My FAVORITE Non-Day-1 Prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft

 I know it has been a week since I dropped an article, I have been busy but will hopefully get back on my usual schedule soon. I will have some post-free agency rankings and whatnot coming up as well as a new mock draft, but today I wanted to talk about some prospects for the rapidly approaching 2023 draft that don't get as much national attention because they may not be first round prospects. Today I will rattle off some of my favorite projected 2nd-7th round guys who deserve some hype. Obviously things will change and a few of these guys may wind up sneaking into round 1, but I am going to talk about guys who I haven't really mocked in the first yet to this point! 

J.L. Skinner, Safety, Boise State
My projection: Rds. 2-3

You do not see prospects like this very often, if ever. I feel like the last time I saw a comparable S prospect to Skinner was Bam Bam Kam Chancellor who was a force in Seattle for years and a potential Hall of Famer. Skinner is actually BIGGER than Chancellor, standing at 6'4 and 220 pounds, and he can hit nearly just as hard. While I think he still has some work to do in terms of developing as a coverage player, he isn't awful in that regard or anything, but he is a damn elite box safety prospect. This is one of the best tackling safety prospects in the class and will be an awesome blitzer in the NFL. I could even see him playing some LB. With Skinner, think of a Kam Chancellor Jr. or a bigger Jamal Adams. Could he land in Seattle? This guy is going to be fun at the next level.

Julius Brents, Cornerback, Kansas State
My current projection: Rds. 2-3

Could this be the 2023 version of Tariq Woolen? If you are looking for a physical anomaly at the CB position, look no further than Julius Brents. The Kansas State senior stands a towering 6'4' and weighs 205 pounds. While he did not run a 4.2 like Woolen, his 4.5 forty was very respectable for this insane height and weight combination. However, Brents was actually a very good and productive player at K-State, unlike Woolen who was drafted solely off of potential. Brents had 4 INTs last season and 3 additional pass deflections. Based on his physical traits and the production we have seen, Brents could be a day 1 starter for an NFL team out of the first round that has All-Pro potential.

Stetson Bennett, Quarterback, Georgia
My projection: Rds. 3+

It might seem like the trendy thing right now to hate on Stetson Bennett and all that he has accomplished at Georgia just because he is a very old prospect, but despite being 25 years old, I think he is a very safe prospect for a team down the board. Bennett was the fearless leader of the Georgia Bulldogs as he led them to back-to-back National Titles in 2022 and 2023. While people like to knock him for being older and having a stacked team, Bennett is simply just a great player in my opinion. He is an accurate thrower of the football with a bigger arm than people will give him credit for, and he can really move, which is quite a necessity in today's NFL. Drafting Bennett on day 2 or 3 will make it so no team is locked into him as their franchise QB or anything like that, but he will make for a damn good backup QB and I think he could be a starter on a winning team if given the chance. I also believe he will go higher than a lot of people might expect.

Devon Achane, Running Back, Texas A&M
My projection: Rds. 2-3

Achane might be THE favorite day 2+ guy of mine in this whole class. We are talking about an absolute weapon that could head to a contender here. While Achane is a small back at just 5'9 and 185 pounds, he is simply electric. When this guy enters the NFL, he will probably be the fastest back in football right away. Achane carried the ball nearly 200 times last season for over 1,100 yards and 8 rushing TDs. Even with this frame he has proven he can be a workhorse and not get injured. Achane also racked up 200 yards and 3 scores through the air on 36 catches, proving he is an elite receiver out of the backfield. The last amazing quality I will say about him is his tackle breaking ability despite his size, he broke over 50 tackles last season according to PFF which is elite. While I think he has future RB1 potential, he could join a contender and be an unfair 3rd-down back and guy you have to worry about in general as he lines up all over the field. 4.32 speed out of the backfield is unheard of.

A.T. Perry, Wide Receiver, Wake Forest
My projection: Rds. 2-5

I guess we will stick with the trend of abnormally large prospects in this one. AT Perry is the yearly BIG WR prospect in the class. He reminds me a bit of Drake London from last year who went to the Falcons. While he is not nearly as polished, Perry is going to interest a lot of teams. He stands at 6'5 and 205 pounds and is coming off of his second straight season of at least 1,000 receiving yards and 10+ TDs. The ACC is no joke of a conference either, and he was still doing this. Perry also ran a sub 4.5 forty which is great for any receiver, but especially a guy who is 6'5. When you throw it his way he simply just comes down with it more times than not. He is a massive target who can simply get up and get out. With development, he could be a WR1 in today's NFL. With some work to his route running, he could be a very very good NFL receiver.

Roschon Johnson, Running Back, Texas
My projection: Rds. 2-4

You know Texas could run the football when both their RB1 and RB2 are consensus top 5 prospects at the position. With all the attention in the world going toward likely future superstar RB Bijan Robinson at Texas, his understudy Roschon Johnson was quietly an elite prospect himself. In limited work this past year, Johnson ran for 550 yards and 5 scores while breaking over 45 tackles himself. Johnson is a bigger back who can still burst up-field, and his tape is staggering to watch. Johnson reminds me of retired back Chris Carson, who was impossible to bring down even in the NFL. If any team brings this guy in past round 1, that is a comparable talent to who they might be getting.

Andre Carter II, Edge Rusher, Army
My projection: Rds. 2+

I was enamored with Carter going into this season after he had 15.5 sacks in 2021. However, he was injured and less productive in 2023 with just 3 sacks which has the media attention off of him. Still, I think in the right situation, Carter could develop into an elite pass rusher in the NFL with All-Pro potential. It is rare to find a 6'7 edge rusher these days who is more than just a project. Carter played low level competition in college, but on a talented NFL defensive line with the pressure completely off of him, I could see him as a perennial double-digit sack guy. Someone is going to get a steal with this guy.

Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, Cornerback, TCU
My projection: Rds. 2-4

Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson was one of the best players on the electric TCU team that stormed its way to playing in the National Championship game. While no one played well in that actual game, Hodges-Tomlinson was pretty darn good for the rest of the year. In man coverage last season, THT allowed just 8 catches, 0 TDs, and an extremely low 33.0 passer rating. The catch with him is that he is just 5'7, which would make him probably the smallest corner in the NFL. He is clearly skilled and feisty enough to hang with the best of the best, but he might be solely relegated to the slot at the next level, which will have him a later pick than he would be. If THT was 5'11 or taller, he'd probably be firmly considered a first round prospect.

Tank Dell, Wide Receiver, Houston
My projection: Rds. 2-4

Like Hodges-Tomlinson, Tank Dell is much downgraded due to his height and weight. Dell was one of the most productive wideouts in the nation last season as he had over 100 catches for a whopping 1,400 yards and 17 TDs through the air. His best trait his ability to separate. Dell ran a blazing 4.49 forty which shows that he will be able to continue to separate well at the next level, but his small frame of 5'10 and just 160 pounds will definitely relegate him to the slot, at least to start his career. Still, getting this elite of a slot prospect is well worth the pick outside of the first round. I think Dell is going to have a great and productive NFL career. 

Sean Tucker, Running Back, Syracuse
My projecton: Rds. 3+

ANOTHER special RB talent down the board. This class is truly loaded. Sean Tucker is simply just an athlete. Sometimes you take the risk on an athlete and get him up to speed later on his actual position. This is sort of the case here with Tucker, who was definitely wildly productive over his past two seasons as Syracuse (2,000+ total yards, 20+ total scores) but I'm not sure if his style will instantly translate to the NFL. Tucker is also not a good receiver out of the backfield at the moment. Still, Tucker was recorded to run a 4.33 forty time along with 28 bench press reps (both numbers are top 2 for RBs in this class). This guy could be a game-breaker in the right situation and an elite change of pace option.