and play guard.

But if you look at the Eagles offensive line, they've always had a very small, super athletic center and why they get away with that a little more than others as well. Kelsey's phenomenal, but they have two huge guards. Well this year they're gonna have to play with Cam Jurgens is one of those guards who's really the Kelsey replacement. So I think they'd love to get a big body of Guarden for the future. Looking at my picks twenty

one through thirty one, h not totally dissimilar. I still like Cody Mak going to Buffalo because he's just a Buffalo type of guy. I mean, there might not be fits an environment more. Yeah, yeah, I like Johnston going to Baltimore as well Matt and then Banks to the Vikings. Van ness intrigues me again. Big ten guy. Uh, probably we'll have more production in college or in the pros than he did in college, just circumstantially. Jamar Gibbs going

to the Cowboys at twenty six. The running back room has changed there a little bit, and I like his uh ability to contribute in the run game as well as the past game. I think he's a good fit for Dallas U and Darnel Washington going to the Eagles at number thirty. He's one of my favorite players in the draft, but I figured you can be another offensive lineman for Philadelphia until he learns how to be a pass catcher. They're okay with that because they're gonna run

the ball a little bit. Yeah, yeah, it's it's uh, you know, you look at it some of some different names in there, Like you know, Matt and I didn't have much in the you know, our first round, but I could see him going there. Uh. You mentioned Gibbs is another guy that you know, he wasn't in our draft, but you can see him going in the first round. It's it's such an interesting draft in that. Hyatt, I think, is another guy that I don't think made it into Matt and I's a first round both like him. But

you know, it's just all about the fit. Okay, that's gonna do it for MAC two. This is not the last time we will be previewing what we think is gonna happen on the first round, so you've got that to look forward to. And in the meantime, we will be doing our round two of the position previews as we continue getting you ready for the NFL Draft in Kansas City in late April. Until next time, I want

to thank you for finding us. However, and wherever you found us this time, keep looking at those Steelers social media platforms. And keep up with the NFL Draft Triple Take, brought to you by upmc for Matt Williamson and Del Laliam Mike Pursuita. Thanks for tuning in