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The 2023 NFL draft is just two weeks away, which means that the rumors are flying everywhere about which team will draft which player. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick right now, from the Chicago Bears, so it looks like their direction is clear, but let’s take a look at how the draft might go. Remember – each pick, particularly in the first round – has the potential to impact your NFL betting this season.
NFL Draft Picks: 10 Predictions that Every Bettor Should Consider
Will Carolina choose Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud?
C.J. Stroud was the favorite to get picked by the Panthers, but recent weeks have brought those odds around to make Young the favorite. Young is “just” 5’10” and 204 pounds, but he has a feel for the position that should compensate for this. Frank Reich, a former NFL starting quarterback, is the head coach, so he should recognize the potential that Young brings. The Panthers seem to think that they can win now, even after trading Christian McCaffrey, and Young’s accuracy makes him a more natural fit for Reich.
Stroud, of course, has plenty of bullet points in his favor as well. He was Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year twice, and she showed pocket efficiency, arm strength and accuracy to just about every window on the field. His weaknesses come outside the pocket, when scrambling and creating seemed to cause problems. He showed promise in the win over Michigan and the loss to Georgia, so even if the Panthers take Young, the Texans will have an elite choice at quarterback when they take the second pick.
Will Arizona switch spots with Indianapolis?
Arizona sits at #3 in the draft, and the Colts sit at #4. With Stroud and Young both likely off the board at this point, and with the Cardinals supposedly set at quarterback, the Colts would do well to make the swap to move up and take Anthony Richardson out of Florida. He can scramble at an elite level, and he can pass out of the pocket. He was throwing big bombs at the combine. The Cardinals are shopping this pick, so the Colts should take advantage. Then the Cardinals would look at…
Edge rusher Will Anderson Jr heads to the desert
J.J. Watt, Markus Golden and Zach Allen have all left town during the off-season, so Anderson would make a start at filling that gap on the D-line. He’s the best non-quarterback in this draft, and the Cardinals need a defensive presence.
Seattle takes Tyree Wilson with the fifth pick
How did the Seahawks get the fifth pick? This was part of the haul from trading Russell Wilson last off-season. Wilson is a linebacker from Texas Tech with length (35 ⅝” arms) and size (6’6”, 271 pounds). He improved each year with the Red Raiders, and he would join Darrell Taylor and Uchenna Nwosu in harassing opposing passers.
Detroit solves a defensive problem with the sixth pick
Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois could be the cornerback that the Lions need. Their offense took off last season, but the passing defense was in the bottom three last year. He is the best cover corner in the class this year, and his physicality will fit in with the toughness that has been instilled in Detroit.
Las Vegas shores up the secondary with the seventh pick
The Raiders still don’t have a true shutdown corner despite having signed 24 free agents to this point, as well as adding Jimmy Garoppolo and Brian Hoyer to join Josh McDaniels. Christian Gonzalez out of Oregon has a 4.38 40, which will help him stay with receivers, and he has the size (6’1”, 197 pounds) to bang bodies when he needs to.
Atlanta strengthens their pass rush with the eighth pick
Clemson might not have won the ACC, but they still have an elite defense, and edge rusher Myles Murphy is one of their latest products. He ran a 4.51 40 despite weighing almost 270 pounds, just 0.02 seconds behind USC wideout Jordan Addison. That kind of speed will pay off as Murphy learns the pro game from the likes of Calais Campbell and Lorenzo Carter.
Chicago uses the ninth pick to solidify the second level of their defense
The Bears dropped from one to nine in the draft in exchange for a haul, and Jalen Carter should still be on the board. He would be the best defensive lineman in Chicago from the moment the team drafted him. There are questions, of course. He didn’t look that great at Georgia’s pro day, and he has some court issues tied to a January car crash that killed a teammate and a recruiting staffer.
Philadelphia puts some depth behind Fletcher Cox
Yes, the Eagles have the tenth pick in this draft, from New Orleans, and look for them to add Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa to put some D-line depth behind the likes of Cox, Darius Slay, James Bradberry and Brandon Graham. Jordan Davis is another part of the youth movement behind those four, but now Van Ness adds depth at the edge rusher position.
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