Way too early Rookie of the Year (ROY) Predictions

I know the 2023 NFL Draft hasn’t happened yet and I know full well there are many factors that influence the ability for any rookie in the NFL to hit the ground running. That being said, it’s draft season and we all like to speculate, don’t we?

Here is a look into my mystic ball, with the list of the guys to look out for come the opening weekend:

Offense

Anthony Richardson – QB, Florida Gators

The age old question, will athleticism translate into elite talent at the next level. Richardson showed off his freakish strength and speed throughout the 2023 NFL Combine, whilst many analysts are saying he is showing the flexibility to be molded into multiple offensive schemes.

Richardson has shown great arm strength down the field, however, his biggest flaw could be his footwork which will need some work if he is to be regarded as not only first round talent but worth that hefty “franchise quarterback” draft capital. 

If he were to drop out of the first round, being drafted in the later rounds doesn’t always inhibit raw talent, take Russell Wilson for example (Round 3, Pick 12 in 2012)… pre-riding through Denver last year.

Bijan Robinson – RB, Texas Longhorns

The outright best back at the Combine and the widely anticipated top running back off the board and for good reason. Robinson has everything that is needed to compete at the next level, he excelled in every drill at the combine. If you have time on your hands watching him run between tackles for the Longhorns, his ability to make the first guy miss is evident from the first clip.

When he isn’t supporting his alumni Scottie Scheffler at PGA Tour events, Robinson can be found in the weight room, going viral for his leg workouts at Texas.

Look out for running back-needy teams as we head towards the draft, wherever he heads there will be a lot of draft capital spent and he will be the workhorse from Gameday 1.

Zay Flowers – WR, Boston College Eagles

The 2023 draft class is stacked at the WR position, but I can’t look past this man, Zay Flowers. Turn on the tape and you can see he is made for the league.

We have seen wideouts like Flowers breakout in their rookie years, with explosive plays, either being pulled across the line in motion and taking shallow crossing routes from the slot position and making a guy miss, or creating separation on the edge to pick up easy first downs.

Many analysts are talking down Flowers’ ability to translate his game into the NFL given his size and inability to create big separation at the top of routes, but I think put in the right scheme we could see big plays galore.

Defense

Will Anderson Jr. – Edge, Alabama

The numbers don’t lie, Anderson Jr. is poised to wreak havoc in the NFL for years to come. Weighing at 253 lbs and running a 4.6 secs 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last month the former Crimson Tide edge rusher is keeping elite company. Comparatively he ran a faster forty time than Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa, who weighed in around a 260 lbs mark.

Anderson Jr. is an explosive playmaker and if most mock drafts are to be believed will be settling down in Glendale Arizona come training camp. The Cardinals were one of the worst defenses in the 2022 season so will be looking for young and impressive talent to turn the tide (pardon the pun). It may be a tall order but he has all the intangibles to make a run at the ROY crown.

Deonte Banks – CB, Maryland

It can often be tricky to pick a high-performing defensive back from college tape, you have the polar opposites in the oft-maligned Eli Apple, versus the absolute home-runs that we saw in the 2022 NFL Draft class in Sauce Gardener and Tariq Woolen.

I have chosen Deonte Banks from Maryland because of his impressive NFL Combine performance this month, causing PFF to coin him a “super freak”. Only two players could better his vertical jump of 42” at the Combine. He out jumped all wide receivers, expect that to continue into the 2023 season.

That’s that, you may see a tendency to pick the athletic phenoms from the 2023 NFL Combine but that’s what gets the fans out of there seats.