Welcome to the Tuesday edition of the With the First Pick newsletter. With a little over two weeks to go until the 2023 NFL Draft, we're in the thick of 'Top Prospect Meets With Every Team' season, which is my annual reminder to finally start that petition I've been meaning to get to that begs the league to start the draft two weeks earlier. You'd sign it, right?
Ahhh, I get it though -- teams still need time for those ever-important yet rarely discussed at length top 30 visits to get to know marquee prospects they're eyeing to pick in late April. In terms of non-rumor news, those visits are essentially all we'll have going on from now until the Panthers officially go on the clock. Unless we get another trade! I always want more of those, don't you?
You probably know this by now, but in case you don't -- 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 🔮: Will Brinson creates 'worst mock ever'
Will Brinson is a very self-aware dude. When it comes to mock drafts, he understands regardless of how many painstaking hours he spends slotting prospects to specific teams based on value, need, etc., he'll get avalanched with criticism for said mock draft. Therefore, he's selling his mock draft 3.0 as literally "the worst mock draft ever." Now, Brinson is no dummy either, and the picks he provided aren't completely out of left field. Of course, too, he provides reasoning for all 31 picks. And the reasoning is sound, in a Brinson kind of way. This mock is too spicy for me to spoil Will's selections.
Here's the planned catastrophe in all its glory. Now take to Brinson's Twitter mentions with pitchforks!
'With the First Pick' podcast 🎧: NFL Draft betting market
As if the NFL Draft wasn't exciting enough, if betting on it is your thing, you're going to want to listen the latest episode and take thorough notes. Ryan Wilson and Rick Spielman run through No. 1 overall pick odds, how many quarterbacks in the first round, first defensive player drafted -- Will Anderson, Tyree Wilson or someone else? -- and plenty more on the 2023 NFL Draft betting market. Step 1: Listen to the entire episode. Step 2: Prosper.
Ryan Wilson's Top 100 Big Board 📈: Jaxon Smith-Njigba WR1
After scouting 300-plus prospects since the start of the 2022 college football season, Ryan has come to the NFL Draft finish line. I know the feeling. It's an exhilarating one. His Top 100 Big Board has landed. I'll provide some interesting nuggets below, but out of respect for Ryan's hard work you should check the Big Board in its entirety. Remember, these Big Boards are constructed based on the draft analyst's evaluations and grades for the prospects. They're completely unrelated to a mock draft.
- Texas RB Bijan Robinson in the top 10
- Florida QB Anthony Richardson distantly behind Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud
- Georgia CB Kelee Ringo at No. 43 overall
- Kentucky QB Will Levis just inside the top 50
- Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims at No. 88 overall
Backup plans for teams who miss out on top prospects 👀
Time for me to prop myself up again with one of my recent articles. In all seriousness, this is an idea contrived from pure necessity a few years ago when we at CBS Sports realized we spend countless hours writing and talking about a billion prospect-team pairings that get us and fans pumped but ultimately never materialize.
So because teams need to have Plan B and even Plan C options for the prospects they absolutely adore but won't be able to select on draft weekend, we figured it selecting those options should be an article.
For example, the teams who won't have the opportunity to pick Bryce Young should first look to UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson -- similar size and playing style -- as a Plan B and have Fresno State's Jake Haener on the back burner as a Plan C contingency plan. Check all my Plan B and Plan C selections, for every position, right here.
News & Notes 📝
- Falcons trade for Jeff Okudah. The No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft was acquired by Atlanta from the Lions for a mere fifth-round pick. The Ohio State alum was adored by just about every draft analyst too. Sometimes safe prospects aren't super safe after all.
- Tua Tagovailoa adding muscle. In hopes of being able to play deeper into the season, the Dolphins quarterback recently said he's "been working on strength in many areas and been chipping away at things that I felt like I needed." Injuries have plagued Tagovailoa early in his NFL career.
- YouTube TV announces NFL Sunday Ticket pricing. No longer on DirecTV, NFL Sunday Ticket rights were purchased by YouTube for the 2023 season, and the company released pricing for multiple viewing packages. In short, buy it soon for a sizable discount!
