2023 NFL Mock Draft 1.0: Eagles upgrade defensively in full Round 1 mock

A heartbreaking Super Bowl loss for the Eagles in Sunday’s night thrilling game against NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs officially ushers in the 2023 NFL draft process for all 32 teams.

With the NFL combine just a few weeks away, the focus shifts to how the selections in April’s draft may shake out.

The Eagles are one of four teams with two first-round picks (Lions, Seahawks, Texans), giving them several options to stay put and select top talent and the ability to move up or down the draft order.

Post-Super Bowl, here’s a look at how we project the first round playing out with the first-round picks finalized. This draft will not include any trades.

» READ MORE: Eagles mock draft: Adding talent in trenches, secondary among Birds’ primary focus

Despite playing a 4i and five technique for a large portion of his 2022 snaps, Anderson has the explosiveness and bend to be worthy of the top selection in the draft.

As a potential outlier at the quarterback position, the poise, accuracy, and off-script playmaking ability separates Young from other quarterbacks in the draft. He gives the Texans a young quarterback to usher in the DeMeco Ryans era in Houston.

Arguably the best player in the draft, Carter’s blend of speed and power to disengage blockers and knife through the offensive line, flushing quarterbacks out of the pocket or forcing running backs to bounce the ball outside the box will allow him to make an immediate impact at the NFL level.

As the Colts have officially hired Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen to become their head coach, pairing him with the Ohio State quarterback, who excels at throwing with accuracy and deciphering defenses, to lead them into their full rebuild under a new regime can give the Colts stability at a position that has been a revolving door.

» READ MORE: Colts hire Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as head coach

At 6-6, 275 pounds, Wilson is a powerful bully in the trenches who often tried to run through offensive linemen utilizing speed-to-power pass rush moves.

The fluidity and smoothness Gonzalez plays with makes him a top option among defensive backs, a likely position of need for the Lions. His ball skills and ability to mirror routes makes him a fascinating prospect to watch more closely at the NFL combine.

In the midst of moving on from Derek Carr, the Raiders move into a different direction at quarterback, selecting the Florida signal caller, who is far from a finished product but has enticing arm talent and game-breaking dual-threat ability. Mechanically, Richardson must clean up his footwork and tendency to sail passes, but his off-script ability can mask offensive line deficiencies.

Already a stout run defender with great strength and length in the trenches, Murphy gives Atlanta a dependable three-down player as he develops a deeper pass-rush plan.

» READ MORE: 3 prospects the Eagles could target with the No. 10 pick in 2023 NFL draft

The Panthers have been searching for an answer at quarterback the last few years, and Levis is another prospect who teams outside of the top five will be going after. The Kentucky quarterback has a quick, snappy release with the size and mobility to translate to the NFL game, although his overall accuracy and ball placement needs work.

As mentioned in the two-round mock breakdown released earlier this week, Porter fills a potential need for the Eagles as the NFL is shifting to valuing long, physical defensive backs. Pairing him alongside Darius Slay gives the Eagles a solid duo for the next couple of seasons, assuming James Bradberry moves on.

» READ MORE: Eagles free agent priorities: James Bradberry, Javon Hargrave, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, T.J. Edwards

With the uncertainty around Taylor Lewan’s future, the Titans select the Northwestern offensive lineman, the most technically refined trench player in the draft. He could make a move to be an interior lineman if his arm length prevents teams from viewing him strictly as a tackle.

The production wasn’t there for him this season, but he has a deadly swim move and refined hand usage to quickly win at the line of scrimmage against offensive linemen coupled with lateral quickness to work across an entire defensive line, an area where the Texans can use an upgrade.

With a number of their tackles set to hit free agency and the uncertainty around former first-round left tackle Mekhi Becton, the Jets select Johnson, who possesses athleticism and recovery speed to mitigate speed and power rushers. Johnson also has experience in the interior, starting in 2022 at right guard.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Ohio State’s Paris Johnson, Dawand Jones are alluring options to be Lane Johnson’s heir apparent

A player who has one of the highest ceilings among tacklers in this class, Jones finds a home in New England, possessing the athleticism to move and block in space, although his hand placement and initial strike timing need improvement.

A versatile player in Alabama’s defense, Branch plays with a hot motor, has ability to cover in man coverage situations, and, with ball skills for days, fits a need for the Packers as Adrian Amos expected to hit the open market.

The wide receiver talent within the division only will grow after this offseason, meaning a player like Smith can be brought in to give Washington’s defensive backs an upgrade as a physical, willing tackler who attacks the football while it’s in the air.

Witherspoon is a bit undersized at 6-0, 185 pounds, but he plays much bigger and is sticky in man coverage while showing the willingness to be a force in run support.

» READ MORE: Five NFL draft prospects Eagles fans should keep an eye on during bowl season

The Lions used a top-12 pick on Jameson Williams last year, but with D.J. Chark potentially testing the free agent market, Johnston can slot in and be another vertical threat, utilizing his size and speed to generate big plays alongside Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Bucs need to address the quarterback position after Tom Brady’s retirement and the potential for Lavonte David departing, but adding the bendy and explosive rusher to a thin outside linebacker corps with a recovering Shaquil Barrett and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is a good start.

DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett continue to command a large percentage of the Seahawks’ passing game, but adding Addison, who is much more effective as a slot and boundary wideout with his route-running prowess, adds another weapon to the Geno Smith-led offense.

The New England Patriots spent quite a bit of time with Flowers at the Shrine Bowl, but adding him to a Chargers team in need of more playmakers makes sense with Flowers’ ability to create explosive plays and take the top off of defenses.

The skills and size (6-2, 210) Ringo possesses will be too hard to pass up, despite his struggles locating the football in press man coverage and his inconsistencies at the line of scrimmage handling releases.

With Justin Jefferson emerging into a star and Adam Thielen aging, the Vikings need another true playmaker at receiver, andSmith-Njigba checks those boxes, especially as a creative and nuanced route runner who operates mostly from the slot.

The Jaguars could very well bring back Evan Engram, but it was clear quarterback Trevor Lawrence enjoyed having a versatile weapon who could thrive over the middle of the field, an area where Kincaid lived in college.

The Giants have their future tackles in Evan Neal and Andrew Thomas. So adding the massive Florida guard , who has impressive grip strength and the power to move defenders off the ball in the run game, creates a powerful trio.

Both Leighton Vander Esch and Anthony Barr could go via free agency, leaving a hole in the middle of the defense, an area Simpson can fill as an impact blitzer with the athleticism to cover in space.

An offense searching for its identity without relying solely on Josh Allen, adding Robinson gives the Bills a three-down threat who makes people miss in the open field and creates explosive runs.

Mayer still is the best overall tight end in this draft class, which makes this an intriguing pick for the Bengals, filling a need as a blocker and safety blanket over the middle of the field.

With Shy Tuttle, Marcus Davenport, and David Onyemata all potentially leaving, the Saints have a glaring hole along the defensive line. Van Ness has explosive power with long-term upside, although he didn’t start for the Hawkeyes.

A bit of an older prospect, White enjoyed his best season in 2022, recording 14 tackles for loss and 7½ sacks as a senior. He offers versatility along the defensive line, as a 4i and slanting three technique who can fill a hole in the interior if Fletcher Cox or Javon Hargrave depart via free agency.

The Chiefs just won the Super Bowl but lack a vertical threat who can flip the field, which Hyatt excels at. The Biletnikoff Award winner gives Mahomes another weapon at receiver.

*The NFL announced in August that the Miami Dolphins will forfeit their 2023 first-round pick and 2024 third-round pick following an investigation into whether the team violated league policies pertaining to the integrity of the game.