Hey, guys! Instead of posting my updated big board standings and making you guys comb through all of the prospects to see what’s different, I figured I’d just isolate my new player evals in a quick post here on Patreon along with where they rank on the overall board. Of course, if you want to revisit the big board, it’s linked below! Here’s who I added to the board today:
Catching up on some guys who figure to be fringe first rounders that I have embarrassingly left off of my Big Board because I’ve been too busy diving into Sidy Sow tape:
18. CB Deonte Banks, Maryland – I’m super late to the Deonte Banks party, but please let me in. I’ll pay the cover charge. Banks instantly became one of my favorite players in this class, and I’m now stoked to learn that the Titans have shown an interest in him. He was a guy who absolutely dominated the Scouting Combine, and I feel like that’s when more draft nuts started to catch on to just how impressive this man’s game is. He had a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score, ffs! A 4.35 40! Are you serious? Banks is a savvy corner that plays with a calm, cool, and collected demeanor to go along with his raw speed and athleticism. He is more than just size and traits though. He can re-route a receiver with his hands, and he’s a feisty guy, staying engaged in his block and throwing guys out the club when he needs to. There is such a smooth and polished quality to his movement that is almost like visual ASMR to watch. He can mirror his hips to the receiver’s in order to stay stride for stride with them, and he has that straightline speed to run with anyone. He’s going to make for a fantastic corner in the NFL.
21. CB Joey Porter Jr., Penn State – Porter absolutely checks all the boxes you want in a first round talent at the cornerback position – he’s physical, he’s athletic, and he has the size and frame to really lock down his man. He is the most “go go Gadget arms” motherfucker in this draft class, and you see that elite length show up on the tape. He uses those 34” jokers to his advantage – I mean, shit…that’s a good number for an offensive tackle…much less a cornerback! His reach can tighten windows and knock balls down at the point of the catch. There are a couple of things about Porter that really give me pause – one, he seems more reactionary in coverage, and he doesn’t change direction fluidly. Two, when he gets beat off the first step, he seems to resort to grabbing and hooking. It just feels like an issue that savvy NFL receivers are going to have a field day with. If you can sort that out, though – you’ve got a potential blue chip cornerback.
22. EDGE Nolan Smith, Georgia – There are some red flags with Smith. Sure, you hear about the character concerns. I’m not a fan of his size, and it’s not just because of his frame and weight, but there’s something about his build that I can’t quite place that I don’t love. There’s a definite lack of thiccness. But for me, it really comes down to how raw he is as a prospect. You’re rolling the dice on being able to harness his speed right away and build out a more well-rounded pass rusher later. I watched a few of his games, and while I thought he did a good job of getting his pad level down and popping offensive tackles off balance, I thought he could pretty well be stood up and neutralized if he didn’t land that first move to beat the tackle. He was a Combine warrior. He’s traitsy as all get-out. And, the name of his game is speed, speed, and more speed – he looks like he’s a pure pass rusher that doesn’t offer a lot of impact as an edge setter, and I don’t know man…there just seems like too much ‘bad vibes,’ for lack of a better term, permeating the air around Smith for me to feel good about drafting him to be a bell cow. He is a first rounder for his physical and athletic traits alone.
30. ILB Drew Sanders, Arkansas – It’s hard to project any inside linebacker to go in the first round in 2023 because it seems like the position has been so devalued in the recent NFL. It’s no different from taking a center in the first round. But, I can’t help but love Sanders’ game. He could definitely stand to bulk up a bit and add some mass to his frame, because you see issues with his play strength at the point of attack at times on his tape. But, he’s an incredibly versatile linebacker that plays with great range and offers some upside as a pass rusher to boot. Sanders is a ‘boom stick’ type of linebacker who is quick to cover ground and close space, he’s a headhunter in the open field, he’s quick to face gaps in the run game (despite being held up by more powerful blockers at times), can navigate traffic around blockers from the backside of a play to pursue the ball carrier, and is a seamless mover. Sanders has the range, speed, and instincts to play in the NFL for years to come.
33. TE Darnell Washington, Georgia – Washington is an athletic specimen. This guy stands at 6’7″ and weighs 264 pounds with an unreal frame and offensive lineman arms (actually his arm length is above average even for offensive linemen). He tested well at the Scouting Combine and has the 2nd highest Relative Athletic Score of all tight ends at the Combine. Washington is an athletic freak and it shows up on the tape, where he’s proven himself as a deadly blocker and a bit of an underrated pass catcher (he did have to share a field with Brock Bowers, who is going to be a first rounder when he hits the NFL Draft). Washington’s biggest strength as a receiver is his ability to body guys at the point of the catch where you see his basketball background come into play, out-rebounding guys for the ball. He can high point the ball and snatch it out of the air over defenders. To be used primarily as a blocker, Washington does have some acrobatic catches on his tape. That’s where you see the traits he showed off at the Combine show up in the passing game. And, once Washington is in the open field with the ball in his hand, you better call the calvary to bring his big strong ass down.But, make no mistake about it – the hallmark of Washington’s career at Georgia was just how punishing he was as a blocker. It’s not just about the power, though – this man can block with the technique of a seasoned left tackle. He lowers his pad level, gets his hands on shoulder pads, and keeps his feet moving to drive guys out of the play. I swear he knocked an Oregon player back five feet on a block in that game. Washington went viral at the Scouting Combine for essentially assaulting a blocking sled, but it illustrated just how strong he is when clearing the way for a running back. I don’t know if I’d say there are real weaknesses to his game – I’d call them “mysteries” because his sample size is smaller because of the timeshare at tight end in the Georgia offense. He’s not shifty, but I can’t imagine drafting a guy that is 6’7″ 264 and expecting him to be a twitchy move tight end. He doesn’t have a nuanced route tree on tape, but again, that’s not necessarily because he’s incapable…it’s about what Georgia asked him to do within that offense. Washington is one of those prospects who just didn’t get the opportunities at the college level, but you could see blossoming into an elite talent at the next level. He’s unproven in that regard, but he has the athletic and physical traits to get there in time.
39. TE Dalton Kincaid, Utah – Man, Utah relied on Kincaid so much, and he proved to be a key cog in their successful 2022 campaign. He’s a pure pass-catcher. I don’t think you’re going to watch Kincaid tape and think “ah yes, this is a premier inline tight end.” He’s practically a big receiver. That’s okay – part of the evolution of the tight end position is that there’s definitely a place in offenses for guys like that too. What he does well, he does better than anyone in this draft. He’s a quick tight end that is slippery in the open field, taking on tacklers and keeping his feet churning to chew up extra yardage. You love to see that fight in him. He also has reliable hands and a long frame that gives him a wide catch radius. I don’t think he’s built to line up and plow people in run blocking, but surely, a team wouldn’t draft him and ask him to do that. He’s a bit of a one-trick pony, and he’s coming off of a back injury that could cause pause. If he’s your cup of tea, and what you’re looking for out of this tight end class, he’s your best option. But, there’s no way I’m calling him a complete tight end compared to Michael Mayer and Darnell Washington.
41. CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia – He is a dude at 6’2″ 207 pounds, and he had one of the better Relative Athletic Scores among cornerbacks at the Scouting Combine, where I thought he showed to be a pretty good mover with a 1.49 10-yard split. Ringo has had the pedigree of a champion at every level – from winning state championships in high school to earning a top 10 spot in his recruiting class to Second-Team All-SEC with two National Championship rings to boot. I like Ringo a lot more than I thought I would from seeing the opinions about him pop up on my Twitter feed. I was expecting “holy shit – why is this guy even in the Draft?” What I landed on was, “hey – this guy’s not as bad as everyone seems to think and there’s definitely a path to success for him in the NFL.” His speed immediately stands out – he’s a guy that is capable of mirroring anybody, and his closing speed is evident when a guy actually catches a ball near him. He also has good recovery speed (though his technique can sometimes put him in situations where he needs to recover). But, it was his alignment and command of the position that impressed me the most. Against Tennessee, I noticed him communicating, passing his guy off to another DB when needed, and staying disciplined in his zone. They really played that Vols offense well, covering their unique formations in a way that made it difficult for receivers to break inside with Ringo aligned directly in front of them. Hendon Hooker didn’t test Ringo all that much – when he did, it was from a short comeback route that Ringo bit too hard on and drifted 10 yards further down the field than the guy he was covering. That sort of thing shows up pretty regularly on Ringo’s tape – he’s got to be more fluid against those types of routes. I saw some of the things that people criticize Ringo for, but they happened much less frequently than I would’ve thought reading the discourse on Draft Twitter. The lack of fluidity shows up in situations in which he’s required to quickly turn his hips and change direction. It bit him badly on a play against Tennessee during which the receiver suddenly cut inside when Ringo wasn’t ready for it and got open by a mile. At other times, it felt like he turned his hips way too early and found himself swimming to get back into position. But, that shouldn’t undo all of the reps during which he was completely removing his side of the field as an option. He can be kind of clunky with his footwork at times. He has the speed to mirror guys in college, but I guess the concern is in projecting that to the NFL where every split second matters. He plays in front of receivers a lot, and that positioning does open him up to those lethal in-breaking routes. I caught him bear hugging a guy down the field in the Missouri game, and he does tend to get handsy a little too far down the field at times.
65. EDGE/DL Lukas Van Ness, Iowa – Size, power, and that’s about it. You can look at LVN in one of two ways – he has size without a lot of tread on the tires from being a rotational guy at Iowa that you can mold into a more well-rounded edge rusher….or, he’s inexperienced with a lacking pass rush tool kit, but a reasonably safe floor as a big bodied run defender. I’ll tell you this – I started watching the Michigan and Wisconsin games, and didn’t see anything at all. I eventually had to stop, fire up YouTube, and just look for a highlight video to find the guy even doing anything. I know that sounds harsh, but shit man…what were all the people saying he was going to be a top 10 pick watching? Am I just missing something here? I like LVN’s power – he’s a heavy hitter, he’s big (6’5” 269lbs), and he’s strong. He keeps his feet moving to drive guys back (when he drives guys back), and offers added value on special teams. He has a pretty good punch to knock guys back a step or two and then shed the block to move inside – that’s his most frequent path to the quarterback, and it looks like his signature move to me. But, he is far from a finished product. He’s lacking true edge rush speed for the NFL level, he doesn’t deploy a ton of pass rush moves, and I have no idea where he’ll find success in the NFL – 4-3 DE? Interior guy? You draft him if you need help slowing down the run, but I’m not sure the traits are there for him to become a good pass rusher at the next level, and I’m actually angry that y’all made me watch this guy.
Check out how these guys stack up on my full 2023 NFL Draft Big Board, and keep an ear to the ground for more updates here on Patreon!