- READ: Bucky Brooks' final mock draft: Patriots nab Bijan Robinson
- READ: Six potential surprise first-rounders in 2023 NFL Draft
- READ: Jahmyr Gibbs' quiet nature belies emphatic on-field presence
- READ: Daniel Jeremiah's Top 150 prospects in 2023 NFL Draft class
- READ: Eric Edholm's 2023 NFL mock draft 3.1
- READ: Five Round 1 slots that could change the direction of 2023 NFL Draft
- READ: Chad Reuter's seven-round mock draft
NFL.com's abundance of mock drafts lends an opportunity to project several different scenarios during the 2023 NFL Draft. The practice may prove beneficial considering Atlanta Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot's comments on Tuesday.
"This is the most uncertain it has been, in my opinion," Fontenot told reporters about projecting this year's draft.
Armed with the No. 8 overall pick, the Falcons have several needs along a young roster. But even after selecting Desmond Ridder last year and signing Taylor Heinicke this offseason, who logged 13 starts combined (Ridder, 4; Heinicke, 9) in 2022, Fontenot indicated Atlanta won't be pigeon-holing itself in terms of potentially drafting a quarterback.
"We are not going to close any doors," he said. "We won't close any doors. We are not closing the door on any position."
Of course, what happens between picks 1-7 should dictate what the Falcons ultimately do. Then again, Fontenot is also playing his part in making this one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent years.
"We never want anyone to be able to read this transcript and get any kind of tip on what we're going to do," Fontenot said.
Here's what else we're monitoring Tuesday ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft, which kicks off Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET:
- Bijan Robinson is just days away from learning where he will begin his NFL career. The Texas running back joined NFL NOW on Tuesday and talked about his pre-draft meetings with the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the No. 8 and No. 10 overall picks, respectively; Robinson visited the Eagles and also had a pre-draft visit with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. "Oh absolutely -- both teams that I visited," Robinson said when asked if he got a good feel for the clubs. "Eagles was an amazing visit. Coaches to GM, the janitor, the staff. Everyone there was just amazing. Just building those relationships throughout the draft process with those guys has been awesome. But every team I've talked to has been just amazing. Now I'm just really excited to see where I'm going to end up." Ranked No. 3 on Daniel Jeremiah's Top 150 prospects list, Robinson is an intriguing option for a team looking for an immediate impact, though taking RBs in Round 1 is a less-than-popular trend in today's NFL. The Eagles and Falcons, however, are built to run the football, and Robinson is poised to be a great fit for either team. "That's a great organization," Robinson said of the Falcons. "Great coaches. I had a chance to meet with them as well, and it was an awesome meeting. I kind of see where that's going in, where that's headed at. But obviously like I said, for me, we just don't know. We could have a surprise, anything could happen. I just know that God's going to put me on the right team, right position, and it's going to be fun wherever I'm at."
- New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas was gleaming with excitement one day after agreeing to a trade for Aaron Rodgers. The Jets will still have a first-round pick even after trading for the four-time MVP, moving from No. 13 to No. 15 overall in a pick swap with the Packers. Disclosing that the first-round exchange "was probably one of the last things that was agreed to in the deal" at Tuesday's pre-draft press conference, Douglas indicated that going back two spots doesn't change the team's draft strategy too much. "At the end of the day, we needed to have 13 players to be really excited about and now we have 15 players that we're really excited about," he said. "I feel really comfortable that we have that." What position the Jets take at No. 15 overall remains to be seen, but Douglas' general feeling about sustaining talent in the trenches could be a clue. "I don't think I'm ever going to sit here and tell you we're satisfied with where we are on the offensive or defensive line," Douglas said Tuesday. "I just don't think I'm ever going to say that because I feel like we're always going to be able to get a little bit better. It's always going to be a strong focus for us."
- The Chicago Bears traded away the top overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, but still hold a top-10 pick. Bears assistant general manager Ian Cunningham indicated to reporters Tuesday that Chicago will take the best player available at No. 9 overall. "I think that's what we always do is try to take that best player available approach," Cunningham said. "I think the whole needs thing ... those needs kind of get ironed out with the whole process, but ultimately it's the best player available."
- It's draft season and the Los Angeles Rams are back to producing an exquisite pre-draft hype video. While this year's film doesn't feature players revving sports cars or hopping out of a helicopter, it introduces the Rams' "Draft Lab", where general manager Les Snead has 11 total draft picks to work with in 2023. Snead on Tuesday indicated that L.A. would like to move and shake its way into the fourth round. "I think a lot of people on our staff would love for us to, at some point, move back to cover some of that gap and get in between our 77th pick (third round) and first pick in the fifth round," said Snead. "That's still to be determined. That's definitely always an option." As for the pre-draft video, Snead admitted that he wished he had "prepared more" for his role while Rams head coach Sean McVay pointed out his best work was cut in post production. "They took out a lot of my best work in that," McVay joked.
- Bryce Young may very well be the first prospect to learn his fate at the 2023 NFL Draft. The Alabama quarterback would do so on the aforementioned telephone from the green room in Kansas City on Thursday night, and perhaps that moment will document the 21-year-old's first-ever call from a landline.
