NFL Mock Draft 2023: Koerner’s Updated Final Picks for First Round

NFL Mock Draft 2023: Koerner’s Updated Final Picks for First Round article feature image
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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. Pictured: Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.

  • The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft kicks of Thursday.
  • Sean Koerner, our Director of Predictive Analytics, dishes out his final mock draft for Thursday's first round below.
  • Check out all of his picks and full breakdown for Round 1 below.

Sean Koerner, our Director of Predictive Analytics, finished with the ninth-most accurate mock draft in 2022 and the seventh-most accurate in 2021 (per FantasyPros). He's back with first-round predictions for the 2023 NFL Draft. Follow him in the Action App to get all his NFL Draft picks.


The 2023 NFL Draft has arrived, and Thursday's first round should be wild and unpredictable in many ways.

That is, after Alabama quarterback Bryce Young presumably becomes the new franchise quarterback of the Carolina Panthers. He is the overwhelming betting favorite to go first overall. After that, it's anyone's guess.

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis dominated NFL Draft chatter over the past week as he surprisingly became the betting favorite to go No. 2 to the Houston Texans for a few days. That hype has seemed to fizzle a bit though, with Will Anderson, C.J. Stroud and Tyree Wilson overtaking him in the betting market for No. 2.

Beyond what the Texans do with the second pick, there's also uncertainty about whether the Arizona Cardinals will keep No. 3 or trade it.

There's a lot going on, and our Director of Predictive Analytics, Sean Koerner, has done his best to try and parse out what will happen in his final mock for the 2023 NFL Draft.

2023 NFL Mock Draft


No.TeamPick
1PanthersBryce Young, QB, Alabama
2TexansCJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
3CardinalsWill Anderson Jr., EDGE, Alabama
4ColtsWill Levis, QB, Kentucky
5SeahawksJalen Carter, DT, Georgia
6LionsDevon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

No.TeamPick
7RaidersTyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
8FalconsBijan Robinson, RB, Texas
9BearsParis Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
10EaglesNolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
11TitansAnthony Richardson, QB, Florida
12TexansChristian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
13PackersJaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State

No.TeamPick
14PatriotsPeter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
15JetsDarnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
16CommandersJoey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
17SteelersBroderick Jones, OT, Georgia
18LionsMichael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
19BuccaneersLukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
20SeahawksZay Flowers, WR, Boston College
21ChargersDalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
22RavensEmmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State

No.TeamPick
23VikingsJordan Addison, WR, USC
24JaguarsDeonte Banks, CB, Maryland
25GiantsQuentin Johnston, WR, TCU
26CowboysMyles Murphy, DE, Clemson
27BillsAnton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
28BengalsBrian Branch, DB, Alabama
29SaintsCalijah Kancey, DT, Pittsburgh
30EaglesJahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
31ChiefsWill McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
*The Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick. 
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About the Author
Sean is The Action Network's Director of Predictive Analytics. He was named the No. 1 fantasy football draft ranker of 2019 by FantasyPros, where he's also finished as the top in-season ranker in three of the past five seasons

Follow Sean Koerner @The_Oddsmaker on Twitter/X.

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