2023 NFL Draft: Breaking down the top 5 prospects at each offensive position heading into the combine

Here are the top 5 prospects at all the offensive positions in this class before the combine

Just ahead of the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, it's time to break down my top 5 rankings for all the offensive positions. These rankings are subject to change, of course, because the combine carries decently heavy weight in my evaluations.

Before I begin, remember, these are my individual rankings, not the full CBS Sports prospect rankings, which is an aggregate of the rankings of Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards and myself.

Here are my top five 2023 NFL Draft prospects at each offensive position: 

Quarterback

1. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (CBS Sports overall rank: 4)
2. Bryce Young, Alabama (3)
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida (19)
4. Will Levis, Kentucky (6)
5. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (70)

I'll get it out the way first -- Stroud doesn't have the improvisational brilliance of Young nor the athletic prowess of Richardson or Levis. Those facts will be hindrances to his time at the NFL. I trust him the most as a passer. He's not perfect. But his arm talent, arm strength, accuracy, and anticipation blend together awesomely on the field, and I love how one bad throw or series doesn't define him in a specific game. Young has wild creative skills. Insane poise. I'm a little concerned about his size and lack of a monster arm. 

Richardson is big and twitchy and explosive with a bazooka connected to his shoulder. He's raw. Not so raw that he can't be developed as a pro. He has All-Pro upside. Levis does too, I just feel like he should be further ahead in his maturation by now. Hooker can be a quality pocket passer. He'll be 26 during the playoffs next year though, and there's not anything special about his game from a traits perspective. 

Running back

1. Bijan Robinson, Texans (18)
2. Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama (17)
3. Devon Achane, Texas A&M (64)
4. Zach Charbonnet, UCLA (132)
5. Kendre Miller, TCU (192)

Robinson is every bit as special as Saquon Barkley... except for pure speed. We'll see how Robinson runs -- if he does at all -- this week in Indy. Remember, Barkley ran 4.40 at 230 pounds in 2018. 

Gibbs is underrated. Dude flies, is sneaky elusive, and catches the rock comfortably. Reminds me a lot of Alvin Kamara or Austin Ekeler. Yeah, that good. Achane is cruising at an altitude well under the radar... until this week. He's going to scorch the 40-yard dash track inside Lucas Oil Stadium and garner serious Day 2 buzz afterward. Charbonnet is your classic old-school between-the-tackles back with some juice, and Miller's contact balance make him a fun watch on film. There's some sneaky speed in both of those backs too. 

Wide receiver

1. Quentin Johnston, TCU (9)
T2. Jordan Addison, USC (12)
T2. Zay Flowers, Boston College (42)
T4. Jayden Reed, Michigan State (175)
T4. Parker Washington, Penn State (215)

Johnston has some awkward movements because of his height and long legs. On film I saw not just a vertical weapon but a gazelle in the open field not exactly easy to corral and bring to the turf. Addison is a less-lanky DeVonta Smith. Does everything well. Doesn't have an imposing frame -- which is fine in today's NFL. Flowers is dynamite, and he's short not small at 5-9 and 182 pounds. If he was a little taller, he'd be a locked-in top-half-of-the-first-round selection. He's sudden, wins routeinly after the catch and plays bigger than his size in traffic downfield. 

Reed was significantly held back by his quarterback play and the offensive line at Michigan State. He provides everything teams want out of an alpha receiver in today's NFL. And talk about playing bigger than his size -- Reed tracks the ball magnificantly and has the route-running savvy and pure athletic gifts to get open in the NFL. Washington is your D.J. Moore/Deebo Samuel WR in a RB's body. 

Tight end

1. Dalton Kincaid, Utah (27)
2. Michael Mayer, Notre Dame (10)
3. Sam LaPorta, Iowa (145)
4. Luke Musgrave, Oregon State (63)
5. Darnell Washington, Georgia (32)

Kincaid has two high-level traits/skills -- he has impossibly good hands and is electric after the catch. Bodes well in today's NFL. Mayer is super safe because he does everything well at the tight end spot just doesn't have major upside because it doesn't appear he possesses loads of athleticism. LaPorta is sneaky-good after the catch which is vital in my evals of tight ends, and Musgrave might be one of the fastest 250-plus pound tight ends in combine history. 

Washington is like a small offensive tackle on the field with some receiving chops, and it'll likely take two defensive backs to tackle him at the next level. 

Offensive tackle

1. Darnell Wright, Tennessee (136) 
2. Paris Johnson, Ohio State (21)
3. Anton Harrison, Oklahoma (30)
4. Peter Skoronski, Northwestern (8)
5. Richard Gouraige, Florida (67)

Surprise at the top here, I imagine. Wright is pretty close to the total package. He's humongous at 6-5 and 342 pounds with arms over 34 inches. You'd think he's already been coached by Dante Scarnecchia by watching him deploy his hands and reset in pass protection. There's awesome power and balance to his game too. He's ready to startm and thrive as a rookie on the edge. 

Johnson feels like a super high floor blockers because of his athleticism and power combination. And Harrison is more of the classic Oklahoma offensive tackle who's large and wants to physically overwhelm is opponent on every snap. He's not heavy-footed, which separates him from many blockers from the Sooners program. He's a quick-setting master and plays with quality balance. Skoronski is an NFL-ready pass blocker. I'm very interested in his measurables at the combine. Gouraige is long and athletic with ample vertical-setting experience blocking in true one-on-one scenarios and while he's already quite strong, he has a frame that will allow him to quickly get bigger in the NFL without losing his impressive short-area twitch. 

Interior offensive line

1. Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan (96)
2. John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota (72)
3. O'Cyrus Torrence, Florida (15)
4. Joe Tippmann, Wisconsin (161) 
5. Steve Avila, TCU (76)

Oluwatimi doesn't have a first-round athletic profile. He's a boulder on the field. Impossible to move and you'll never see him on the ground. He battles with his hands like a heavyweight boxer and has length for days. Schmitz has the requisite power/athleticism combination to star at center early in his professional career and, vitally, plus recovery skill. Torrence has an NFL guard frame and while there are some pass-pro hiccups on film, he's a mostly steady player in all phases. 

Tippmann is a tall, twitched up center who has to add more power to his game and Avila is the opposite. He's a power player with a wide base and stellar anchoring ability. 

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