2023 NFL Draft: Ranking 10 college football playmakers to watch this fall

If there's one thing we know about the yearly NFL Draft bonanza, it's that you can never be too early getting a leg-up on the best college football talent.

Every year, NFL teams and their fans watch with eager anticipation who will emerge as the very best out of the college ranks who can make their franchise better.

And while some analysts and fans may be down on 2022 when it comes to quality draft picks, few are saying the same thing about the 2023 NFL Draft to come.

Next year should provide us with plenty of elite, blue-chip players at several positions on both sides of the ball. Here are the 10 best you should watch this fall.

2023 NFL Draft: Ranking 10 college football stars to watch

Honorable Mention: Bijan Robinson

What he plays: Running back

Where he plays: Texas

What to expect: If the 2022 NFL Draft proved anything, it's that teams clearly don't value the running back position very highly anymore. But if there's one player at this position who can change that, it's this Texas star. 

Robinson was one of the top rushers in college football last season, piling up 1,127 yards on the ground with a nearly 6 ypc average and 11 touchdowns. Big, powerful, and agile on the outside, Robinson is also an able receiver, posting almost 11 yards per catch and adding four more touchdowns.

10. Michael Mayer

What he plays: Tight end

Where he plays: Notre Dame

The big receiving end had 71 catches last season for 840 yards and seven touchdowns, all numbers that are up near the best for the position nationally. 

Notre Dame liked to move Mayer around a lot at the line of scrimmage and that variety resulted in a lot of big plays: he had 12 catches of 20-plus yards and boasted a 75 percent catch rate. Whether out wide or in the slot, Mayer presents a consistent mismatch advantage that offense-needy teams covet.

9. Jordan Addison

What he plays: Wide receiver

Where he plays: USC

Addison was the most prolific scoring receiver in college football last fall, catching an FBS-high 17 touchdowns. He caught 100 passes on 144 targets (69% catch rate) for 1,593 yards, with all-around skill anywhere on the field, route-running prowess, and ideal hand placement when going deep. 

Addison transferred from Pitt to USC in the offseason, teaming up with quarterback Caleb Williams in an offense that should easily exploit his skill set and put him in contention for another Biletnikoff Award.

8. Eli Ricks

What he plays: Cornerback

Where he plays: Alabama

One of the top defensive backs in the SEC, and thus in the nation, Ricks intercepted five passes and broke up six more in the last two years at LSU, where he played opposite Derek Stingley before transferring to UA. 

A fast-moving, ball-tracing corner, Ricks had one interception in six games a year ago before having shoulder surgery. He earned freshman All-SEC honors from the league's coaches in 2020 after intercepting four passes, returning two of them for touchdowns, in 10 games at LSU.

7. Bryan Bresee

What he plays: Defensive line

Where he plays: Clemson

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound lineman lost some valuable time last season because of a torn ACL, but should be ready to play his junior season in full. Good thing, too, because Bresee is arguably the top defensive lineman in college football. And a versatile one who can rush the passer equally well from the inside or outside. Bresee comes into this season as a probable top 10 pick.

6. Myles Murphy

What he plays: Defensive line

Where he plays: Clemson

Murphy is a giant edge rusher who draws comparison to the No. 1 NFL Draft pick this year, Georgia's Travon Walker, another lineman who raced up draft boards all offseason. Murphy has been a consistent producer, racking up 12 sacks and 25 tackles for loss over the last two seasons and already arguably the top defensive line prospect for next year's draft.

5. Jaxon Smith-Njigba

What he plays: Wide receiver

Where he plays: Ohio State

Somewhat looked over in favor of the Olave/Wilson duo last season, Smith-Njigba introduced himself to the world by breaking the college football bowl record with 347 receiving yards in the Buckeyes' win over Utah in the Rose Bowl. 

That was after he also set Ohio State records a year ago with 95 catches and 1,606 yards, with 958 of those yards and 60 of those catches coming in the final five games of the season. A route-runner of incomparable ease and fluidity, Smith-Njigba comes into the year as the presumptive No. 1 wideout in the 2023 NFL Draft class.

4. Bryce Young

What he plays: Quarterback

Where he plays: Alabama

The reigning Heisman Trophy winner wasted no time showing off in his first year as starter, setting Alabama passing records with 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns while taking the Tide to an SEC championship (where he had a record 461 total yards) and College Football Playoff berth. 

Some analysts will point out that Young is "just" six feet tall, but Drew Brees, among others in recent years, may have finally dispelled that red flag about quarterback prospects. Young's skill set plays into exactly what NFL teams want at the position.

3. Jalen Carter

What he plays: Defensive lineman

Where he plays: Georgia

Standing at 6-3 and over 300 pounds, Carter was easy to spot even on Georgia's loaded national championship defense last season. Now with a lot of those starters gone, Carter should have more room to put together his own highlight reel. 

He's done pretty good so far, racking up 33 quarterback hurries and 8.5 tackles for loss in addition to two blocked kicks last season. The Bulldogs' star junior is one of the nation's premier interior pass rushers, if not the best right now.

2. C.J. Stroud

What he plays: Quarterback

Where he plays: Ohio State

In a loaded quarterback room at OSU, Stroud won the gig last fall and took it all the way to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist. 

He was the captain of the No. 1 offense in college football, setting an Ohio State record with a 71.9 percentage mark passing with 4,435 yards in the air and 44 touchdowns against just six interceptions. 

For pure numbers, there are few, if any, better options than Stroud, whose skill set of quick decision making, strategic mobility, and downfield touch seems tailor-made to run a 21st century offense.

1. Will Anderson

What he plays: Linebacker

Where he plays: Alabama

You can make an argument that Anderson is one of the 10 best linebackers to ever play college football. He led the nation a year ago with 17.5 sacks and added 34.5 tackles for loss as a unanimous All-American and the Nagurski Award winner as the top defensive player. 

Anderson has the potential to be the No. 1 player in the 2023 NFL Draft and play in the league for a decade. Physical, determined, aggressive, intelligent, consistent: there aren't many sure things in football, but Anderson might be it.

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