With the 2023 NFL Draft just around the corner, I decided to list my top five (mostly) players for each position. There’s some sleepers here as well. My criteria for a sleeper was loose, but in general, it’s someone I’m higher on than the public. Some of those guys might still go in the second or third, some might go undrafted, but regardless, I like them.

QB

1. Bryce Young – Alabama

2. C.J. Stroud – Ohio State

3. Anthony Richardson – Florida

4. Hendon Hooker – Tennessee

5. Will Levis – Kentucky

Sleeper: Dorian Thompson-Robinson – UCLA

Nothing too groundbreaking or shocking here. There is a sizable gap between Stroud and Richardson here, and then one nearly as large between AR and the rest of the guys. 

RB

1. Bijan Robinson – Texas

2. Jahmyr Gibbs – Alabama

3. Zach Charbonnet – UCLA

4. Devon Achane – Texas A&M

5. Zach Evans – Ole Miss

Sleepers: Israel Abanikanda – Pittsburgh, Travis Dye – USC, Hunter Luepke – North Dakota State

The gap between Gibbs and Robinson is not that large. I think they are both going to be fantastic players. Achane and Charbonnet are also extremely close for me, but Charbs gets the edge as I think he’ll have the more obvious role at the pro level. Izzy has been getting hype lately, but he was one of my favorite sleepers in the class before his pro day. Dye was one of the best runners in college last year, and I’m surprised there hasn’t been as much buzz around his name. Luepke might be a generational FB prospect. Tell your friends.

WR

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba – Ohio State

2. Jordan Addison – USC

3. Quentin Johnston – TCU

4. Zay Flowers – Boston College

5. Marvin Mims Jr. – Oklahoma

Sleepers: Rakim Jarrett – Maryland, Trey Palmer – Nebraska, Rashee Rice – SMU

Notable name missing here is Jalin Hyatt obviously. I just don’t see it with him personally. There’s a role for him but I wouldn’t want it on my team. Addison’s testing was a bit worse than I expected so that’s why he’s behind JSN. I think Mims is going to be really, really good.

TE

1. Michael Mayer – Notre Dame

2. Darnell Washington – Georgia

3. Will Mallory – Miami (FL)

4. Dalton Kincaid – Utah

5. Sam LaPorta – Iowa

Sleepers: Zack Kuntz – Old Dominion, Tucker Kraft – South Dakota State

Probably the toughest position for me to rank. I think a ton of guys are going to be good, but I don’t know that any of them will be great. Mayer gets the first spot due to production and pedigree, but he has been quiet for a while. Darnell has the most actionable talents. He will make an impact right away as a blocker and red zone target. Mallory is my favorite prospect in terms of how high I am compared to the public. He carried the Hurricanes’ passing offense. Kincaid seems like a classic case of having stats boosted by his offense. He has great hands, but I don’t see him separating at the next level. Sam could be the most misranked player on this list. I could easily see him being the best TE in the class if he finds a good landing spot.

OT

1. Peter Skoronski – Northwestern

2. Paris Johnson Jr. – Ohio State

3. Darnell Wright – Tennessee

4. Broderick Jones – Georgia

5. Anton Harrison – Oklahoma

Sleepers: Cody Mauch – North Dakota State, Tyler Steen – Alabama, Jaelyn Duncan – Maryland

This tackle class is absurdly deep. Seven players in this class are year one starters in my opinion. Steen and Skoronski may kick in as guards at the next level, but until that move is made, Skoronski is the top tackle. Steen would be one of the better guards in the class if he makes the move. Mauch is an absolute road grade. If he develops some pass pro technique, he could be special.

IOL

1. John Michael Schmitz – Minnesota

2. O’Cyrus Torrence – Florida 

3. Steve Avila – TCU

4. Joe Tippmann – Wisconsin

5. Luke Wypler – Ohio State

Sleepers: Andrew Vorhees – USC, Chandler Zavala – NC State

The opposite of the tackle class, this guard class is pretty weak. It gets boosted a bit by the potential of a few tackles to kick inside, but it needs help for sure. This center class is crazy though, and it comes at a time where the NFL is fairly devoid of talent at the position. Those guys are gonna fly off the board. Vorhees’ injury at the combine was brutal, but I think he’s fairly easily the second-best guard in the class if he didn’t get hurt.

IDL

1. Jalen Carter – Georgia

2. Calijah Kancey – Pittsburgh

3. Tuli Tuipulotu – USC

4. Keeanu Benton – Wisconsin

5. Bryan Bresee – Clemson

Sleepers: Gervon Dexter Sr. – Florida, Dante Stills – West Virginia

Another extremely good position grouping with fantastic top end talent. Carter is likely a top five talent in the class. Kancey has a ton of potential with his athleticism. It takes a lot for me to not move Tuli higher; I had him at number one coming into last year, and then he led the nation in sacks. Benton, Bresee and Big Dex are man movers inside. Dante Stills is a talented pass rusher, and if he gets a shot, he’ll shine.

EDGE

1. Will Anderson Jr. – Alabama

2. Myles Murphy – Clemson

3. Tyree Wilson – Texas Tech

4. BJ Ojulari – LSU

5. Nolan Smith – Georgia

Sleepers: Yasir Abdullah – Louisville, Durrell Johnson – Liberty

Again, an extremely deep and talented position group. The prospect fatigue on Will Anderson Jr. is nuts. He was and still is the best player in this class. Murphy has ridiculous upside and is a clear two for me. Wilson and Smith both have phenomenal athleticism and should be able to grow into good pass rushers. Ojulari is among the best technicians in the class and is really smooth. Abdullah and Johnson are two of my guys. Abdullah is a do-it-all type of LB and can pop. Johnson was the nation’s leader in TFL last year and is a massive sleeper.

LB

1. Trenton Simpson – Clemson

2. Jack Campbell – Iowa

3. Owen Pappoe – Auburn

4. Daiyan Henley – Washington State

5. Drew Sanders – Arkansas

Sleepers: Ivan Pace Jr. – Cincinnati, Dorian Williams – Tulane

The top end talent isn’t quite there for the linebacker class, but again, it has phenomenal depth. Simpson is a clear one as a keytool LB. Campbell is probably the best in coverage and tested surprisingly well. Pappoe is an athletic freak and is my favorite guy in the class. Henley is a great athlete and is a good sideline-to-sideline guy. Sanders is probably the best pass rusher of the bunch and is very versatile. Pace is going to get slept on for his size but is very good. Williams is another athletic freak and has great potential.

CB

1. Joey Porter Jr. – Penn State

2. Cam Smith – South Carolina

3. Christian Gonzalez – Oregon

4. Devon Witherspoon – Illinois

5. Emmanuel Forbes – Mississippi State

6. Deonte Banks – Maryland

Sleepers: Tyrique Stephenson – Miami (FL), Darius Rush – South Carolina, Julius Brents – Kansas State

Now when you talk about a class, this is a CLASS. They get six because I think every single one of those guys can and should go in the first round. The rankings are just preferential for me, but they are all extremely good. If Porter gets some ball skills, he has the potential to be a top three CB in the league in my opinion. Smith’s size and speed are fantastic, and he might have the best individual season of the six with his 2021 year. Gonzalez is another great athlete and is good at nearly everything. Witherspoon is CB1 for most people and has a great motor and chip on his shoulder. Forbes might be the best man cover in the class and has great size and speed. Banks, again, has great size and speed, and is probably the best run defender in the class. The sleeper list doesn’t even begin to cover all the good corners. Stephenson is very toolsy and just hasn’t put it all together yet. Darius Rush has all the measurables in the world and has ridiculous potential. Brents has crazy upside as a 6-foot-3 corner with good speed and great ball skills.

SAF

1. JL Skinner – Boise State

2. Brian Branch – Alabama 

3. Antonio Johnson – Texas A&M

4. Jordan Battle – Alabama

5. Sydney Brown – Illinois

Sleepers: Ronnie Hickman – Ohio State, Jartavius Martin – Illinois

Yes, JL Skinner is my top safety. He is a freak with elite size, good athleticism, and great coverage skills. Oh, and he’s the best safety coming downhill in the class, so yeah he’s number one. Branch is the best coverage guy in the class and is really close to Skinner. Johnson tested pretty poorly and got knocked on a few people’s boards. I still think he’ll be good; tape doesn’t lie often. Similar situation for Battle, but he struggled in coverage in 2022 and Johnson edges him out. The Illinois safeties are opposites and yet still very similar. Brown has better size and coverage skills, while Martin is a bit smaller but is a better tackler. Both are great athletes though — probably both top three in terms of athleticism. Hickman is solid all around, only allowing a 34.7 QB rating when targeted last year, so teams should really consider a flier there.

And that’s it. Over 100 names that I think are all good. This class has gotten knocked a bit lately, but I don’t see it. Almost every position has either great depth or great top end talent, with five or six having both. I think this could be one of the better classes of the last five years.