2023 NFL Mock Draft 6.0: Panthers smokescreen revealed as they take C.J. Stroud; Bucs trade up for Will Levis

As I said, I’m prepared to look like a moron for this. It’s not that I don’t think Bryce Young is great, but Stroud matches so much more of the criteria Frank Reich has looked for in a QB.

I’ve said it plenty of times before, but if Young were a couple of inches taller and a few pounds heavier, he’d be the first QB off the board without question. His size is the only thing that causes teams to show concern.

The Cardinals may want to trade down, but the sense I get is there aren’t many teams willing to move up to this spot to take a QB who isn’t named Young or Stroud. So the Cardinals will have to settle for an elite pass-rushing prospect!

There is the possibility the Colts don’t take a QB here, but if they do, everything I’ve heard indicates Richardson would be the choice over Will Levis. Richardson is the most tantalizing prospect in this class.

Some teams may have concerns about Jalen Carter, but considering Seattle values its lines and has an extra first-round pick that affords them the opportunity to “take a chance,” I’m convinced this is as far as Carter drops.

I had Witherspoon going to Detroit in my last mock, and that was before the Lions traded Jeff Okudah to the Falcons. Now I’m even more confident corner is the pick here. If that’s the case, Witherspoon makes a lot of sense. Grabbing Kerby Joseph from Illinois last year worked out, and Witherspoon is the tough, instinctual competitor you long for at corner.

I had a Raiders fan yell at me for having the team take a tackle here in the last mock. They told me the Raiders would never draft a tackle at this spot. If that’s the case, I’m not the one you should be yelling at. Anyway, if I’m the Raiders, I take Skoronski here! The arms are a concern, but he’s so skilled and athletic that there’s a good chance it won’t matter.

Nolan Smith is one of the most polarizing prospects in this draft. Some people I talk to are in love with him, while others think he’s a great kid and have no idea where they’d put him. Perhaps the Falcons are one of the teams that love him and believe he can have a Micah Parsons-like impact to their pass rush.

The Bucs move up to get their QB. Perhaps they’d be better off waiting until next spring to get their QB, but have you seen the NFC South? It’s probably going to be hard to tank in that division. Anyway, Levis is another polarizing prospect. You’re definitely aiming more for the player you saw in 2021 than in 2022.

The closer we get to the draft, the more buzz I hear about Deonte Banks. He had incredible testing numbers and is a tremendous athlete. While there are some technique concerns, they’re the kind that can be fixed with coaching.

Johnson doesn’t have a ton of experience at tackle, as he spent the 2021 season at guard, but he’s a safe bet to be a solid NFL player at the position. There could be some growing pains, but the finished product will be worth it.

Teams are always scared of foot injuries since they can sometimes be a long-term issue, but I don’t get the sense anybody is too concerned about the broken foot Wilson suffered late in 2022. He’s big, long, and attacks relentlessly. Sometimes a bit too much, honestly. Bro, stop beating up the tackle and go get the QB!

I wonder if Wright is tapped out, which could hurt his stock, but he’s a solid player with a ton of experience playing both left and right tackle. He also improved with each season and had to deal with some of the best edge rushers in the country playing in the SEC. He’s prepared for what he’s going to see in the NFL.

If you’re serious about Mac Jones, you have to give him weapons, and if Bill O’Brien is going to run the offense Jones excelled in at Alabama, Quentin Johnston is a great fit. He’s not a blazer, but he has a way of keeping defenders off balance with seemingly supernatural stop-and-startability.

Van Ness reminds me a lot of a former Packers pass-rusher, Clay Matthews. Van Ness isn’t as explosive as Matthews, but he’s bigger and moves very well for a man his size and is still learning the position. There’s plenty of potential remaining to be tapped.

I’m not as high on Gonzalez as a lot of others. I understand his size, athleticism and demeanor are outstanding, but there’s not enough evidence of his playmaking ability to get me to buy in. That aside, he’s still a hell of a corner, and while others have higher ceilings, I won’t blame anybody for taking the chance on Gonzalez.

The Steelers need to improve their offensive line if Kenny Pickett and the offense is going to reach its full potential, and Jones has the chance to be a franchise tackle. He’s not huge but has long arms and moves his feet very well. He also has a strong desire to beat the hell out of defenders, which is always a plus in my book.

I felt the 2022 season was Murphy’s worst season at Clemson (he finished with six sacks and 21 hurries anyway), and I think a lot of that can be pinned on his DC Brent Venables leaving to take over at Oklahoma. Murphy’s a talented player with size and speed that can’t be taught. He reminds me a bit of Kayvon Thibodeaux.

The Bears are open to trading down, and with both Jalen Carter and Peter Skoronski off the board in this mock, that’s what they do. The Bears took two defensive backs with their first two picks last year, and while they need help on the lines, they still need help in the secondary too. Porter fits the bill of what the Bears value at the spot.

As I said with the Jalen Carter pick, the Seahawks value the lines of scrimmage, and I can imagine Pete Carroll chewing his gum into dust while watching tape of Torrence. He’s a people mover who will fit in well with the Seattle tries to do on offense.

Mayer is not the athlete other tight ends in this class are, but he’s the most complete tight end in the class. Every defense Notre Dame faced last season knew Mayer was the sole option in the passing game, but it didn’t stop him from producing. He won’t turn a five-yard route into a 75-yard TD at any point in his career, but he’ll turn a lot of them into first downs.

I remain The Biggest Cam Smith Fan On The Planet. I’ll admit he wasn’t as good in 2022 as he was in 2021, but I don’t believe he was fully healthy in 2022. And the guy in 2021 was incredible. He possesses tremendous instincts and a knack for finding the football.

The Vikings bid farewell to Adam Thielen and replace him with a player who will step right into the role he filled but probably be more productive doing so than Thielen has been the last couple of years.

I’ve come close to putting Brents in previous mocks, but I pulled the trigger this time. Brents is a tremendous athlete that comes in a 6-3 frame with mile-long arms. His 82 ⅝-inch wingspan ranks in the 99th percentile of Mockdraftable’s database of all corner prospects.

Another player I haven’t had in previous mocks whom I believe has a legitimate shot at sneaking into the late-first round. Avila would be a good fit in New York from a talent, fit and need standpoint. You’re surprised by how quick he moves considering he’s so massive.

LaPorta is not the typical Iowa tight end. While players like George Kittle and T.J. Hockenson were great blockers, LaPorta is lacking in that department. However, his ability after the catch is in line with what you see from Kittle in San Francisco, though he’s not as violent of a runner with the ball. Of course, few are.

When healthy, there are few players with Bryan Bresee’s combination of size and athleticism. The problem is he hasn’t been on the field as much as you’d like him to be in recent years. Still, he’s the kind of talent worth taking a shot on late in the first and would be an excellent addition to Buffalo’s rotation up front.

Speaking of freakish athletes on the interior of a defensive line, Mazi Smith can probably deadlift a semi if he wants to. Probably not going to be a disruptive pass-rusher from the interior, but he moves well enough that he’ll be far more than a one-gap nose tackle.

Is he a tackle or an end? It’s a legitimate question some teams don’t feel like they have an answer for, but there’s no questioning Adebawore’s athleticism. The guy ran a 4.49 40 with a 37.5 vertical at the combine. He’s a freak, and he’ll be a valuable player. I can only imagine what he’ll look like on the Superdome turf after playing his college ball on the grasslands masquerading as a football field at Northwestern.

It would be out of character for the Eagles to take an RB in the first round, but it’s their second pick, and they do have a need at the spot. Plus, you know, Bijan Robinson is really freaking good. Putting him in a backfield with the newly-paid Jalen Hurts would give the Eagles an incredible collection of playmakers on offense.

He doesn’t have the quickest feet, which could be an impediment at the NFL level, but he didn’t allow a QB hit, let alone a sack, on 394 dropbacks last season. Also, he makes up for his lack of quickness with strength and intelligence. Oh, and the fact he’s 6-8 and had a 7-6 wingspan doesn’t hurt, either.