Atlanta
The Falcons had a quietly good draft weekend, acquiring good talent at positions of need without panicking and reaching. Robinson gives Atlanta the feature back coach Arthur Smith wants to employ. All six draft picks should compete for a roster spot with the first 4 picks (Robinson-Phillips) competing for starting jobs in 2023.
Best pick – Robinson
??? pick – Gwyn
Grade – B+
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 8 | Bijan Robinson | RB | Texas | Robinson is an ideal fit to Arthur Smith’s run focused offense. Very, very early prediction – Robinson will be Offensive R.O.Y. |
2 / 38 | Matthew Bergeron | OT | Syracuse | Atlanta has plenty of depth at OT and will slide inside in and provide a young prospect to develop. |
3 / 75 | Zach Harrison | Edge | Ohio State | Very large man who holds the edge well in run support and a powerful bull rush but needs to add some additional pass rushing moves. |
4 / 113 | Clark Phillips | CB | Utah | Phillips is undersized but displays fluidity and ball skills. Despite his size, he could become a starting outside CB in the NFL early in his career. |
7 / 224 | DeMarco Hellams | S | Alabama | Another Tide player goes with one of three safeties drafted this week. Hellams is a classic safety with the ability to cover over the top and crash down and support against the run. |
7 / 225 | Jovaughn Gwyn | IOL | South Carolina | Gwyn is undersized lacking both girth and length. But he is smart, versatile, tough, and efficient. Gwyn is likely a practice squad candidate to begin the 2023 season. |
Carolina
The Panthers had one overwhelming priority entering the draft – identifying the franchise QB. With the drafting of Young, Carolina feels that they have finally solved that recurring issue. The rest of the draft was rather ordinary, although drafting Robinson in the fifth round was a smart choice.
Best pick – Young
??? pick – Mingo
Grade – C
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 1 | Bryce Young | QB | Alabama | Carolina goes with the best QB prospect in this draft. Young lacks size but has the “it” factor needed in elite QBs. |
2 / 39 | Jonathan Mingo | WR | Mississippi | Mingo has good size, strength, and YAC ability but has trouble getting separation against man. This pick is a stretch at this point of the draft. |
3 /80 | DJ Johnson | Edge | Orgeon | Johnson has great length and burst but disappears for long stretches of time. |
4 / 114 | Chandler Zavala | IOL | N.Carolina State | Zavala is a strong and reliable OG who has an injury history but has good upside to develop. |
5 / 145 | Jammie Robinson | S | Alabama | Robinson fell in the draft because of his marginal size. But he plays like Budda Baker and has excellent instincts and is tough as nails. |
New Orleans
The Saints had seven draft picks and utilized them well to improve the defensive line with their first two picks then looked to revamp the offense with their third, fourth, and sixth round picks. The Saints maximized what they had and improved the talent on the team’s two depth roster.
Best pick – Howden
??? pick – Perry
Grade – B
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1/29 | Bryan Bresee | DT | Clemson | Bresee is a high character prospect with size, power, and tremendous upside to be developed in New Orleans. |
2/40 | Isaiah Foskey | Edge | Notre Dame | Foskey is possibly the strongest Edge in this draft. He’s big, strong, and smart. Recorded double digit sacks each of the last two years in South Bend. |
3/71 | Kendre Miller | RB | TCU | Miller is well-rounded and provides the Saints with a young RB to learn under Kamara. |
4/103 | Nick Saldiveri | OL | Old Dominion | Saldiveri is a good athlete with the ability to reach and seal at the second level. |
4/127 | Jake Haener | QB | Fresno State | Saints trade up to select the Fresno State QB. Haener has a high football IQ, a strong arm, and high-end leadership skills. Haener has been called this year’s Brock Purdy and gives the Saints a QB to develop under Derek Carr. |
5/146 | Jordan Howden | S | Minnesota | Howden offers good size, instincts, range, and ball skills and could become a long-term contributor and starter in New Orleans. |
6/195 | A.T. Perry | WR | Wake Forest | Perry offers great height, length, and catch radius to become an effective red zone target. If Perry used his size more effectively, he would have been selected much higher than #195. But his size cannot be taught and his tools create match up issues for opponents. |
Tampa Bay
The Buccaneers decided not to pursue any QBs in the draft, going with Baker Mayfield as the starter in 2023. For a team that tended to play a 3-4 defense the last few years, they sure seem to be indicating a switch of schemes with the drafting of Clancey, and to a lesser degree, Diaby. Kancey and Mauch should start as rookies and Ramirez in the 6th round, is a steal.
Best pick – Ramirez
??? pick – Palmer
Grade – C
Round/Pick | Prospect | Pos | College | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 / 19 | Calijah Kancey | DT | Pittsburgh | Didn’t see this one coming. Tampa ran a 3-4 defense the last few years but Kancey is a 3T who utilizes speed to penetrate gaps in the line – he's pretty much an exclusive 4-3 DT. I guess things are changing in Tampa. |
2 / 48 | Cody Mauch | OT | N.Dakota State | Tampa needs to improve the run game and by drafting Mauch they get a versatile and physical lineman. |
3 / 82 | YaYa Diaby | Edge | Louisville | Diaby has great length, athleticism, and closing burst but he has never quite put it all together. The Bucs bet they can get the best out the enigmatic Diaby. |
5 / 153 | SirVocea Dennis | LB | Pittsburgh | LB Devin White recently requested a trade and although the Bucs declined to pursue it, it may be time to get some reinforcements. Dennis has good length and range and is best in run defense. He is not a replacement for White but he has starter potential worth developing. |
5 / 171 | Payne Durham | TE | Purdue | Durham is a productive, multi-year starter for the Boilermakers. Durham is a big H-back type TE who has great hands and is dangerous target in the end zone. |
6 / 181 | Josh Hayes | S | Kansas State | Hayes has a versatile enough skill set to play deep safety and come down and cover TEs over the middle of the field. |
6 / 191 | Trey Palmer | WR | Nebraska | The Bucs select the former LSU & Nebraska WR who has blazing speed and the ability to take any pass the distance, if he can hold on to the pass – a constant issue throughout his career. |
6 / 196 | Jose Ramirez | Edge | Eastern Michigan | The MAC Defensive P.O.Y displays quick-twitch explosiveness at the snap and has the bend and burst to pressure the QB off the edge. |
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