All is right again, as the 2022 college football season is finally here. Week 0 marks the start of a new journey for the NFL scouting community, as well as for many prospects vying to help their draft stock over the next eight months. I'm excited to get back on the scouting trail and see more live games this year as we get set for the 2023 NFL draft.
NFL teams are still in the early stages of the evaluation process, and scouts and evaluators are starting to make the rounds to schools in their areas to collect background information on certain prospects. We still have a long way to go, and a lot will change between now and next April. But with college football kicking off, here is my first 2023 NFL mock draft projecting 31 picks. Remember, the Dolphins forfeited their own first-round pick this year after violating league anti-tampering policies.
How did I get my draft order, though? The first-round order is based on ESPN's Football Power Index, though the projections do not yet account for post-June 1 moves or the Deshaun Watson suspension. Underclassmen are noted with an asterisk, and I also included early positional needs for each team. Who is projected as an early pick next year?
