2023 NFL Draft: Stock Watch for Draft-Eligible Prospects Following Week 1 Action

Week one is in the books and all eyes are geared towards week two. Before we look too far ahead, let’s take a peek at some of the biggest risers and fallers from the 2023 NFL Draft class.

I don’t know about y’all, but having a full slate of college football this past Saturday felt like scratching an eight-month itch. The top teams and NFL Draft prospects were on display this weekend, with some solidifying their status and others raising major red flags.

The biggest upset came when the No. 7 overall Utah Utes lost to the Florida Gators, sending shockwaves across each team’s respective conference. NC State had its hands full with East Carolina but narrowly avoided an embarrassing upset to start their season.

2023 NFL Draft: Biggest Risers and Fallers Following Week 1 of the College Football Season

Bryce Young ransacked the Utah State squad, putting up numbers that you typically only see on the old NCAA video games. Will Anderson Jr. did Will Anderson Jr. things as well, but their stock is already so high, so let’s highlight some other guys instead.

Here are 15 players from the 2023 NFL Draft class that either helped or hurt themselves in the opening week of the college football season.

Quarterback

Riser: Anthony Richardson (Florida)

Stats:

•17/24 (70.8% completion)

•168 passing yards 

•11 carries for 106 rushing yards

•2 rushing touchdowns

There were several impressive performances from quarterbacks all around the country, but nobody shined more than the Florida Gator signal-caller Anthony Richardson. Richardson entered his first season as the unquestioned starter against the No. 7 ranked Utah Utes, a team that many believe has a chance to win the Pac-12 in 2022.

https://twitter.com/gatorsfb/status/1566894187085058048?s=21&t=ed0bB5cezVk3QVT8FDliLA

Richardson dismantled their defense both through the air and on the ground. He put on a dazzling display of arm talent and showed exceptional agility, proving to be a home run threat any time he tucks and runs. This is just part one of a potential Heisman Trophy campaign. You can feel the excitement in Gainesville. If he continues this ascension, Richardson could feasibly challenge for the QB1 spot in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Faller: Devin Leary (NC State)

Stats:

•17/33 (51.5% completion)

• 211 passing yards

• 1 passing touchdown

• 1 interception 

On the other side of the coin, nobody hurt themselves as much as NC State’s Devin Leary. He barely completed half of his pass attempts, letting a solid (but far from great) East Carolina defense have their way with the Wolfpack offense. His late-game interception was inexcusable and nearly cost them the game.

Leary began gaining steam this past offseason after putting up some stellar numbers as a redshirt junior in 2021. The hope was that Leary could take the next step in his development and put his squad in discussion for the ACC Championship. As it currently stands, they are 1-0, but things must improve — and quickly.

Offensive Linemen

Riser: Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State)

Stats:

• 0 sacks allowed

• 1 pressure allowed

Paris Johnson Jr. spent the 2021 season at the guard position and looked extremely uncomfortable at times. Entering 2022, PJJ earned the starting role at his more natural position of left tackle. It is a big responsibility to protect the blindside of CJ Stroud, especially in an offense that should thrive in the passing game.

Johnson Jr. took little time to prove that he is a legitimate first-round prospect. He essentially neutralized Notre Dame’s Isaiah Foskey on every snap that they lined up across from each other. Johnson Jr. did not allow Foskey to record a sack or a quarterback pressure when matched up. A statement was made on Saturday night for the 6-foot-6, 311-pound offensive tackle.

Running Back

Riser: Zach Evans (Ole Miss)

Stats:

• 20 carries for 130 rushing yards

• 2 receptions

• 22 receiving yards

Zach Evans is one of the best running back prospects in the country and he quickly showed Ole Miss fans what he’s bringing to the table this year. After playing sparingly at TCU in the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Evans chose to jump over to the SEC. He won the starting gig for the Rebels immediately.

Evans toted the rock 20 times in his team’s 28-10 win over Troy, amassing 130 yards on the ground. He also hauled in a couple of passes, showcasing his potential as an all-around player in the NFL. There are a few more weeks before Ole Miss opens their SEC schedule, so keep an eye on Zach Evans as the season continues. He is a true wildcard for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Wide Receiver

Neutral: Jayden Reed (Michigan State)

Stats: 

• 2 receptions

• 31 receiving yards

To be fair, nothing that Jayden Reed did in week one was necessarily bad, but he opened up his senior season with an underwhelming performance overall. Reed didn’t get a chance to show his game-breaking speed and otherworldly athleticism against Western Michigan.

Reed touched the ball more as a returner (3) than he did as a wide receiver (2). Listen, the Spartans won by 22 but there’s no excuse for Reed being underutilized to this extent. Or perhaps there is. Reed has been dealing with a nagging back injury this offseason, which could be partly to blame.

As Michigan State enters the thick of its schedule, it would behoove them to make sure Reed is an integral part of the game plan every week, assuming he is healthy.

Faller: Kayshon Boutte (LSU)

Stats:

• 2 receptions

• 20 receiving yards

Possibly the roughest performance of anyone listed in this article came on Sunday night as the LSU Tigers battled the Florida State Seminoles. In head coach Brian Kelly and quarterback Jayden Daniels’ LSU debuts, things got off on a sour note.

Kayshon Boutte caught two passes for 20 yards in the contest, but he was sitting on a goose egg until the fourth quarter. Boutte was targeted several times throughout the game and whether it be from inaccuracy at quarterback or the wide receiver just dropping it, these plays failed to end positively for the Tigers.

Boutte looked dejected and was seen multiple times giving less than 100%. The meager statistical output is something that scouts can look past, but the attitude concerns and especially the drops are concerning, to say the least. Boutte has all the traits to be successful in the NFL, let’s just hope he can dial it back in so this issue doesn’t fester and tank his standing as a top wide receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Riser: Jacob Cowing (Arizona)

Stats:

• 8 receptions

• 152 receiving yards

• 3 receiving touchdowns

Going from potentially the worst performance to the best performance here with Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing. Cowing put up mind-boggling numbers in his final season with UTEP in 2021. The shifty wide receiver accumulated over 1300 yards, with his career average yards-per-catch number flirting just below 20.

He transferred over to Arizona in hopes of getting more eyes on his game, and I’d say he’s succeeded in that already. Cowing led the team with eight catches for 152 yards and he accounted for three of the team’s five touchdowns. He is not the biggest wide receiver in the world, but Cowing proved this weekend that he’s a dark horse in the 2023 NFL Draft class.

Tight End

Riser: Brant Kuithe (Utah)

Stats:

• 9 receptions

• 105 receiving yards 

• 1 receiving touchdown

While things did not go well for his team, Utah’s Brant Kuithe had a monster day from the tight end position. Entering the 2022 season, Kuithe could regularly be found in the top three of any tight end ranking you’d find. Saturday in Gainesville, the country got to see why.

Kuithe, in his 24th start for the Utes, recorded the third-most yards in a single game during his career and his nine catches marked a new career-high. The receiving aspect of his game is not in question; Kuithe is a phenomenal route runner with a diverse route tree. Physicality is something he must continue to improve on to reach day two status.

Faller: Tucker Kraft (South Dakota State)

Stats:

• 1 reception 

• 7 receiving yards

The Tucker Kraft hype train left the station this offseason, as many NFL Draft pundits began taking notice of the small-school tight end prospect. Our own John Blair has Kraft listed as the best overall FCS prospect, regardless of the position. High praise, but rightfully so.

So what went wrong? Well, the short answer when it comes to the South Dakota State-Iowa game is “everything”. It is hard to pin the lack of production squarely on Kraft’s back because neither team could move the ball effectively unless it was one of the many punts.

Kraft is a talented pass catcher and a very willing blocker, two things that are a requirement to succeed on Sundays. He will have a chance to bounce back against a soft schedule, but his best chance to put production on tape against a top team just fell by the wayside.

*Addendum: Kraft was injured early in the game vs. Iowa*

Linebacker

Riser: Trenton Simpson (Clemson)

With Trenton Simpson, the stats never tell the full story. Sure, he didn’t record a sack or force a turnover of any kind but the impact he had on Clemson’s defense as they played Georgia Tech is impossible to quantify. As an evaluator, I try to shy away from the lazy “he’s got it” takes, but Simpson has it.

The exciting linebacker prospect is everywhere on the field. Even if the ball goes to the opposite side, you can guarantee that Simpson is going to get his nose in the play one way or another. His physical package, strong football IQ, and motor should blend into a great NFL player.

His range and versatility as a linebacker are unmatched in this draft class, and Simpson shows it frequently. He even has the chops to be a pass rusher and to cover pass catchers out of the slot, too. Just take a look above at his tackle against Georgia Tech and you’ll see why Simpson should hear his name early in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Faller: Noah Sewell (Oregon)

Stats:

• 2 solo tackles

Noah is the brother of the former Oregon Duck and No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Penei Sewell. He is the starting linebacker and leader of the positional group for Oregon in 2022 and depending on who you ask, a realistic round two target in the NFL Draft.

I’m not quite that high on Sewell, and Saturday against Georgia highlighted why. Sewell does well to make his impact felt in the Pac-12, where talent doesn’t stack up to the SEC. Georgia consistently produces NFL players, which makes for a great measuring stick when an out-of-conference prospect squares off against them.

Unfortunately for Sewell, he only recorded two solo tackles and largely was non-existent during the Bulldogs’ 46-point beatdown of Oregon. Draft pundits surely took notice of this and it will be up to Sewell to make everyone forget his porous week one.

BYU and Utah are the only currently-ranked teams remaining on Oregon’s schedule, so those are the ones to circle for Sewell if he wants to revive his status as a top linebacker in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Defensive Linemen

Riser: Bryan Bresee (Clemson)

Another highly-touted player from the Clemson Tigers made a massive statement against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Former No. 1 overall recruit, Bryan Bresee, returned from an ACL injury in 2021 and looked like he hadn’t missed a beat.

Bresee is a mountain of a man, and he uses his size and tenacity to continually generate pressure in the trenches. Bresee stood firm as a gap stuffer and after watching a replay of the game, there were most instances of Bresee ending a play in the backfield than not. He bullied the Georgia Tech offensive line and was able to finish off one of those pressures.

Pressure on a quarterback is something every defense strives for, even more so if it comes from the interior. Bresee’s stock is BOOMIN’.

Faller: Isaiah Foskey (Notre Dame)

Stats:

• 2 solo tackles

• 1 quarterback pressure

I might catch some flack for this, but let me get something out of the way right now, Isaiah Foskey did not have a bad game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He played fine, made a couple of stops, and got past Dawand Jones one time to generate his quarterback pressure.

The problem here is that none of Foskey’s production came against Ohio State’s left tackle, Paris Johnson Jr. Foskey ran into a brick wall time and time again. I have no doubts that the Notre Dame pass rusher is worthy of a high draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, but there’s a chance that this showing ended his top ten aspirations.

Defensive Back

Riser: Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State)

Stats: 

• 8 solo tackles

• 6 passes defended

• 1 fumble recovery 

Arguably my favorite player in the entire draft class, Joey Porter Jr., had a game for the ages against Purdue. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw at Porter Jr. an astonishing 17 times, with the resilient cornerback only allowing eight of those to find their target.

Usually, a team will shy away from throwing at the opponent’s best defender, but this was not the case Thursday evening in West Lafayette. Porter Jr. not only excelled in pass coverage with his six breakups, but he also recorded eight tackles. This shows how much Porter Jr. is like his father because neither guy has even been scared to come up and lay down a big hit.

Porter Jr. will face stiffer competition as the season goes on, but I would be willing to bet that nobody challenges him 17 times ever again. They’ve got a date with Ohio on Sept. 10 before heading to Auburn on Sept. 17. I’m excited to see how he fares against the Tigers.

Riser: Garrett Williams (Syracuse)

Stats:

• 8 solo tackles

• 1 interception 

Garrett Williams is another popular player that has been projected to fly up draft boards this season. His performance against Louisville cemented this claim, as Williams came up huge with eight stops on the ground.

Cardinals quarterback Malik Cunningham did well as a passer (for the most part), but the Orange defense shut him down on the ground. One of Cunningham’s two mistakes through the air came on a jump ball in the end zone that Garrett Williams came down with.

Williams failed to intercept a single pass in 2021, so it is nice to see him corral one in, even if it was on a flukey play of sorts. If Williams continues playing with this ferocity and showcasing his ball skills, he could be the first Syracuse defensive back to hear his name called in the first two rounds in over two decades.