NFL Hot Press: 2023 Senior Bowl Rumors Monday

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2023 Senior Bowl Rumors Monday

Updated Jan. 30, 2023
By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.

With all the general managers, coaches and scouts in attendance for the Senior Bowl, there is a lot of chatter going around. Here are some of the highlights from around the league on Day 1 of the 2023 Senior Bowl week.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson is one of the most interesting prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft. Over the past few months, we have documented in the Hot Press how sources from a number of teams have Robinson graded higher than other recent top-five running back prospects of Saquon Barkley, Leonard Fournette and Ezekiel Elliott, and Robinson. Just a few weeks ago team sources across the league said the 2023 NFL Draft lacked true high first-round talent with the exception of Robinson, who was the only one receiving a consensus elite grade around the league.. While Robinson could slide in the 2023 NFL Draft because of how teams value or de-value the running back position, team sources say they think Robinson will still go in the top half of Round 1. Right now, they don’t think the one true elite prospect for the 2023 NFL Draft is going to fall to the back half of the first round.

While Robinson may slide to the back half of the top 10 or fall into the teens, in speaking to some area scouts who cover Texas, they all said unequivocally that pro teams are going to regret passing on Robinson. Those scouts also believed teams would regret passing on TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston as well. One area scout told WalterFootball.com, “Their combinations of talent plus damn-near perfect makeup is rare to come by. People put so much emphasis on this positional value beyond quarterback and will chase a flawed player or character for 2-4 years over just taking a purely good, talented, potentially great player who projects to pay immediate dividends.”

Some sources have said they think those Robinson and Johnston have huge upside along with the ability to hit the ground running. Perhaps the area scouts will be effective in draft meetings of convincing their general managers not to pass on these talented players.

During the Senior Bowl game two years ago, a blockbuster trade was engineered between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams for Matthew Stafford. Interestingly, the Carolina Panthers had arranged a deal for Stafford during the week at Senior Bowl that involved their 2021 first-round pick – eighth overall and eventually used to select cornerback Jaycee Horn. However, the Carolina brass, led by former head coach Matt Rhule and owner David Tepper wanted to run an analytic test over the weekend while the Senior Bowl game was being played. It was on that weekend that the Rams swooped in and blew away the Panthers’ offer to land Stafford.

This year, another veteran quarterback is on the market in Las Vegas Raiders’ Derek Carr. His situation, however, is much more complicated because Carr has a no-trade clause in his contract. He could block any and all trades. The Raiders also don’t want to get locked into his huge salary. Because of that, Carr has all the control.

In speaking to an NFC team president, they told me that Carr should reject all trade offers and force the Raiders to cut him. That would help his future team by not having to give up significant draft capital to land him. The Rams won a Super Bowl a year ago, but in 2022, they paid the price for the lost draft picks in their trades for Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, moving up for Jared Goff in 2016, etc. The team lacked depths on its roster, and the years of not having a first-round pick, 2017-2023, are hurting the depth, albeit while the organization is enjoying the memories of a championship. Hence, Carr is in a great position to help his future team.

If Carr were to reject all trades and force the Raiders to cut him, he would hit the open market and be able to pick his preferable situation while seeing who offers the best contract. If Carr were to pick a team like the Colts – No. 4 overall -, Falcons – No. 8 overall -, Panthers – No. 9 overall -, Jets – No. 13 overall -, or Commanders – No. 16 overall -, that team would not have to give up its first-round pick to get Carr and could use that pick to help build around him. It will be fascinating to see where Carr lands, but he holds all the leverage over the Raiders to select where he goes and get there without costing his new team anything.

Just five years ago, Baker Mayfield was at the Senior Bowl, and it was plain as day that his skill set was nowhere close to Josh Allen when they were on the same field together in Mobile. While this draft analyst thought Mayfield was a second-day talent, he was rated No. 1 by Pro Football Focus and enjoyed a meteoric rise to become the No. 1-overall pick by the Cleveland Browns. Mayfield ended up being a disappointment for the Browns and getting traded away before his rookie contract was up. Mayfield didn’t last a season with the Panthers before being cut. While he had some nice moments with the Rams, sources with that organization believe Mayfield is a backup, at best, for the NFL. They said it was clear to them that he is not that physically gifted and too emotional. Mayfield will probably seek out a starting competition, but many around the league feel he is only a backup-caliber player for the pros.

Throughout the process of their coaching search, it seemed that the Carolina Panthers had a preference for an offense-minded head coach. They ended up hiring former Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich, but sources have said the coach who Carolina really wanted and was extremely high on was Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Sources say Johnson had Carolina enamored and was the likely hire before pulling himself out of consideration to remain with Detroit. The Panthers are happy with Reich after going through the interview process, but it sounds like their first choice was Johnson.

2023 Senior Bowl Home
2023 Senior Bowl Game Recap
2023 Senior Bowl Quarterback Analysis
2023 Senior Bowl NFL Mock Draft
2023 Senior Bowl Rumors: Friday
2023 Senior Bowl: Thursday's American Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl: Thursday's National Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl Rumors: Thursday
2023 Senior Bowl: Wednesday's American Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl: Wednesday's National Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl Rumors: Wednesday
2023 Senior Bowl: Tuesday's American Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl: Tuesday's National Team Practice Report
2023 Senior Bowl Rumors: Tuesday
2023 Senior Bowl Rumors: Monday