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I’m a big fan of watching small-school prospects in my pre-draft evaluations.
There’s such something about watching a player from the Group of 5, FCS, Division II, Division III or NAIA shoot up boards and get the attention they deserved all along. When those players succeed at the next level, it makes me even happier. It just tugs at my heartstrings, and a part of me will always pull for the underdog to reign supreme.
The 2023 NFL Draft varies from other recent draft classes in that there isn’t a non-Power 5 prospect who truly stands out as a likely pick in Round 1 at the moment. However, there are plenty of intriguing talents who should come off the boards on Days 2 and 3 who could make a serious impact at the next level. And who knows, maybe a few of these guys tear it up in the all-star circuit or the Combine and make their way into the first round!
Though I have watched many more small-school guys— with many intriguing FCS and Division II prospects just missing the cut here — I decided to narrow my current list down to 60, as tape can be tougher to find for certain players, and I don’t feel as confident with my evaluations for some of them yet as I do with certain bigger names.
Here are my current top 60 non-Power 5 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Note: These rankings do not include Notre Dame prospects, because even though they’re independent, I have a hard time include them as a “non-Power 5 school” when much of their schedule consists of Power 5 competition.
2023 NFL Draft: Non-Power 5 prospect big board
Rank | Player | Position | School | Tentative Round Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Player | Position | School | Tentative Round Grade |
1 | Cody Mauch | OT | North Dakota State | Round 2-3 |
2 | Andre Carter II | EDGE | Army | Round 2-3 |
3 | Blake Freeland | OT | BYU | Round 2-3 |
4 | Rashee Rice | WR | SMU | Round 2-3 |
5 | Tucker Kraft | TE | South Dakota State | Round 3-4 |
6 | Isaiah Davis | RB | South Dakota State | Round 3-4 |
7 | J.L. Skinner | S | Boise State | Round 3-4 |
8 | Nathaniel Dell | WR | Houston | Round 3-4 |
9 | Ivan Pace Jr. | LB | Cincinnati | Round 3-4 |
10 | Andrei Iosivas | WR | Princeton | Round 3-4 |
11 | Zack Kuntz | TE | Old Dominion | Round 3-4 |
12 | Jalen Cropper | WR | Fresno State | Round 4-5 |
13 | Zakhari Franklin | WR | UTSA | Round 4-5 |
14 | Karl Brooks | DL | Bowling Green | Round 4-5 |
15 | Jaren Hall | QB | BYU | Round 5-6 |
16 | Mark Evans II | OG | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Round 5-6 |
17 | Josh Whyle | TE | Cincinnati | Round 5-6 |
18 | DeWayne McBride | RB | UAB | Round 5-6 |
19 | Tre Tucker | WR | Cincinnati | Round 5-6 |
20 | Hunter Luepke | FB | North Dakota State | Round 5-6 |
21 | Nick Hampton | EDGE | Appalachian State | Round 5-6 |
22 | McClendon Curtis | OG | Chattanooga | Round 5-6 |
23 | Quindell Johnson | S | Memphis | Round 6-7 |
24 | Arquon Bush | CB | Cincinnati | Round 6-7 |
25 | Jake Haener | QB | Fresno State | Round 6-7 |
26 | Thomas Incoom | EDGE | Central Michigan | Round 6-7 |
27 | Willie Lampkin | OG | Coastal Carolina | Round 6-7 |
28 | Robert Soderholm | LS | VMI | Round 6-7 |
29 | Andre Jones | EDGE | Louisiana | Round 6-7 |
30 | Clayton Tune | QB | Houston | Round 6-7 |
31 | D'Anthony Jones | EDGE | Houston | Round 6-7 |
32 | Starling Thomas V | CB | UAB | Round 6-7 |
33 | Patrick McMorris | S | San Diego State | Round 6-7 |
34 | Jerrod Clark | DL | Coastal Carolina | Round 6-7 |
35 | Isaac Rex | TE | BYU | Round 6-7 |
36 | Caden McDonald | LB | San Diego State | Round 6-7 |
37 | Puka Nacua | WR | BYU | Round 7-UDFA |
38 | Kyle Patterson | TE | Air Force | Round 7-UDFA |
39 | Grayson McCall | QB | Coastal Carolina | Round 7-UDFA |
40 | Tyjae Spears | RB | Tulane | Round 7-UDFA |
41 | Khalan Laborn | RB | Marshall | Round 7-UDFA |
42 | Gervarrius Owens | S | Houston | Round 7-UDFA |
43 | Darrell Luter Jr. | CB | South Alabama | Round 7-UDFA |
44 | Thomas Greaney | TE | Albany | Round 7-UDFA |
45 | Caleb Murphy | EDGE | Ferris State | Round 7-UDFA |
46 | Myles Brooks | CB | Louisiana Tech | Round 7-UDFA |
47 | Lance Boykin | CB | Coastal Carolina | Round 7-UDFA |
48 | Nick Saldiveri | OG | Old Dominion | Round 7-UDFA |
49 | Jadakis Bonds | WR | Hampton | Round 7-UDFA |
50 | Camerun Peoples | RB | Appalachian State | Round 7-UDFA |
51 | Isaiah Land | EDGE | Florida A&M | Round 7-UDFA |
52 | Dorian Williams | LB | Tulane | Round 7-UDFA |
53 | Nehemiah Shelton | CB | San Jose State | Round 7-UDFA |
54 | Jalen Wayne | WR | South Alabama | Round 7-UDFA |
55 | Deneric Prince | RB | Tulsa | Round 7-UDFA |
56 | Xavier Smith | WR | Florida A&M | Round 7-UDFA |
57 | Aaron Frost | OG | Nevada | Round 7-UDFA |
58 | Tyson Bagent | QB | Shepherd | Round 7-UDFA |
59 | Jacky Chen | OT | Pace | Round 7-UDFA |
60 | Shaq Davis | WR | South Carolina State | Round 7-UDFA |
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