Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (31): Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Texans hold the No. 1 overall pick in our ‘way-too-early’ 2023 NFL Mock Draft, and they reboot at the quarterback spot with the selection.
The 2022 NFL Draft is in the books, and what we got was a wild three days with teams moving up and down the draft order. As the newest group of NFL players enter the league, why not look forward to next year’s draft, taking a look at what the first round could look like.
The draft order is based on Super Bowl 57 odds
C.J. Stroud
Quarterback, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans have decided to roll with Davis Mills this season in what will be the first for Lovie Smith at the helm. Unfortunately for the Texans, the oddsmakers do not like their chances to do much of anything, and they hold the No. 1 overall pick in this mock draft.
With the pick, they move on from Davis Mills, as this is a quarterback class that could end up being very special. They are going to have their pick of who they want, but I like CJ Stroud to be the early favorite to be the No. 1 player taken next April, as Houston reboots at quarterback.
Will Anderson
OLB, Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons will look a lot different this season, as they will no longer have seasoned veteran Matt Ryan as their starting quarterback. While there is some reason to be excited, especially with Marcus Mariota taking over, in this mock, they hold the No. 2 overall pick.
That means the season went awry, and while they could go quarterback here, we like them taking the best overall player in this draft class. That player is Alabama linebacker Will Anderson, a tackling machine who could be a double-digit sack guy at the next level.
Jalen Carter
DL, New York Jets
One of the big winners from the 2022 NFL Draft was the New York Jets, who traded back into the first round and was able to get Jermaine Johnson from Florida State. That gave them three first-round picks, and they also added some elite talent on Day 2, so overall, they should be much improved in 2022.
In this mock, the Jets are still one of the worst teams in the NFL, which could spell the end for Zach Wilson as their quarterback. With this pick, the Jets continue to bolster the defensive line, however, bringing in Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who was second-team All-SEC last year and is just getting started.