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2023 NFL Draft Goals

Walt15 mins
Posted April 21, 2023.
Follow me @walterfootball for updates.

What does every team need to accomplish in the 2023 NFL Draft? We’ll look at each team’s goals on this page, as well as possible selections for each squad. See how the goals are being addressed in the 2023 NFL Mock Draft (will be updated tomorrow).




  1. Carolina Panthers Carolina Panthers:
    The Panthers traded up to No. 1 overall to select a quarterback the coaches didn’t want. In doing so, the Panthers relinquished much of their draft capital. They still have some relevant picks, however, and they’ll have to use those to surround Bryce Young with talented receivers and blockers.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    1. Bryce Young, QB
    39. Jalin Hyatt, WR
    93. Devon Achane, RB
    114. Richard Gouragie, OT/G
    132. Keeanu Benton, DT

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  2. Houston Texans NFL Draft 2023 Houston Texans:
    The Texans lost the ability to obtain the quarterback of their choosing because they won a meaningless game at the end of the season. They’re still able to select C.J. Stroud if they want, but because general manager Nick Caserio appears to be a sleeper agent for the Colts, it seems as though Houston will pass on a franchise signal-caller and allow Indianapolis to draft him. If the Texans were to take C.J. Stroud, they’d obviously want to add plenty of receiving talent around him, all while improving their woeful defense.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    2. C.J. Stroud, QB
    12. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
    33. Keion White, DE
    65. Jonathan Mingo, WR
    73. Mekhi Blackmon, CB
    104. Amari Burney, LB

  3. Arizona Cardinals Arizona Cardinals:
    The Cardinals are arguably the worst team in the NFL, so they need to acquire the best player available at every position, all while trading down in the process. They won’t be competitive this year with Kyler Murray coming off a torn ACL, so obtaining prospects who can’t start in the short term but have high upside for the long haul would be ideal.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    11. Christian Gonzalez, CB (trade down)
    34. Bryan Bresee, DT
    41. Keion White, DE (from trade down)
    66. Luke Wypler, C
    96. Jarrick Bernard-Converse, CB
    105. Malik Cunningham, QB



  4. Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts:
    Thanks to Houston’s incompetence, the Colts suddenly have a chance to land C.J. Stroud at No. 4. Once they secure their new franchise quarterback, they’ll have to add better protection for him. They’ll also need to fix some holes in their defense, which was 28th against the run and 23rd versus the pass last year.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    4. C.J. Stroud, QB
    35. O’Cyrus Torrence, G
    79. Mike Morris, DE
    106. Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, CB

  5. Denver Broncos Denver Broncos:
    The Broncos don’t have a pick in the first two rounds, but they have a pair of selections in the third frame. They did a good job of ensuring that Russell Wilson performs better this offseason with some of their free agent moves, but they can draft an insurance policy for Wilson. They can also use a pick or two to help their run defense, which ranked 20th last year.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    67. Ade Adebawore, DE
    68. Tanner McKee, QB
    108. Rashee Rice, WR



  6. Los Angeles Rams Los Angeles Rams:
    The Rams must upgrade their offensive line and pass rush. Both areas were incredibly weak last year. The Rams don’t have a first-round pick, but they still have three selections on Day 2.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    36. Jaelyn Duncan, OT
    69. Zach Charbonnet, RB
    77. Cody Mauch, G

  7. Las Vegas Raiders Las Vegas Raiders:
    The Raiders have chosen not to rebuild despite being leagues behind the Chiefs. They paid Jimmy Garoppolo lots of money this offseason, so they’ll need to improve his pass protection. Otherwise, many improvements must be made to the defense, which was 27th against the pass and 23rd versus the run last year.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    7. Paris Johnson, OT
    38. Mazi Smith, DT
    70. Noah Sewell, LB
    100. Nick Broeker, OT/G
    109. Eli Ricks, CB



  8. Atlanta Falcons Atlanta Falcons:
    The Falcons might be the best team in the NFC South, but they still need lots of help. The offensive line, receivers, linebackers and secondary are all underwhelming. They also could find someone to challenge Desmond Ridder. Worst of all, their pass rush has been ranked worst in pressure rate in each of the past two years.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    8. Tyree Wilson, DE
    44. Hendon Hooker, QB
    75. Wanya Morris, OT
    110. Trenton Simpson, LB
    113. Charlie Jones, WR

  9. Chicago Bears Chicago Bears:
    The Bears obtained lots of draft capital by trading out of the No. 1 pick. This was essential because they had tons of holes on their roster. Aside from finding a better left tackle to protect Justin Fields, Chicago must acquire the best player available with all of their selections.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    9. Paris Johnson, OT
    53. Tuli Tuuiulotu, DE
    61. Tyrique Stevenson, CB
    64. Kendre Miller, RB
    103. Olusegun Oluwatimi, C
    133. Rashad Torrence, S
    136. Habuakkuk Baldonado, DE



  10. New Orleans Saints New Orleans Saints:
    The Saints traded away this year’s first-round pick, so they won’t be in a position to obtain a franchise quarterback. They still have a opening-round selection from the Sean Payton trade, however, so they can focus on fixing some of their glaring holes on their defense. They were 25th against the run last year, and they were also ranked in the bottom 10 in pressure rate.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    29. Christian Gonzalez, CB
    40. Keion White, DE
    71. Zach Charbonnet, RB
    115. Amari Burney, LB

  11. Tennessee Titans Tennessee Titans:
    The Titans are in a complete rebuild. They lost their three best offensive linemen and a talented linebacker this offseason. There are talks of them trading Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard as well. Tennessee has to find a new franchise quarterback and acquire new pieces for the future, which includes a starting receiver, several blockers and a successor for Henry.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    11. Anthony Richardson, QB
    41. O’Cyrus Torrence, G
    72. Cedric Tillman, WR

  12. Houston Texans Cleveland Browns:
    The Browns don’t pick until the middle of the third round, so it’ll be difficult for them to make significant upgrades to their roster. However, they have five picks across the third and fourth frames, so they’ll be able to bolster their depth. They should focus on the defense, which had severe issues getting off the field last year.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    74. Mike Morris, DE
    98. Brandon Joseph, S
    111. Byron Young, DT
    126. Chase Brown, RB

  13. New York Jets New York Jets:
    The Jets will be one of the top teams in the NFL once they finalize the Aaron Rodgers trade. It’ll be essential not to surrender any significant picks for Rodgers in this year’s draft because every selection will matter when it comes down to battling the Bills, Bengals, and Chiefs. If the Jets keep their selections, they’ll need to focus on improving the offensive line, linebacking corps, and secondary.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    13. Darnell Wright, OT
    42. Drew Sanders, LB
    43. John Michael Schmitz, C
    112. Ji’Ayir Brown, S

  14. New England Patriots New England Patriots:
    The Patriots are the worst team in the division, as they have many holes on their roster. This includes the receiving corps, linebacking corps, and secondary. Worst of all, however, are the quarterback and offensive line situations. There’s talk that the Patriots will move Mac Jones. Either way, they’ll need to radically bolster the blocking for whomever is under center next year.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    14. Peter Skoronski, OT/G/C
    46. Quan Martin, CB/S
    76. Noah Sewell, LB
    107. Nick Broeker, OT/G
    117. Tyler Scott, WR
    135. Brenton Cox, DE/OLB

  15. Green Bay Packers Green Bay Packers:
    The Packers will be moving on without Aaron Rodgers. With Rodgers no longer on the team, Green Bay can no longer count on its quarterbacking turning water into wine in regard to its receivers and tight ends. I’d expect the Packers to load up on those positions. They also need to address the offensive line and pass rush.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    15. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR
    45. Darnell Washington, TE
    78. Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE/OLB
    116. Xavier Hutchinson, WR



  16. Washington Commanders Washington Redskins:
    The Redskins seem set on giving Slingin’ Sammy Howell a chance to quarterback the team next year. They’ll need to give him better protection, but the greater priority is finally addressing the secondary and linebacking corps, which have been huge areas of need for many years.

    Ideal 2023 NFL Draft (First Four Rounds):
    16. Brian Branch, CB/S
    47. Henry To’o To’o, LB
    97. Emil Ekiyor, G/C
    118. Eli Ricks, CB


    17. Go to 2023 NFL Draft Goals: Picks 17-32

    Sorry for cutting this into two halves; I’ve received complaints about load times and putting the mock draft on two pages saves bandwidth.

2023 NFL Mock Draft | 2024 NFL Mock Draft






NFL Picks - Nov. 22


2025 NFL Mock Draft - Nov. 20


NFL Power Rankings - Nov. 19


Fantasy Football Rankings - Sept. 4






NFL Draft Links:

My 2003 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/24): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3
2003 NFL Draft Grades (Re-graded 6/8/08)
My 2004 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/24): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3
2004 NFL Draft Prospects/ 2004 NFL Draft Grades (Re-graded 6/6/08)
My 2005 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/23): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3
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My 2006 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3
2006 NFL Draft Prospects (UPDATED 4/28)
2006 NFL Draft Grades (Re-graded on 7/3)
My 2007 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3/ Round 4/ Round 5/ Round 6/ Round 7
Other 2007 Mock Drafts:April Fools
2007 NFL Draft Prospects (UPDATED 4/24)/Kenny Ortiz's Top 40 Prospects
2007 NFL Combine and Pro Day Results
2007 NFL Draft Grades
2008 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/26): Round 1 / Round 2/ Round 3/Round 4/Round 5/Round 6/Round 7
Alternative 2008 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/7): Round 1 /Round 2
2008 NFL Re-Draft - Round 3 (UPDATED 4/27)
2008 NFL Draft Prospects (UPDATED 8/5)
Other 2008 Mock Drafts: Matt McGuire (4/25)/ Craig Smith (4/22)/ Emmitt Smith (4/21)/ Matt McGuire Shocker (4/21)/ Matt McGuire Backwards (4/19)/ Forum Mock (4/15)/ April Fools (4/1)
2009 Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/25): Round 1 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
Other 2009 Mock Drafts: Re-Draft (4/26) /Matt McGuire (4/25) /Reader Mock (4/25) /Hunter Ansley (4/24) /Backward Mock (4/19) /Emmitt Smith (4/16) /Celebrity Mock (4/9) /April Fools (4/1) /Experts (3/30) /KFFL (3/14)
2010 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/22): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2010 NFL Mock Re-Draft Day 3 (4/24): Round 4 (Walt's) / Round 4 (Matt's)
2010 NFL Mock Re-Draft Day 2 (4/23): Round 2 (Walt's) / Round 3 (Walt's) / Round 2 (Matt's) / Round 3 (Matt's)
Other 2010 Mock Drafts: Matt McGuire (4/22) /Backward Mock (4/20) /Emmitt Mock (4/17) /Celebrity Mock (4/8) /Experts (3/17) /Reader (4/13) /Consensus (2/25)
2011 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2011 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/30): Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 2 /Round 3
Other 2011 Mock Drafts: Free Agency (5/9) /Greg Cox (4/28) /Backward Mock (4/22) /Emmitt Mock (4/21) /Team Big Boards (4/21) /Celebrity Mock (4/13) /Experts (4/7) /Not Mock (4/6) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Greg Cox's 2012 Mock (2/22) /Matt McGuire (1/8)
2012 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/26): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2012 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2012 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/26) /Pick History (4/23) /Emmitt Mock (4/19) /Not Mock (4/19) /Backward Mock (4/17) /Celebrity (4/15) /Goals (4/10) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock (4/1) /Free Agent Mock (3/6) /Greg Cox (9/9)
2013 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/25): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2013 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/27): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2013 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/25) /GM Mock (4/21) /Charlie's Trade Mock (4/20) /Goals (4/19) /Rapid Reader Mock (4/18) /Emmitt Mock (4/14) /Not Mock (4/13) /Pick History (4/5) /Backward Mock (4/4) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock /Free Agent Mock (3/7) /Archived 2013 NFL Mock Drafts
2014 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATE 5/8): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2014 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 5/10): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2014 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (5/8) /Goals (5/3) /Not Mock (4/27) /Emmitt Mock (4/20) /Trades Mock (4/13) /Celebrity Mock (4/11) /Backward Mock (4/4) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock /Free Agent Mock (3/6) /Overreaction Mock (12/30)
2015 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/30): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2015 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 5/2): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2015 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/30) /Goals (4/25) /Not Mock (4/19) /Emmitt Mock (4/17) /Trades Mock (4/12) /Celebrity Mock (4/10) /Backward Mock (4/3) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Free Agent Mock (3/5) /Overreaction Mock (12/29)
2016 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2016 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/30): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2016 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/28) /Combo (5/8) /Goals (4/23) /Not Mock (4/22) /Emmitt Mock (4/17) /Trades Mock (4/16) /Celebrity Mock (4/10) /Backward Mock (4/7) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock /Free Agent Mock (3/6) /Overreaction Mock (1/4)
2017 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/27): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2017 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/29): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2017 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/27) /Combo (5/7) /Goals (4/22) /Not Mock (4/21) /Emmitt Mock (4/16) /Backward Mock (4/9) /Celebrity Mock (4/7) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock /Free Agent Mock (3/7) /Overreaction Mock (1/2)
2018 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/26): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2018 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2018 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/26) /Combo (5/6) /Goals (4/21) /Not Mock (4/20) /Emmitt Mock (4/15) /Trades Mock (4/13) /Backward Mock (4/8) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Reader Mock /Free Agent Mock (3/11) /Senior Bowl (1/27)
2019 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/25): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2019 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/27): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2019 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/25) /Combo (5/5) /Goals (4/20) /Not Mock (4/18) /Witten Mock (4/14) /Trades Mock (4/12) /Emmitt Mock (4/7) /Backward Mock (4/5) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Free Agent Mock (3/10) /Senior Bowl Mock (1/26) /Video Mock (1/8) /Overreaction Mock (12/31)
2020 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/23): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2020 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/25): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2020 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/23) /Combo (5/3) /Goals (4/18) /Emmitt Mock (4/12) /Trades Mock (4/8) /Backward Mock (4/5) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Free Agent Mock (3/16) /Corey Long (3/13) /Senior Bowl Mock (1/27) /Overreaction Mock (12/30)
2021 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/29): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2021 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 5/1): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2021 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (5/17) /Goals (4/23) /Backward Mock (4/18) /Emmitt Mock (4/11) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Senior Bowl Mock (1/30) /Overreaction Mock (1/4)
2022 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/28): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2022 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/30): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2022 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/28) /Goals (4/22) /Backward Mock (4/20) /Emmitt Mock (4/15) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Senior Bowl Mock (2/5) /Overreaction Mock (1/10)
2023 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/27): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6 /Round 7
2023 NFL Mock Re-Draft (UPDATED 4/29): Walt Round 4 /Walt Round 5 /Charlie Round 4 /Charlie Round 5 /Walt Round 2 /Walt Round 3 /Charlie Round 2 /Charlie Round 3
Other 2023 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/27) /Backward Mock (4/19) /April Fools Mock (4/1) /Senior Bowl Mock (2/4) /Overreaction Mock (1/9)
2024 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 4/25): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2 /Round 3 /Round 4 /Round 5 /Round 6
Other 2024 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (4/25) /April Fools Mock (3/31)
2025 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 11/20): Round 1 /Picks 17-32 /Round 2
Other 2025 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (11/22)
2026 NFL Mock Draft (UPDATED 7/24): Round 1 /Picks 17-32
Other 2026 Mock Drafts: Charlie Campbell (10/26)
2018 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2017 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2016 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2015 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2014 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2013 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2012 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2011 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2010 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2009 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2008 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2007 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2006 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2005 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2004 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2003 NFL Draft Re-Mock / 2002 NFL Draft Re-Mock


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