NFL Mock by Mike Elworth

published on 2/5/2023


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Round 1

Picks 17-31
17. Lions: Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State

At pick 6 I paired Sam Hutchinson with Myles Murphy and here I want to pair Joey Porter with Jeffrey Okuda. The Lions have a young and improving defense and Porter would be another fine addition.


18. Steelers: Jaelyn Duncan, OT, Maryland

The Steelers have to fix their offensive line and although I’m a big fan of the BPA draft style, they have to protect their young QB and improve their run game. They should pick the best offensive lineman available and Duncan could start for them as a rookie.


19. Buccaneers: Tanner McKee, QB, Stanford

The Bucs with a retired Tom Brady and with Kyle Trask as their QB are probably the ugliest roster in the league. They offense is trash and although they have some fine pieces on this team, they need a QB. Drafting a young QB is smart, and the sophomore from Stanford can help be their guy.


20. Seahawks: Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson

Seattle’s offense is excellent, their defense isn’t. They already have some nice young talent defensively, but adding a beast tackle like Bryan Breece is a smart move. A first round bounty of Skoranski and Brecce would be fantastic.


21. Chargers: Jordan Addison, WR, USC

When healthy, the Chargers with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen are an elite duo, but the healthy part is rare. They need a strong number 3 wide receiver. Addison was huge for Pittsburgh and USC and can walk into that needed role.


22. Ravens: Brian Branch, S, Alabama

As with the Cam Smith pick, I’ve had Branch to the Ravens for a long time. The versatile Alabama defender could play a number of different roles for the Ravens D. I also considered a WR, but Lamar Jackson prefers tight ends, so there is little reason to keep drafting them for him.


23. Vikings: Antonio Johnson, CB/S, Texas A&M

The Viking have a strong offense, but are pretty average defensively and they need to add more pieces. Their secondary has some talent, but Patrick Peterson is aging and depth is important for a secondary. Adding another big time corner talent can really improve their D.


24. Jaguars: Steve Avila, C, TCU

The Jaguars could use a couple defensive improvements and a true star WR, but they need to improve their OL. The versatile Avila could start at multiple positions which makes him an incredibly valuable prospect


25. Giants: Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina

What they could really use is a WR1, but as they just soent a 1st and 2nd round pick on the position and they should look for one via trade and forify their secondary. I have had Smith here since my first mock and I see no reason to change this.


26. Cowboys: Cedric Tillman, WR, Tennessee

It’s no secret that the Cowboys need help at WR. They may get Odell Beckham and could trade for DeAndre Hopkins, but they could find a starter here in Tillman and if they still want the veteran stars, go for it.


27. Bills: Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee


The Bills probably have the NFL’s best roster, have a number of stars and have few needs, but they could use a consistent No. 3 receiver; Isaiah Mckenzie is a fantastic gadget piece but Buffalo needs another target. The Tennessee WR has strong size and skill and should be ready to contribute.


28. Saints: Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE/OLB, Kansas State

The Saints may not have their first rounder, which the Eagles happily have at 10, but because Denver hired Sean Payton and they needed to pay, they have pick 28. Here they would be wise to select a sack artist as they could lose Marcus Davenport and Cameron Jordan is old.


29. Bengals: Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois



This was a choice of CB or OL as it’s their biggest roster weaknesses, so I chose the CB from Illinois. Witherspoon won a lot of acclaim for his play this year and he faced a lot of talent at WR. I really think he could thrive for the Bengals, who again, need help there..

The Bills probably have the NFL’s best roster, have a number of stars and have few needs, but they could use a consistent No. 3 receiver; Isaiah Mckenzie is a fantastic gadget piece but Buffalo needs another target. The Tennessee WR has strong size and skill and should be ready to contribute.


30. Chiefs: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College

After the trade for Kadarius Toney who looks like a potential star for the Chiefs, adding another wide receiver may not appear to be much of a need, but Juju Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman and Marquez Valding Scantling are free agents. If they lose two or more of the three, they would then be in the market, but adding a talent like Flowers to the NFL’s best offense and with the best QB might be too hard to say no to.


31. Eagles: Jaylon Jones, CB, Texas A&M

This will probably be a best player available selection and although the Eagles have one of the best secondaries in the league, if not the best, no team can have too much talent there and there is little doubt that the versatile A&M defender would contribute in his first season.


Picks 17-31