2023 NFL Draft Check-In (Week 4): Defense
With conference play ramping up this weekend throughout college football, we are finally starting to get a chance to see some of the top college football prospects begin playing against each other. With that, it seems fair to check in on the prospects likely to declare for the 2023 Draft.
We went over the offensive side of the ball yesterday, and now today, here are my top 2023 NFL Draft prospects on defense.
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Interior Defensive Line
- Jalen Carter (Georgia)
- Bryan Bresee (Clemson)
- Gervon Dexter (Florida)
- Jaquelin Roy (LSU)
- Byron Young (Alabama)
Jalen Carter may be the best player in the 2023 Draft class, but he is far from the only talented defensive tackle in this draft. This is a position group that Minnesota Vikings fans should be paying particularly close attention to the depth in this group.
Byron Young of Alabama has made himself known as a disruptive run-stopper throughout his career, and that should become ever more apparent as conference play gets underway. He has potential to rise near the top of this list by the time the season ends.
EDGE
- Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama)
- Myles Murphy (Clemson)
- BJ Ojulari (LSU)
- Nolan Smith (Georgia)
- Andre Carter II (Army)
Between Will Anderson being one of the most disruptive, explosive pass-rushers we’ve ever seen in college football, and Andre Carter potentially being the first draft pick from Army since 2008, this is a very unique group of players at EDGE.
On top of that, Myles Murphy pairs with Bryan Bresee at Clemson to form the most fearsome defensive front in the FBS. If this group continues to play as projected, this looks to be an extremely deep position in the 2023 Draft class.
Linebacker
- Trenton Simpson (Clemson)
- Noah Sewell (Oregon)
- Henry To’oTo’o (Alabama)
- Zion Tupuola-Fetui (Washington)
- Jack Campbell (Iowa)
Sewell is a very well-known name in college football at this point, so it may be easy to wonder if that is causing Noah to become somewhat overrated. That has not been the case given his play on the field.
Sewell still must improve his skills in pass coverage, no doubt. That said, he is a sure tackler and provides competence in both run-stopping and pass-rush. Assuming the Vikings are content to run it back with Kirk Cousins at QB, Sewell is an intriguing option with Minnesota’s 2023 first-round pick.
Cornerback
- Kelee Ringo (Georgia)
- Eli Ricks (Alabama)
- Garrett Williams (Syracuse)
- Storm Duck (North Carolina)
- Clark Phillips III (Utah)
Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks look like the clear top-two picks at another extremely deep cornerback position. That said, outside of the usual SEC contenders, there are some dark horses included on this list.
Storm Duck not only is a contender for best name in the 2023 NFL Draft, but his redshirt junior season at North Carolina has gotten off to a strong start. The Tar Heels play three teams that are currently ranked in over the course of the next two months. We should very soon see if Duck is worthy of his place in the top-five.
Safety
- Jordan Battle (Alabama)
- Jalen Catalon (Arkansas)
- Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M)
- Brandon Joseph (Notre Dame)
- Akeem Dent (Florida State)
Jordan Battle has been starting games for the Alabama Crimson Tide since his freshman year; an honor that has not been given to many players in that program. He remains one of the most experienced players at the safety position in all of college football, having played in five College Football Playoff games over his first three seasons.
The Vikings selected Lewis Cine in the first round of the 2022 draft, so they likely won’t be looking to spend another high draft pick on a safety this year. That said, we may soon find out the immediate returns from the selection of Cine this week with Harrison Smith out against the Detroit Lions.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in Creative Writing as well as minors in History, Human Biology, and Journalism. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh can often be found training for a marathon, playing video games, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. For more of his takes, NFL and otherwise, check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken