We made it. Happy Draft Day to all! I always see Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller, Bucky Brooks, and other Draft analysts release their Top 5 rankings for each position, so I figured why not get it in on the fun myself? I have ranked my top 5 for each offensive and defensive position in this Draft, along with their round grade, and a blurb about the overall positional group. Let me know who you think I am too high or too low on. Good luck, and good drafting. LET’S GO!

QB: 

1. Bryce Young – Top 10
2. CJ Stroud  – Top 10
3. Anthony Richardson – Round 1
4. Will Levis – Round 1
5. Dorian Thompson-Robinson – Day 3

This is a very top heavy group. If you miss on the top 4, I wouldn’t reach trying to get a starter. There are some good Day 3 options as solid backups to develop, with Dorian Thompson-Robinson being my favorite. I do not buy the Hendon Hooker hype at all. Round 4-5 grade as a backup QB for me. 25 years old, coming off a torn ACL, and played in a gimmick offense? Pass.

RB:

1. Bijan Robinson – Top 10
2. Jahmyr Gibbs – Round 2
3. Zach Charbonnet – Round 2
4. Israel Abanikanda – Round 3
5. Tyjae Spears – Round 3

RB is one of the strongest groups in this class. I love each of these top 5 prospects, but could easily name another 6-7 guys that I’d be happy to take late Day 2 or early Day 3. Kendre Miller, Tank Bigsby, Roschon Johnson, Sean Tucker, and Devone Achane could all be future starters in that range. It’s a “pick your flavor” when it comes to this class after Bijan.

WR:

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Top 10
2. Quentin Johnston – Round 1
3. Zay Flowers – Round 1
4. Jordan Addison – Round 2
5. Jonathan Mingo – Round 3

The last few years we have been spoiled with classes flooded with elite WR prospects. 2020 had Ceedee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Justin Jefferson, Tee Higgins, and Brandon Aiyuk. 2021 featured Ja’Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, and Devonta Smith at the top. 2022 was headlined by Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, and Treylon Burks. We finally have an underwhelming class. However, there are still a variety of different styles of WRs in the middle rounds that can be good third options for teams.

TE:

1. Michael Mayer  – Top 10
2. Dalton Kincaid – Round 1
3. Sam LaPorta – Round 2
4. Darnell Washington – Round 2
5. Tucker Kraft – Round 2

This is the deepest TE class in awhile. Will Musgrave (Round 2 grade) check in just behind this top 5, but he is in the same range as LaPorta, Washington, and Kraft. Laporta is best as a YAC guy, Musgrave is a size/speed seam stretcher, Washington is a hulking blocker with athletic upside, and Kraft is an all around in-line TE. Teams will have very little consensus on those four as their value will vary between offensive schemes. The top 2 can be legit second options in a team’s passing game. There is a slight drop off after the top 6, but still another handful of guys that can develop into starting TEs. The NFL has been waiting for a TE class like this. 

OT: 

1. Paris Johnson Jr.  – Top 10
2. Darnell Wright – Round 1
3. Broderick Jones – Round 1
4. Dawand Jones – Round 2
5. Anton Harrison – Round 2

Much like QB, this OT is extremely top heavy. I am not sure any of the top guys are elite prospects like we have seen from Wirfs, Sewell, Slater, and Ekwonu in years past, but the three Round 1 guys are all worthy of being selected high with how many teams need OTs. After this Top 5, you will be lucky to find an immediate starter at OT. There are certainly some future OTs worth developing, but no one is a sure thing.

IOL: 

1. Peter Skoronski – Round 1
2. Steve Avila – Round 2
3. Matthew Bergeron – Round 2
4. O’Cyrus Torrence – Round 2
5. John Michael Schmitz – Round 2

The Interior OL class is pretty deep this year. Skoronski could play OT, but most teams will likely have him as a Guard. He has All-Pro upside inside. Teams should not have an issue finding good starters on the interior in rounds 2-4. Even late Day 3, there are a handful of future starters to draft and develop for a year or two.

DT:

1. Jalen Carter – Top 10
2. Bryan Bresee – Round 1
3. Calijah Kancey – Round 1
4. Keeanu Benton – Round 2
5. Adetomiwa Adebawore – Round 2

DT is another top heavy position group. History tells us to take DTs early if you want a chance at an elite player. Almost every Pro Bowl level DT in the league currently was taken in the top 75 picks. The five here plus Mazi Smith all have that potential. After that, you are probably taking a guy that needs time to grow as a player before being starter level. 

EDGE: 

1. Will Anderson  – Top 10
2. Tyree Wilson – Round 1
3. Lukas Van Ness – Round 1
4. Myles Murphy – Round 1
5. Isaiah Foskey – Round 2

EDGE is unquestionably the deepest group in this class. There are 15-20 guys that are starting level players available. Rounds 1 and 2 are littered with guys that can be very productive NFL pass rushers. The sub-240 pound rushers, Nolan Smith and Will McDonald, are not my cup of tea, but should have suitors around the league. EDGE should be on every team’s radar in the first two days of this Draft.

LB: 

1. Jack Campbell – Round 2
2. Trenton Simpson – Round 2
3. Drew Sanders – Round 2
4. Daiyan Henley – Round 3
5. DeMarvion Overshown – Round 3

Off-ball LB is probably the second weakest group in this class. I doubt any will go in Round 1. Campbell, Simpson, and Sanders are three very different styles of player, but all have a path to being a Pro Bowl level player. Outside of that, it is kind of a crapshoot to find starting or rotational LBs. 

CB: 

1. Devon Witherspoon – Top 10
2. Christian Gonzalez – Top 10
3. Emmanuel Forbes – Round 1
4. Deonte Banks – Round 1
5. Joey Porter Jr. – Round 1

CB is up there with EDGE and RB as one of the deepest and strongest groups in this Draft. There’s 6-7 Round 1 talents at the position. On Day 2, there are plenty of more guys that can be long-term starters at the position. By early-mid Day 3, there is a drop off, but still there are some guys with potential. Being a premium position, CB should be of interest to every team in this Draft for the first two days.

S: 

1. Brian Branch – Round 1
2. Jartavius Martin – Round 2
3. Sydney Brown – Round 3
4. Jammie Robinson – Round 3
5. Jordan Battle – Round 3

Safety is the weakest group in this class. Branch, Martin, and Brown are all versatile players that should be good starters in the league. After that, most of this group is pretty slow and has average (at best) tape. This is not the year to need a Safety. I would not reach on anyone outside of the top 3.