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2023 NFL mock draft: Last-minute Round 1 predictions

WCG’s lead draft analyst makes some last-minute predictions for tonight’s Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Austin Peay v Alabama Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

It’s Draft Day.

The long-awaited 2023 NFL Draft will be kicking off today, and as is the case every year, it figures to be an entertaining three days of picks. This year feels especially chaotic, and while the No. 1 pick seems to be set in stone at this point, the rest of the selections appear completely unpredictable.

That won’t stop me from trying to predict the unpredictable, though!

With Round 1 kicking off Thursday night, I thought I’d run one last mock draft predicting the selections of the first round. This isn’t exactly what I would do in every team’s instance, but rather what I think they’ll do. I chose not to include trades in this mock, purely because they’re incredibly difficult to determine and play such a big factor in certain selections.

That said, let’s get into our final Round 1 mock draft before the 2023 NFL Draft.

  1. Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
  2. Houston Texans: Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
  3. Arizona Cardinals: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
  4. Indianapolis Colts: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
  5. Seattle Seahawks: Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
  6. Detroit Lions: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
  7. Las Vegas Raiders: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
  8. Atlanta Falcons: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
  9. Chicago Bears: Jalen Carter, DL, Georgia
  10. Philadelphia Eagles: Peter Skoronski, OG, Northwestern
  11. Tennessee Titans: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
  12. Houston Texans: Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
  13. Green Bay Packers: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
  14. New England Patriots: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
  15. New York Jets: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
  16. Washington Commanders: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
  17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
  18. Detroit Lions: Calijah Kancey, DL, Pittsburgh
  19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
  20. Seattle Seahawks: Jordan Addison, WR, USC
  21. Los Angeles Chargers: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
  22. Baltimore Ravens: Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
  23. Minnesota Vikings: Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
  24. Jacksonville Jaguars: Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
  25. New York Giants: John Michael Schmitz, C, Minnesota
  26. Dallas Cowboys: Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
  27. Buffalo Bills: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
  28. Cincinnati Bengals: Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
  29. New Orleans Saints: Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
  30. Philadelphia Eagles: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson