AFC EAST

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Buffalo

The Bills had only 6 picks in the draft but also have few holes to fill on their roster. They add an offensive weapon, two quality OL prospects, and a possible starting LB in round three. An efficient weekend in KC.

Best pick – Torrence

??? pick – Shorter

Grade – B-

Round/Pick	​Prospect	​Pos	​College	​Comments
1/25	Dalton Kincaid	TE	Utah	The first TE off the board is the big and fast Ute. Kincaid offers little as a blocker but is a mismatch nightmare in space.
2/59	O'Cyrus Torrence	IOL	Florida	Torrence is huge and is a people mover in the trenches. Getting him at #59 is a great value.
3/91	Dorian Williams	LB	Tulane	Very fast and rangy off the ball LB. He will get the opportunity to contribute immediately in Orchard Park.
5/150	Justin Shorter	WR	Florida	Shorter has good size and a build similar to Deebo Samuel. However, he has difficulty creating separation and does minimal damage after the catch. Shorter’s ability to contribute on special teams will impact his short-term NFL future.
7/230	Nick Broeker	OL	Ole Miss	The Bills select the versatile Rebel lineman with pick #230. Broeker has the size, strength, and athleticism to play either OG or OT in the NFL and figures to compete for a roster spot as a rookie.
7/252	Alex Austin	CB	Oregon State	Tall and long CB with good agility, considering his size. Has enough skills to compete for a roster spot but otherwise is likely to start the season on the practice squad.

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Miami

Miami had the least amount of draft picks of any team in this year’s draft (4) and there is a limit to what you can do with so little draft capital but they did well with the selection of Smith and Hayes. In a deep and talented draft at TE, at a position of team need, waiting until the 6th round to draft Higgins, a college WR, at TE is a questionable decision.

Best pick – Smith

??? pick – Higgins

Grade – C-

Round/Pick	​Prospect	​Pos	​College	​Comments
2/51	Cam Smith	CB	South Carolina	Miami finally picks and they select the confident and quick Gamecock. Smith has starter level potential as early as his rookie year.
3/84	Devon Achane	RB	Texas A&M	Achane has legit world class track speed and adds more explosiveness to the Miami attack. He lacks some size and power but he is a TD threat anytime he touches the ball.
6/189	Elijah Higgins	WR	Stanford	Now listed as a TE by Miami, Higgins profiles as an athletic H-back who can create mismatches against LBs in space. There are opportunities in Miami and Higgins will compete for a starting spot as a rookie.
7/238	Ryan Hayes	OT	Michigan	Concerns about strength and less than ideal length certainly impacted Hayes’ draft stock. But watch his film the last two years. You can count on one hand how many times he was beaten off the edge while in Ann Arbor. Expect Hayes to compete for playing time early in his career.

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New England

New England had 11 selections in the 2023 NFL Draft and they used those picks to address a variety of team needs with two long CBs, two small and quick WRs, and three mid-round picks used on IOL prospects. The Patriots dance to the beat of their own drummer - draft in, draft out.

Best pick – Sow

??? pick – Speed

Grade – B-

Round/Pick	​Prospect	Pos	College	Comments
1/17	Christian Gonzalez	CB	Oregon	SNS’ #1 ranked CB finally goes off the board. Gonzalez offers size, length, smoothness, and ball skills.
2/46	Keion White	Edge	Georgia Tech	White, a former TE at Old Dominion, is raw but talented. He offers great size and a powerful bull rush.
3/76	Marte Mapu	LB / S	Sacramento State
4/107	Jake Andrews	IOL	Troy	Troy’s center impressed at the Senior Bowl and looks to be able to play any interior position. The Pats love their smaller school IOL and Andrews fits that model.
4/117	Sidy Sow	IOL	Eastern Michigan	Sow was a solid, multi-year starter as an OG for the Eagles. He has enough length to play ORT in a pinch. That versatility will help him make the Patriots roster in the fall.
5/144	Atonio Mafi	IOL	UCLA
6/187	Kayshon Boutte	WR	LSU	Boutte is immensely talented with game breaking ability but highly temperamental and emotional. He seems to be a strange fit in New England.
6/192	Bryce Baringer	P	Michigan State	The first punter off the board is the Spartan All-American. Baringer has a great leg and is one of the best college punters over the last 5 years.
7/210	Demario Douglas	WR	Liberty	Douglas is undersized and may be limited to operating out of the slot in the NFL. However, he's exceedingly quick, sudden, and explosive with the ball in space.
7/214	Ameer Speed	CB	Michigan State	The Patriots like their CBs with size and Speed fits the bill with size and length ideal for press coverage. His tape at MSU is inconsistent but he is a good athlete who may be a better pro than college player.
7/245	Isaiah Bolden	CB	Jackson State	Only two HBCU prospects were drafted, an absurdly low number considering the number of quality players from those schools in this year’s draft. Bolden offers prototypical size and length but his greatest impact will be as a kick returner where he led the nation in average and returned two kicks for TDs in 2022.

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NY Jets

The Jets are clearly in win now mode and decided to get Aaron Rodgers some new weapons (Abanikanda, Kuntz), reinforcements for the OL (Tippmann, Warren), and a couple of fast and rangy LBs (McDonald, Barnes). A solid draft by an organization with big plans in 2023.

Best pick – Abanikanda

??? pick – Warren

Grade – B

Round/Pick	​Prospect	Pos	College	Comments
1/15	Will McDonald	Edge / LB	Iowa State	Jets make a surprising selection in drafting to dynamic McDonald, the Big 12’s career sack leader (34).
2/43	Joe Tippmann	IOL	Wisconsin	Huge center with an injury history. Very talented and Badgers know how to develop their OL.
4/112	Chad Ryland	K	Maryland	The second kicker drafted has an NFL skill set with a strong and accurate leg. Ryland could be a long-term starter in the NFL.
4/120	Carter Warren	OT	Pittsburgh	Warren is very experienced, physical, and has the mean streak OL coaches love.
4/108	Anthony Bradford	OL	LSU	Bradford has experience all along the OL but figures to slide inside to OG in Seattle. Bradford has good length and power.
5/143	Israel Abanikanda	RB	Pittsburgh	By drafting Abanikanda, the Jets have assembled one of the best trio of RBs in the NFL – Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and Abanikanda. The Pitt back is a quality chain mover and underrated receiver out of the backfield.
6/148	Zaire Barnes	LB	Western Michigan	Barnes is an extremely experienced and productive OLB who matches up well with TEs and RBs in space.
7/204	Jarrick Bernard-Converse	CB	LSU	JBC has good length and size. He struggles with quickness in space but he is strong and physical and plays with toughness.
7/220	Zack Kuntz	TE	Old Dominion	Kuntz, a transfer from Penn State, finally bloomed as a player at ODU last season and offers an intriguing combination of size, length, athleticism, and hands to provide Aaron Rodgers with a dangerous weapon over the middle of the field.