Eric Edholm's top 100 prospects 2.0: Ranking best players in 2023 NFL Draft class

Anderson projects to be a Khalil Mack-like defender who can use his length and tenacity to be a constant thorn in the side of offensive tackles for 60 minutes every time out.

A superstar back who projects to be a three-down playmaker just as the run game is cycling back into the NFL. Robinson's receiving skills were underused at times in college, too.

I won’t be surprised if, in five years, Stroud is the most consistent performer from this QB class. He’s a low-pulse leader with undersold athletic traits who reliably puts the ball where it needs to be on most throws. But can he be special?

The quick-thinking Young covered up so many problems on Alabama’s offense last season with his lemonade-from-lemons playmaking ability. Mentally, he’s special. But his margin for error at the pro level will be smaller given his OK arm talent, compact frame and decent, but not great, athleticism.

Without the character concerns, Carter would be the No. 1 overall talent in this draft class, even with his inconsistent motor. When he's on, he's virtually unblockable. Selecting Carter might require ownership approval, and he might need a demanding DL coach who can coax the best out of him.

I wish he could have finished the season healthy and given us some workout numbers, but Wilson's tape suggests he has the profile to become an NFL game wrecker in time. He's similar, in some ways, to Montez Sweat.

I thought he struggled a bit early last season after transferring from Colorado to Oregon. But once Gonzalez got his feet underneath him, he played at an elite level down the stretch as a long finesse corner with Pro Bowl upside.

Richardson's running ability and tremendous arm talent should allow him to have a respectable floor as a player, even while struggles spawning from inexperience can be expected. He throws too many fastballs, has inconsistent footwork and will make some wild decisions, but we're talking about a potentially dangerous gamebreaker here.

Is this higher than you've seen him ranked elsewhere? Don't care. JSN is a juiced-up version of Julian Edelman who can carve you up on the inside with elite quickness, hands and route running, even if the Ohio State product is not a true burner.

Witherspoon running in the 4.4s at his private workout was enough for me to bump him up into the back end of the top 10. He's a feisty, physical performer, even with a smaller frame. You'd ideally like to see Witherspoon bulk up a tad, but there's some Jaire Alexander to his game.

A twitchy, ascending rush talent whose most exciting tape actually came when facing guards inside, Van Ness likely will need to add strength and explosion to his game. But when he reaches his peak, this is one bad dude who could dominate on Sundays.

Johnson's combination of traits gives him an excellent chance to succeed. He registers high marks for character, versatility, athleticism and consistency. The former Buckeye might not dominate from jump street, but he projects to be an excellent left or right tackle in time.

He's just so clean and balanced in his pass sets, even if power will tax him a little. But ultimately, Skoronski's lack of length could move him inside to guard, where I could see him developing into an Ali Marpet-level performer.

He's been absolutely killed by media scouts, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why. Sure, Levis has some warts. But with a terrific arm, outstanding competitive toughness and a better mental makeup than he's given credit for, the Kentucky product will have a chance to make it eventually.

He's young and might need a year of seasoning, but Jones looks like a player whose best ball is in front of him. Although he couldn't beat out eventual sixth-round pick Jamaree Salyer at Georgia in 2021, Salyer's strong play as a Chargers rookie gives us some useful context.

It's hard not to love Smith's heart-on-his-sleeve playing style, and his testing numbers make him an unusual prospect. But I think he'll need to take some lumps early and possibly add some bulk before tapping all of his reserves as an NFL player.

He's a long, athletic press-man corner with the traits to succeed, even if he never was a true playmaker in college. After Porter's five-PBU game in the opener last season, teams stopped testing him -- including Ohio State. His tape vs. Marvin Harrison Jr. was impressive.

Flowers could be a fuel injector for an offense that needs some zip. Sure, he can be in too much of a hurry and might project better to the slot, but I don't say this lightly: Flowers has some Antonio Brown to his game -- minus the headaches.

The more I study Mayer, the more I think he's as close to a can't-miss prospect as there is in this class. He might never be truly special in any regard, but Mayer will step onto an NFL field next season ready to contribute in a major way -- perhaps for the next decade.

Kincaid could be used in exactly the same way that Travis Kelce is in Kansas City, even if his ceiling isn't quite that high. But Kincaid's lingering back issues are, admittedly, a bit concerning.

Something of a late bloomer, Banks really came on last season and tested at an elite level at the NFL Scouting Combine. The tape shows some stiffness in his hips, but it also showcases an intensity to his game.

I definitely had Wright ranked too low (No. 44) last time around, so I've given him a big boost. There's an excellent chance he's the fourth offensive lineman off the board, even if he might strictly be a right tackle.

Gibbs' ability to shift gears and explode through the hole -- or to the edge -- makes him an ideal specialist in the league. He's 21 years old with just 530 college touches under his belt. Even with a small frame, that's a very appealing template with which to work.

His subpar testing numbers and lack of a clear-cut position do limit his appeal a tad. But Branch's excellent nose for the ball, toughness and smarts all figure to translate to the NFL one way or another.

Murphy is a long, athletically gifted pass rusher who can add value to an NFL defense right away. His max value might not be quite what some want it to be, and he defaults too often to bull rushing, but some patient development could make him a quality starter.

There are too many concentration drops, and despite his length and leaping ability, Johnston isn't quite the 50-50 ball hunter you'd expect. With surprising open-field burst and tackle-breaking ability, he has a big-play streak, but I view him as an ideal No. 2, not a true Batman.

With McDonald profiling similarly to Randy Gregory, traits-wise, there's an archetype and a path to success for the Iowa State product. I'm willing to bet on his ability to penetrate enough to make up for a few holes in his game.

His athletic testing was pretty underwhelming relative to his dimensions, and it could relegate him to the slot full time. But what keeps Addison in the first-round range is his crafty route precision, stop-go ability and short-area quickness.

Consistent pressure source who can bend and dip around the edge to harass offensive tackles and quarterbacks all day. Ojulari's three-down value is limited because of incomplete run-stopping skills, but he looked fairly natural dropping in coverage when asked.

Bresee's lengthy injury history is the biggest concern here. A spirited rusher who can play multiple techniques and a former No. 1 overall recruit, he hasn't been fully healthy in the past two seasons.

A fascinating prospect. Round 1 might not be out of the question with his rare playmaking ability (SEE: the NCAA record six career pick-sixes), but Forbes' spindly frame makes him a total outlier. In the NFL, he could be Samari Rolle or ... Johnthan Banks.

Comparing him to Aaron Donald just isn't fair. I think Kancey projects more on the Ed Oliver-Osa Odighizuwa spectrum.

Injuries cratered his final season at Oregon State, and his showings at the Senior Bowl and combine rated closer to good than eye-opening. Still, there's a quality "Y" tight end prospect to be developed if Musgrave can stay on the field.

Interestingly, of all the prospects I've asked around about over the past several months, I think Torrence might have received the most consistently solid feedback. He's a plug-and-play mauler who will be a starter-grade guard right away.

This is a draft class chock-full of interesting scouting mini-debates, and Sanders is one of them. His tape is a blast and his instincts looked terrific at times, even with some misreads you'd expect from a first-year off-the-ball linebacker. He might sneak into Round 1.

The 6-foot-7, 264-pound Washington can still improve as a run blocker, but he has all of the crude matter you could ever hope for to do so. He also offers fascinating receiving ability; most smaller tight ends don't average 17.2 yards per catch in college.

FAU made a run in the NCAA tournament -- at K-State's expense, ouch -- so perhaps the NFL draft's version of FAU can have a little karma shine his way. Anudike-Uzomah couldn't test at the combine and reportedly was dealing with a groin issue at his pro day, but he still managed to produce a quality three-cone time (sub-7 seconds) in the latter event. Plus, his tape is pretty strong.

With an abundance of jitterbug types in this receiver group, Downs gets pushed to the margins a little bit. But he's kind of a Jahan Dotson-like player, albeit in a thinner frame. Downs is fast, fearless and competitive.

Anyone else notice that a lot of his big plays come when he's lined up in the B-gap? Just throwing that out there. Anyway, his Maryland tape offers a glimpse of how rare an athlete he truly is, but Smith also had long, quiet stretches in games.

The 6-foot-6 Tippmann is about as tall an NFL center as you'll see, but he looks more athletic than most other pivots in that size range. He moves really well and appears to be an aware player, but the pad level does creep up over the course of games.

Straight-line speed is his obvious superpower, but the team that drafts Hyatt might have to use him predominantly on screens, slants and deep balls until he rounds his total game into form.

I don't see Mauch as a Pro Bowl regular or anything, but he's a highly functional, light-footed and competitive player who has the chops to move inside to guard (or maybe center). I think he'll just need to learn to root down against power better.

There's a lot to like about White, and the bottom line is that athletes his caliber are rare. That said, I can't go much higher than this on a converted tight end who's still in the developmental stage -- at age 24.

One NFL evaluator recently told me that Avila was one of his favorite interviews. He's very personable when you're chatting, but when that ball is snapped, he wants to bury you. I even saw Avila get 30 yards downfield on a screen pass in a Senior Bowl practice. Good player.

My appreciation for LaPorta has only grown since last season ended, but really, he was pretty great from about the early-October Illinois game on. In a competent passing game, he could be a really nice third option, sort of like what fellow Hawkeye Dallas Clark was for Peyton Manning.

Turner's 4.26-second 40-yard dash at the combine was thrilling, but I am still mad we didn't get a three-cone time out of him. (That was supposed to be his best event!) Regardless, he has a bright future, I think, as a slot corner, where his quickness and lack of bulk might be best served.

Another riser in my own eyes is the Quebecois Bergeron, who isn't a truly explosive athlete but has the length, tenacity and body control to be tried at either tackle or guard. Bergeron buries people in the run game, but he's a little less polished in pass pro.

When I asked around about Tuipulotu, there just wasn't quite as much love for him as I expected. There is some question about his best role -- and weight, after he checked in at the combine at 266 pounds (after being listed by USC at 290). But he has interesting inside-outside versatility and all-around ability.

Part of Harrison's appeal is his youth, as he just turned 21 in February. He also has left tackle experience and has pass blocked pretty ably there. But he's a more limited athlete than his 4.98-second 40 time would suggest.

Ringo is a tricky one for me. The athlete is special. The cornerback reps can be downright rough -- but they also can be promising, too. Look, some DB coach has to be dying to get his hands on Ringo to see what kind of a player he can develop.

Feisty and competitive, JMS feels like a slightly less athletic and dominant Creed Humphrey. Round 2 is a good spot for Schmitz.

There's some quiet curiosity on Brents in the scouting community. He's hardly a flashy player, but he's big and moves very well. I see him as a zone guy, personally. A few receivers stacked Brents, and he didn't look that great playing the ball downfield.

Captain Jack's phenomenal combine workout shouldn't have been such a shock. He made his share of splash plays last season, and he has a nose for the ball -- in run support, pass coverage and even running down punts.

He's a favorite of mine, someone who's flying a little below the radar right now. Stevenson can press and play off-man effectively, but his makeup speed and tackling consistency worry me some.

There simply aren't too many comps for the hyper athletic and surprisingly long (33 7/8-inch arms despite his stumpy frame) Adebawore. He has the reactive quickness to factor in as a base end or interior rusher.

I've ridden the roller coaster with Jones as a prospect, and I might be slightly on the downswing in this moment. He's likely limited to right tackle to begin with, he bowed out after a (good) day at the Senior Bowl and he only ran the 40 during combine/pro day work. Then again, the massive Jones played well last year.

A fascinating late-Round 1 possibility, Hooker mostly finds himself down here for the big three (big sigh): age, injury and college scheme. None are crippling for his evaluation, but they're not nothing, either. Still, Hooker's good traits are very good, and he could thrive if put on a smart development track.

Honestly, this ranking feels too low. Hall is an enjoyable watch as a tenacious pass rusher. There's work to do with his technique in run defense, but Hall just looks like the type of twitched-up guy who makes it in the NFL.

Benton flashed at the Senior Bowl, where his quickness surprised me up close. It looked different in person than on tape. He also plays with some grit and is a run-game smotherer.

He's a big kid with surprising athletic traits and a good frame. Kraft plays with a chip on his shoulder, but remains something of an unrefined product right now.

Prior to last season, there was some Round 1 talk. An early ankle injury derailed that, but Tillman came back and showed how tough he is, playing hurt. Go back and watch the 'Bama and Georgia games in 2021, and you'll see the talent.

The son of an Army Ranger, Simpson is an extremely gifted athlete who can spy, rush and chase down ball carriers from behind. He just lacks special recognition skills.

Phillips has a good college résumé and possesses the reactive quickness to be a fine slot corner. Check out his tape in two games last year vs. Jordan Addison to see how competitive those reps were.

There's little mystery with him as a prospect: He's a two-down run stopper, although he will occasionally bull rush his opponent 5 yards into the backfield.

Henley really caught my eye at the Senior Bowl. The way he diagnoses and attacks the ball with confidence, you wouldn't know that he hasn't been a linebacker for very long.

I need to keep reminding myself he's an elite athlete who is still (relatively) new to playing defense full time because there are too many stalled-out reps on his tape. The potential upside is good, though.

He's a little lean and grabby, but there are natural ball skills and timing to be honed.

Scott has track speed and shows some creativity with the ball in his hands. A small frame could limit his role in the NFL, but Scott could work into the Round 2 picture.

A big-bodied glider with a good ball-security history, Charbonnet isn't likely to be a star on Sundays. But he has clear value, including as a third-down option.

Johnson didn't test amazingly well athletically. That said, he's a forceful hitter with nickel and box-safety potential, so there's some clear value in his game.

He's an absolute blur in the open field and has some excellent vision and wiggle in the hole, even if he's not built for inside carries on the regular. His LSU tape was magnificent, as he ran for 215 yards and two touchdowns while playing hurt -- and simultaneously tickling play callers' imaginations with the possibilities.

Battle was just OK last season; his tape was a bit underwhelming. He has the size, pedigree and coverage experience to be a good player, but the 'Bama product looked hesitant at times.

A pass-rush artist in college, Herbig should provide some third-down juice and special-teams value while a team figures out his best role and usage in the league.

Mims is a big-play weapon in a smaller frame -- similar to many other receivers in this class. Where he separates himself, in addition to his speed, is his yards-after-catch ability, even if he's not very strong.

Schoonmaker might not be the sexiest prospect, and he could be drafted lower than this ranking. But he's a highly useful blocker and receiving option who reminds me a tad of Owen Daniels (perhaps slightly better as a blocker and slightly less efficient as a receiver).

He's not yet the sum of his parts, but there's an NFL-caliber athlete here if a D-line maven can coach Dexter to play at full tilt more consistently.

Spears' run from about midseason through the Senior Bowl unquestionably changed his draft trajectory. There's a question as to how big a load he can handle in the NFL, but Spears possesses great open-field creativity.

His combine performance convinced me he might be wasted on slot-only duty. Martin could project as a rangy safety or even be tried at outside corner with his elite athleticism and requisite size.

His workouts suggest he's a below-average athlete for the position. His tape demonstrates that he has the intangibles you're looking for in the draft. In a thin safety group, Brown still should be coveted. 

Following a massive season, Rice had a bit of a quiet Senior Bowl week. I wish he was a tad more assertive at the catch point and consistently played to his explosive testing numbers in the jumping drills, but there's talent here.

For a leaner, more athletic defensive tackle, Pickens is not quite the gap shooter and penetrator you might expect. He could work effectively as a 5-technique with his length.

Skinner has a nose for the ball, a knack for big plays in key moments and some hitting ability. But I think he's best served as more of a box safety than as a center fielder.

The converted receiver had a productive Senior Bowl week and has the requisite length and athletic traits to be tried in Cover 2 or Cover 3 schemes or as a press-man corner.

He's not a big sack producer, but Harrison's terrific athleticism, length and ball-stripping ability should earn him a role as a regular contributor in the NFL.

The one-time Fairmont State transfer entered the year as a possible preferred free agent in scouts' minds. But Zavala's power as a drive blocker has come to light. He might be a late-Day 2 pick now.

A complementary back with four-down potential, Johnson's hard running style, tackle-breaking skill, special teams value and ability to pick up free rushers will make him a coaches' favorite.

His frame will raise suspicion on just how much he can be utilized in the NFL, but Dell is simply a pain to bring to the ground, either as a receiver or punt returner.

Wypler had some quality reps vs. Jalen Carter in the College Football Playoff game, but he looks like a center-only prospect and might not be ready for 17-game starting duties right away.

The athletic, 6-2, 220-pound could be the next Rebels receiver to outplay his draft position in the NFL.

Frequently the first man off the snap, and quite effective on stunts and twists, Young figures to carve out a pass-rush role for an even-front defense.

Perry still leaves you wanting more when you watch him on tape, and his routes can lack precision at times. But he offers length and ball-tracking ability in a WR class that’s a bit shy overall in the latter department.

He’s more of a power/second-effort rusher than a creative one, but McGuire’s length and finishing ability should work well in a rotation.

He has an interesting makeup, with good feet and enough strength to be scheme-diverse. Roy is a better run defender than polished pass rusher, but he has the traits to develop in both areas.

Freeland had some issues in one-on-one drills at the Senior Bowl. But you don't typically find this caliber of athlete at left tackle, so the guess is that some team will gamble on this Nate Solder starter kit.

In this spot, I debated between Zach Evans and Miller, two backs who carry injury questions into the NFL. Ultimately, Miller might just be a tad more dependable as a first- and second-down option.

Above-average feet and good mirroring ability in coverage should give Williams a chance as an outside corner; though he’s still recovering from an ACL injury suffered in October.

A high-character, high-energy QB hunter who finally put it all together in his final college season, Henry has a solid package of tools to upgrade a pass-rush unit.

Brooks predominantly played edge in college, but his pro day testing numbers were very pedestrian. So expect him to be used more inside (or as a 5-technique) at the next level.

The Horned Frogs coaches loved his competitiveness and ability to make plays on the ball, but he was penalty-prone in college and struggled versus stronger receivers.

Johnson might not have the foot speed or reactive quickness to be an outside corner, as he was earlier at ISU. But switching to safety before last season might have been a terrific career move; he looked pretty natural there.