Welcome to Tuesday's edition of the With the First Pick newsletter. Today we're dispelling popular 2023 NFL Draft notions. You won't get what that means exactly yet. But you will. I promise.
As for the newsletter itself, we've rebranded the Pick Six newsletter through the end of April. And I, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso, will be with you every step of the way. This daily newsletter's sole purpose is to track everything transpiring in the NFL and spin it into a draft angle.
Before I begin, here's your daily reminder to tell all your buddies and that one uncle who's always texting you mock draft links to sign up for the With the First Pick newsletter. Just click here and share this link with them.
Today's NFL mock draft 🔮: Quentin Johnston to Lions?!
Longtime CBS Sports staffer Jared Dubin dove headfirst into the mock-draft industry with a stellar mock that includes a prospect-team pairing I don't believe I've seen all draft season -- Quentin Johnston heading north to Detroit and joining a team already with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams in Jared Goff's offense. I like it. I like it a lot. Yes, that was a nod to "Dumb and Dumber" in 2023.
Sure, the Lions need to continue to infuse the defense with talent, but let's think about this -- the front office hit on Aidan Hutchinson, Kerby Joseph, Malcolm Rodriguez and James Houston in last year's draft and signed a bunch of solid defensive veterans in free agency. And I always say, in the draft, when in doubt, go offense. Detroit does in Jared's mock at No. 18 overall.
A few other notable selections:
5. Seattle Seahawks - Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
15. Pittsburgh Steelers - Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
23. Minnesota Vikings - Cam Smith, CB, South Carolina
26. Dallas Cowboys - Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
28. Cincinnati Bengals - Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
31. Kansas City Chiefs - Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Buyer Beware Prospects: Many top DLs are risky propositions 😳
CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Josh Edwards carefully selected his "Buyer Beware" prospects for the 2023 NFL Draft. Naturally, this piece will be controversial, but remember, not all early-round selections ultimately get enshrined in Canton. We'll look back upon many first-round picks and realize they should've been chosen much later than they actually were.
Here's what Edwards wrote about former Georgia game-wrecker Jalen Carter:
"There were murmurings of maturity concerns with Carter before his legal matters. Those were amplified by the fact that he gained weight and could not finish his workout at Georgia's Pro Day. Carter has made some bad choices but it had to be stressful going through everything in the national eye. Interviews will be important as teams sit down with him to learn whether this has been a lapse of judgment or a potential problem going forward."
To see Edwards' other buyer beware prospects, click here.
Best fits for mid-round QB prospects 🏈
Hey, mid-round QBs are people too, you know?! And the likes of Houston's Clayton Tune, UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson, TCU's Max Duggan, Fresno State's Jake Haener, Purdue's Aidan O'Connell and Georgia's Stetson Bennett will hear probably hear their names called at some point during the draft. It won't be Thursday night. For most of them, it'll be on Saturday.
Staffer Garrett Podell provided detailed write-ups on all those prospects along with some possible/sensible landing spots on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.
But remember, 65 quarterbacks started a game in 2022 -- 65! If last year's case study didn't highlight the importance of the backup quarterback spot, nothing will. Heck, Cooper Rush, who actually went undrafted in 2017, was an integral part in the Cowboys making the playoffs.
Seven unconventional observations on this draft class 👀
Sticking to the originally unintended naysayer-ish theme to today's newsletter I'm featuring a piece I recently wrote that details observations I've made about this 2023 draft class that appear to run counter to what's become accepted conventional wisdom during this pre-draft process.
Among the unconventional takes: My staunch belief is that Iowa LB Jack Campbell should be a stone-cold, lead-pipe lock to go in the first round. Here's part of what I wrote on Campbell:
"I genuinely have no idea why he's not widely considered a locked-in first-round pick. OK, so he didn't run in the 4.50s at the combine. Maybe that's it. Guess what though -- Lavonte David ran 4.65. Fred Warner ran 4.64. Demario Davis, 4.61. Germaine Pratt, 4.58. Campbell is plenty fast enough, and he plays faster because of his fine-tuned instincts. He's the only classic off-ball linebacker -- so I'm not including Drew Sanders -- worthy of a first-round pick.
I also have differing thoughts on Clemson's Myles Murphy and TCU's Quentin Johnston. Plus, I question why in the world we're viewing Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker as a first-round pick.
News & Notes 📝
- How much are QB contracts actually rising? In the aftermath of the Jalen Hurts extension, our staffer Cody Benjamin did the research on QB contracts to pinpoint exactly how expensive they are in relation to the constantly rising salary cap. You will be smarter after reading this.
- C.J. Stroud no longer odds-on favorite to go No. 2 overall?! The Ohio State passer has now been jumped by Kentucky's Will Levis as the betting favorite for that landing spot. WHAT IS HAPPENING?!?!
- What Hurts' extension means for Jackson, Burrow, and Herbert. From yesterday, but important to include today. Bryan DeArdo wrote on the ripple effect Hurts' ginormous extension will have on the Bengals and Joe Burrow, the Chargers and Justin Herbert and, of course, the Ravens and Lamar Jackson.
- Damar Hamlin fully cleared medically, working out with Bills. Buffalo's GM Brandon Beane provided the amazing news at his pre-draft press conference on Tuesday.
