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Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst
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2021 NFL MOCK DRAFT - WALT'S | CHARLIE'S ROUND: 1

2023 NFL Draft Week Rumors Tuesday

Updated April 25, 2023
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

Draft week is finally here! With the 2023 NFL Draft just two days away, here is some of the chatter that WalterFootball.com is hearing from team sources.

For a lot of the leadup to the 2023 NFL Draft, the consensus top offensive line prospect was Northwestern's Peter Skoronski. Skoronski, however, has been recently overtaken in the process by Ohio State's Paris Johnson. Johnson has a better skill set alongside more length, which in combination project him to being a prototypical left tackle. Skoronski has slid somewhat since the coaches have gotten involved in the 2023 NFL Draft process. Sources from multiple teams said the coaches lowered Skoronski on their team draft boards because they project him to playing guard only. Some scouts felt Skoronski could remain at tackle, but many coaches did not see things that way because of his short arms and lack of length. Hence, Skoronski had a late-in-the-process slide. That being said, teams feel Skoronski should a very safe pick to become a good pro starter. They think he could start for 10 years and be rock solid in both phases. While he is not considered sexy, sources across the league feel that Skoronski is simply a good football player.

In the last week, some media like NBC's Peter King have projected the New York Giants to take a tight end in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Even though the Giants traded for a dynamic mismatch weapon in Darren Waller, these media members project them to add to the position. In speaking to sources with the Giants, they view that as very unlikely. Picking late in the first round makes it harder to project who will be available, but Giants sources don't think the 2023 NFL Draft will likely play out in such a way that selecting a tight end will be the franchise's best option at pick No. 25. It sounds more likely that top candidates for the Giants include USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers, and TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston. Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell is a darkhorse candidate for the Giants if there is a run on receivers so there are not good wideout options available.

Early in the 2023 NFL Draft process, sources with Tampa Bay really liked Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. Bucs evaluators felt that Mayer was just a good football player and felt the concerns of other scouts about his skill set as something lacking was overthinking. They also placed a good amount a lot of Richardson's shortcomings on the Florida coaching staff, saying that the new Gators staff did not know how to use Richardson well and did not do a good job of developing his incredible talent. The Bucs probably won't select Mayer in the 2023 NFL Draft because of other needs, and Richardson most likely won't make it to them at pick No. 19. Richardson might intrigue Tampa Bay, but the team may not be willing to give up a package of picks to move up for him.

In every NFL draft, some veteran players are shopped around and teams are making calls trying to acquire a veteran. One player to watch this year is Lions running back D'Andre Swift. Teams have been calling Detroit to see if Swift is available after the franchise signed David Montgomery in free agency. Swift has played really well for Detroit when on the field, but has had a hard time staying healthy. Swift is in the last year of his contract, so teams probably won't be willing to give up anything more than a mid-round pick. Swift will be an interesting player to monitor because some teams are interested in making a deal for the fourth-year pro.