Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation 2023 NFL MOCK Draft

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Sports Illustrated Fan Nation beat writers recently had a 2023 NFL MOCK Draft, and the results may surprise you.

One beat writer from each NFL team made the selection for the team they cover in real-time, in the actual draft order. While we all know that the NFL Draft will be littered with trades, we did not utilize trades for this experiment.

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I had one NFL general manager define a dude as this: "Most drafts have one or two dudes, some less, a few more. Those are guys that you know are plug-and-play. They are as close to a can't-miss as you can get. You see nearly all the same teams year after year at the top that they don't know how to draft. When you are in the top-third of the first-round in the NFL Draft, you can't miss."

I have previously reported that there is one quarterback in this NFL Draft that the Raiders favor over all others at the top. Should he fall, the Raiders would pounce, but all expectations are that he won't be there.

We presume the Raiders do not make a trade in this MOCK draft and will keep their picks. Also, in this scenario, the quarterback they favor is off the board.

1st Round 7th Overall: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

We presume the Raiders do not make a trade in this MOCK draft and will keep their picks. Also, in this scenario, the quarterback they favor is off the board.

Analysis: The Raiders are desperate for additional help in the secondary. If they cannot make a trade, they select the best cornerback in the draft. The athletic corner has a short memory, smooth hips, and excellent hand-eye coordination.

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and with their quarterbacks taken ahead of Gonzalez and two defensive linemen gone, the Raiders get a break and get a true shut-down corner, an elite talent who, while not a certain "dude" is as close to one as you can get.

Our friends at NFLDraftBible.com say: "Terrific length and subtle weight who doesn't burden his athleticism. Tons of press-bail alignments, typically to the boundary. He has blitzed from the field and has an impact on the pass. Plays the ball in the air for back-shoulder pass breakups—smooth transitioner. Everything is easy and fluid, from pedal to crossover run or hip flip to sprint. He can recover when stumbling and squeezing receivers to the pilon while playing in their hip pocket. He can reset over the middle of the field, easily mirroring the target while perfectly timing up his hand usage to deter the pass. He has carried vertical patterns in true cover three, playing outside in and negating what would be an open-seam throw. He plays the run well but can sometimes be late to trigger or run himself out of the play. Can be out-manned at the catch point. He could struggle against large possession receivers. Would like to see him add physicality when playing the ball. Gonzalez is a true number one corner who can mirror and match with an easy fluidity and subtle movement patterns."

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The 2023 NFL Draft will go from April 27-29 and be held at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. The 2023 NFL Year and Free Agency period began at 4 p.m. EDT on March 15.

The Raiders are expected to be significant players in the free-agent market this offseason.

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