Anthony Richardson, Florida Gators. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
Mistakes will be made in the 2023 NFL Draft, but what if every team botched their first-round pick? We explore those options in this latest NFL Mock Draft.
You’re going to see a ton of 2023 NFL mock draft projections predicting what teams are going to do, what teams should do, and some combinations of the two. You won’t see many about what teams could do to completely screw things up in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Like Frank Reynolds with the toe knife, this is a botch job. We’re going through the entire first round in this 2023 NFL mock draft and seeing what the first round would look like if every team botched its first-round pick.
To be quite clear, just because I’m calling it a bad pick is no reflection on the outlook of the prospect in question. However, with the value of each pick combined with team needs and situations, it would not be a wise use of the draft capital.
So if any of these happen and you feel like you need to plug the wound with garbage, don’t panic — it might still work out. But based on what we know about these prospects and teams, here’s how every team could screw up their first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft.
NFL Mock Draft 2023, Botch Job: Every team screws up its first-round pick
1
Anthony Richardson
QB Florida
Just a little more than a week out from the draft, it appears that the Carolina Panthers are locked in on Bryce Young and that the Alabama quarterback will be the No. 1 overall pick.
But if the Panthers were to galaxy-brain the top-overall selection in 2023, it would undoubtedly be taking Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson over Young or C.J. Stroud. Yes, the Gator product has every physical tool and attribute you could ever ask for, and I believe he’s farther along as a project quarterback than some others might indicate.
The fact of the matter, though, is that Richardson is a one-year starter who didn’t produce at a high level in that one year. Unless that player falls into an ideal situation, there is high bust potential with taking that quarterback No. 1, even if the tools and measurables are enough to consider taking him first overall for a team like the Panthers.
2
Will Anderson Jr.
EDGE Alabama
So things are going to get a bit convoluted early with this pick. Reports have indicated that the Texans only like one quarterback in this draft: Bryce Young. Subsequently, with things trending toward the Panthers taking him with the first pick, Houston is also rumored to be looking to move out of this pick.
For this botch job of an NFL mock draft, though, we’re going with the general “not taking a quarterback No. 2 overall” as the big mistake the Texans could make.
Don’t get me wrong, Houston is clearly giving DeMeco Ryans as much runway as he needs with the six-year contract the new head coach was given. However, it would be a tough scene to see the Texans give the first-year head coach Davis Mills as the top quarterback option on the roster again. They have to start solving the QB issue soon and this top-heavy class where they have the second-overall pick is where it should happen. Waiting should not be a viable option.
