When the Carolina Panthers make the No. 1 overall selection of the 2023 NFL Draft, there’s a good chance that player will walk out on stage and hug Roger Goodell moments later. The four big-name quarterbacks in the Class of 2023 will be among the 17 prospects present at the event, the league announced Thursday.
Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama quarterback Bryce Young will all be live at the 2023 NFL Draft. They’ll be joined by the following 13 other players:
β’ Texas running back Bijan Robinson
β’ USC receiver Jordan Addison
β’ Boston College receiver Zay Flowers
β’ Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba
β’ Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr.
β’ Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter
β’ Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White
β’ Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson
β’ Alabama linebacker Will Anderson
β’ Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez
β’ Penn State cornerback Joey Porter Jr.
β’ Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon
β’ Alabama defensive back Brian Branch
Nearly all of those players are projected to go in the first round. The Panthers are expected to grab a quarterback at No. 1. The remaining three quarterbacks will likely go off the board early as well.
When the Chicago Bears held the No. 1 overall pick, both Anderson and Carter were mentioned as possible No. 1 overall options. Anderson has a strong chance to be the top defensive player selected in the draft. Carter has seen his stock drop after an arrest for reckless driving and a miserable performance at his pro day, but he could still be selected in the top 15.
There’s no guarantee all 17 players at the draft will be selected in the first round. In 2022, quarterbacks Malik Willis and Matt Corral both attended the event. They didn’t go off the board until the third round.
In the past, players have made headlines for being seeing their draft stock plummet while at the event. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is perhaps the most famous example of that phenomenon. Rodgers was a candidate to be selected No. 1 overall. Instead, he fell to No. 24. Cameras captured nearly every moment of his fall.
It seems unlikely we’ll get another Rodgers incident at the 2023 NFL Draft. But if any player does experience a surprising fall on draft day, it will make for compelling television as long as they remain in front of the cameras.
