Our three CBS Sports NFL Draft analysts -- Ryan Wilson, Chris Trapasso and Josh Edwards -- have basically been doing weekly mock drafts since the beginning of the regular season. Rick Spielman has more than three decades of NFL scouting experience, including 10 years as the Minnesota Vikings general manager.
Put them together, and you have the first joint 2023 NFL mock draft from the "With the First Pick" podcast.
For those unfamiliar, "With the First Pick" is a weekly podcast that covers the NFL Draft all year around. Launched just after Thanksgiving, co-hosts Wilson and Spielman discuss top prospects, team needs and everything else to get you ready for the three-day event in the spring.
In this first joint mock draft, Wilson, Spielman, Trapasso and Edwards took turns making first-round picks, and there were no trades. There are also only 31 selections, as the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their first-rounder due to tampering.
One more note: The analysts made their picks off-air before the wild-card games, so the draft order is as of the end of the regular season. Then, on the Monday, Jan. 16 episode, Trapasso and Edwards joined the show to go through the mock draft and explain their choices. You can listen to the latest episode below.
Now, let's kick things off!
For more extensive draft content, check out our latest prospect rankings and mock drafts, as well as our new weekly podcast, "With the First Pick," featuring former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman.
NFL Mock Draft
Round 1
Round 1 - Pick 1
FORMER VIKINGS GM RICK SPIELMAN: Spielman was deciding between Jalen Carter and Will Anderson Jr. to kick off the draft. "I went with Carter because [the Bears] need players all over the place, but they need, definitely, on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "To me, when you look at the depth of this draft, I think there are some very good pass rushers ... and the hardest position to fill and find is that dominant undertackle, or three technique. ... Jalen Carter can be as good as he wants to be and the most dominant defensive player in this draft class."
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Round 1 - Pick 2
NFL DRAFT ANALYST RYAN WILSON: Wilson went with Bryce Young at QB1, and Josh Edwards explained why he agreed with the pick. "I understand the concerns about his size. It's unprecedented to have a quarterback of that size, that stature, in the NFL, but the game is a little bit different. You can have a point guard at the quarterback position distributing the ball and really utilizing the targets that you're able to build on that side of the ball. I have less of a problem with his size today than maybe a decade ago, but I understand that it's not going to be one size fits all where he's going to be a fit for every team."
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Round 1 - Pick 3
NFL DRAFT ANALYST CHRIS TRAPASSO: If not for Kyler Murray's contract situation, Trapasso said it wouldn't be crazy if the Cardinals took a QB. But with Murray seemingly locked in with the Cardinals, Trapasso went with Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3. "With J.J. Watt retiring, it's a clear-cut need," he said. "They still need a premier pass rusher in this defense, and they've needed it for a while. They got good production from J.J. Watt late in his career, but Will Anderson has looked like a future top-five pick really since he stepped foot on [Alabama's campus]."
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Round 1 - Pick 4
NFL DRAFT ANALYST JOSH EDWARDS: Edwards understands Will Levis did not have a great season, but he attributes a lot of that to a poor offensive line, lackluster offensive weapons and Levis playing injured for much of the campaign. So, he's OK with making Levis the second QB taken in four picks: "This is a guy that has great size, he's got elite arm strength, he's got elite mobility," Edwards said. "I think if he's put in the proper situation -- say, Indianapolis for example ... [he could thrive] if you put him behind a quality offensive line and you make the right coaching hires."
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Round 1 - Pick 5
SPIELMAN: There were two solid defensive options for Spielman to choose from here: Tyree Wilson and Myles Murphy. He's why he went with Wilson: "He's bigger, he has so much more upside. I think when we go down to the Senior Bowl, he's really going to show up. He is a unique athlete for how tall he is, and his bend in pass rush and his ability to burst to the quarterback is pretty unique. ... I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up being the best pass rusher out of this draft before it's all said and done."
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From
Los Angeles Rams
Round 1 - Pick 6
WILSON: For the sake of time, the guys quickly covered Myles Murphy to the Lions, but Wilson did expand on that selection in his most recent mock draft: "Murphy won't be 21 until next spring, and while we'd like to see him play with more consistency ... he won't be 21 until next spring. On top of that, when he's on, he's hard to stop, which makes him such an interesting prospect."
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Round 1 - Pick 7
TRAPASSO: Derek Carr isn't going to be in Las Vegas next year, so Trapasso decided to select his replacement in C.J. Stroud. "This was kind of a home-run pick for me. ... The improvisation isn't really there with C.J. Stroud, but the pocket passing, the decision-making, accuracy to all levels could really be accentuated with Josh McDaniels and the Raiders."
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Round 1 - Pick 8
EDWARDS: Here's the scouting report on the Northwestern offensive lineman from his CBS Sports prospect profile. "Skoronski does a good job of adjusting his hands and feet once engaged. ... He can do a better job of playing balanced and absorbing contact with his hands. Although he plays left tackle, some question whether or not he would be best served moving inside to guard or center. ... In a league starved for quality offensive tackle play, Skoronski should and probably will get a chance to play on the edge first."
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Round 1 - Pick 9
SPIELMAN: Here's the ex-Vikings GM's reasoning for making Anthony Richardson the fourth quarterback taken in the top 10. "They have to go get a franchise quarterback, and they have to go young. ... If everything else checks out through this pre-draft process -- his study habits, his ability to want to be an NFL quarterback and what it takes to be an NFL quarterback -- there's no question about the arm talent, there's no question about the athletic skillset. ... He has potentially the most upside out of any of these quarterbacks."
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From
New Orleans Saints
Round 1 - Pick 10
WILSON: Wilson is not sure how much longer Lane Johnson will play -- the 32-year-old has dealt with some injuries in his career -- so he drafted his potential replacement in Paris Johnson Jr. "[Johnson] may play five more years, he may play two more years; either way you have Paris Johnson, who can also play inside if you need him in the short term."
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Round 1 - Pick 11
TRAPASSO: The Titans have a lot of needs, and are they going to go wide receiver again after taking Treylon Burks last year? In this mock, Trapasso has them going linebacker with Trenton Simpson. "The linebacker position for them is pretty barren. ... With Trenton Simpson, I just think he kind of fits the profile of a top-half-of-the-first-round type linebacker. He's long, he played outside linebacker rushing the passer, he's good in coverage, he's got the range. I think he's gonna test well at the combine. So, he just feels like another high-caliber talent for this defense that without Harold Landry this season, was really just Jeffery Simmons and not much else."
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From
Cleveland Browns
Round 1 - Pick 12
EDWARDS: Edwards knows the quickest path to get to the quarterback is up the middle. He also knows it's hard to find quality interior defensive linemen. Those are among the reasons he has the Texans selecting Bryan Bresee with the second of their two first-round picks. "You'd like to see a little bit more urgency up the middle (from Bresee), but this is a guy that was the No. 1 recruit coming out of high school, he's got a lot of natural ability, and you're just taking a chance on a quality interior defensive lineman that's going to be able to impact your pass rush moving forward."
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Round 1 - Pick 13
SPIELMAN: Spielman believes the Jets are "definitely" going to go get a veteran QB this offseason, so he's grabbing Broderick Jones to provide protection for whomever is under center. "This kid has a lot of upside. He has to get a little stronger, but his feet, his movement skills, it's everything you're looking for in a left tackle. He may not be instant Day 1 starter, but I think this guy has tremendous upside and will eventually evolve into a pretty good player."
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Round 1 - Pick 14
WILSON: The Patriots are in need of offensive line help, but Wilson's getting them a talented wide receiver who will help whomever is calling plays in New England. Chris Trapasso likes the selection. "Certainly from a what-this-team-needs perspective, Quentin Johnston, being the first receiver off the board, vertical threat for this offense makes sense."
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Round 1 - Pick 15
TRAPASSO: Trapasso went for the defensive back from Alabama, and Spielman understands why the Packers would be intrigued. "He's a good football player. They played him in that star position [at Alabama], which is kind of like a (nickel) position. I think his best position is going to be free safety. He has range, he'll come up and hit, he's an effective blitzer when they do send him to affect the quarterback. ... He has all the ability to be a very good free safety in this league."
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Round 1 - Pick 16
EDWARDS: Here's why Edwards made Joey Porter Jr. the first cornerback selected: "Joey Porter has a lot of length, they desperately need help at the cornerback position. That defense looked a little bit better this year than it looked a year ago, but not quite as good as they were two years ago. So, to add more talent on that backend, I think you're kind of fortifying what has become a strength for them until you do get that quarterback into place."
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Round 1 - Pick 17
SPIELMAN: Spielman thought it was too early to draft Jordan Addison, which would have paired him with former Pitt teammate and current Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett. Instead, he went with Kelee Ringo. "Mike Tomlin has a history of adding guys with this much talent who maybe didn't play as well, and he has a tendency to bring the best out of players. And I think if he got a hold of Ringo, that he is going to be an excellent corner in that defense, especially if Mike Tomlin gets his hands on him."
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Round 1 - Pick 18
WILSON: Wilson doubled up on defense for the Lions by taking Myles Murphy at No. 6 and Christian Gonzalez here. Trapasso thinks this is around the right range for the Oregon cornerback. "He's over 6-foot, he's around 200 pounds. I think he's good in man, in zone, pretty sure tackler on the outside. A defense in Detroit that's ascending but still needs a lot of infusion of talent. Given how the cornerback board fell, I think this is just right."
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Round 1 - Pick 19
TRAPASSO: Trapasso doesn't know what the Buccaneers will do at the quarterback position, but whoever is under center needs talented pass-catchers to throw to. That's why he has Tampa Bay taking tight end Michael Mayer. "He's a high-floor player, great receiver, can get open, very explosive in his routes, doesn't drop a lot of footballs, decent three-down player. The Buccaneers, if they don't have Tom Brady, just need to keep adding talent, and Michael Mayer, to me, is the best tight end in the draft."
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Round 1 - Pick 20
EDWARDS: Edwards doesn't think the draft board fell in the Seahawks' favor, so he thinks they would be trying to trade out of this spot if this happened on draft night. With no trades in this mock, Edwards spurned defensive help to select CBS Sports' No. 1 ranked wide receiver in Jordan Addison. "Addison is a fantastic player. He's going to be the third wide receiver for this team until Tyler Lockett moves on, and when he does, he's going to be a fantastic complement to DK Metcalf."
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Round 1 - Pick 21
SPIELMAN: Easy pick here for Spielman, who likes the prospect and the fit. "You're gonna have to go corner there. Cam Smith's too good of a football player to be sitting here this low. Cam Smith may end up going higher depending on how these corners shake out once we get through the combine and workouts and everything. But this is a very good football player that, to me, can be a shutdown corner in the league. ... The value I got at [No. 21], to get this guy, I think is one of the better values out of this mock draft."
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Round 1 - Pick 23
WILSON: O'Cyrus Torrence is the first interior offensive lineman to go off the board, and for good reason. "He feels like a solid plug-and-play guy. Transfer who didn't look out of sorts in Year 1 in the SEC, and he helps that offensive line, helps Daniel Jones, helps Saquon Barkley."
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Round 1 - Pick 24
TRAPASSO: Yet another cornerback goes off the board in Devon Witherspoon. Spielman gave his thoughts on the Illinois cornerback. "I love him as a football player, and he plays a lot bigger than his size. ... This guy is physical, he has ball skills. I thought besides Joey Porter Jr., he was the best corner in the Big Ten this year."
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Round 1 - Pick 25
EDWARDS: You can never have enough targets for Justin Herbert, plus you get some major blocking ability from Darnell Washington. "You're upgrading the run blocking, you're getting a huge target that's gonna be used in the red zone, down the field, chain-moving situations. I just think you're adding more weapons to that offense," Edwards said.
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Round 1 - Pick 26
SPIELMAN: Drew Sanders was a five-star recruit who played mostly outside linebacker at Alabama. Then he transferred to Arkansas, moved inside and became a first-team All-American. Spielman likes what he sees from this prospect. "[The versatility] is phenomenal. Imagine what Dan Quinn would do with an athlete like this kid, because he can rush the passer, he can play the run, he can drop in coverage. He's 6-5, I think he's going to be around 240 [pounds]. I think he's just too unique of an athlete."
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Round 1 - Pick 27
WILSON: The Bengals made protecting Joe Burrow priority No. 1 this offseason ... only for multiple offensive linemen to get hurt before or during the playoffs. Wilson says the Bengals could probably use Anton Harrison right now. Here's what he had to say about Harrison is his most recent mock draft: "There was some thought that Harrison might return to Oklahoma for an NIL deal that was too good to pass up, but he's instead opted for the NFL. He's one of the top tackles in the class, and now the question is whether he finds his way into Round 1 or goes early on Day 2."
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Round 1 - Pick 28
TRAPASSO: Trapasso admitted that there was a lot of pressure being the mock Vikings general manager given Spielman's past. Trapasso ended up going with Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and Spielman's liked what he's seen from the Kansas State edge rusher. "I do like this kid a lot. I thought he played hard. I went down and watched him; I wanted to see him against [Tyler] Steen, the Alabama left tackle. ... When you put him outside the tackle, he can utilize his speed and his athletic skillset. And the kid plays hard. He was fun to watch because his motor was nonstop, so I'm not going to bash this pick because I like this player."
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From
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1 - Pick 29
EDWARDS: The board didn't exactly fall in the Broncos' favor, but Edwards liked the idea of Antonio Johnson joining Justin Simmons in the Denver secondary. "He's a bigger safety, so you can play him in sub-packages. He plays sideline to sideline. He's not gonna get stuck in traffic. He's a good communicator, good leadership, all that kind of stuff."
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From
San Francisco 49ers
Round 1 - Pick 30
SPIELMAN: Spielman thinks the one thing the Bills are missing on offense is a slot receiver, and after going back and forth between Boston College's Zay Flowers and North Carolina's Josh Downs, Spielman ended up going with Flowers. "This kid reminded me of a poor man's [Jahan] Dotson. I don't think he's as good as Dotson when he came out of Penn State last year, but this kid is a very good football player. And for a not very talented football team and they did not have a very talented quarterback, this kid took advantage of every opportunity that he had. And he, to me, almost carried that offense just by getting the ball in his hands.
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Round 1 - Pick 31
WILSON: The Chiefs go back to the well at running back with Bijan Robinson. Josh Edwards loves the pick ... if Robinson actually makes it this far. "You talk about putting that kind of talent in Andy Reid's scheme, I mean that's almost unfair. ... He's the best running back prospect we've seen since Saquon Barkley, so you put that in Kansas City's offense, that's going to open up a lot of things. He's a great pass-catcher, he's a good [pass] blocker, he's got it all. I don't have any real weaknesses for him, so it's almost unfair to see him fall to Kansas City."
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Round 1 - Pick 32
TRAPASSO: Every year, Trapasso says that late in the first round, there are some surprising names based on consensus prospect rankings. To Spielman's surprise, Trapasso went with one of those players in Kobie Turner. Here's his explanation: "The Eagles with Ndamukong Suh, Linval Joseph, Fletcher Cox -- they're pretty old up front on the interior. ... [Turner is] 6-3, 290, pretty advanced pass-rusher. Maybe not high upside, but I think [GM] Howie Roseman usually leans either offensive line or defensive line in the first round. They don't need him to be a great player immediately with Javon Hargrave there, but I think over the long term, this is kind of a Howie Roseman pick given how old they are at that other defensive tackle spot."
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