Week 11 of the college football season had a little bit of everything. TCU stayed undefeated by beating Texas in a close one, and Alabama and LSU both narrowly won their matchups. Oregon and UCLA were upset, while Tennessee's offense got back on track. But which 2023 NFL draft prospects stood out?
We asked our draft analysts -- Mel Kiper Jr., Jordan Reid and Matt Miller -- to weigh in on talented Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and his standing in this draft class. Then they picked out prospects on college football's best teams who deserve more draft recognition and even looked ahead to yet another talented quarterback class in 2024. Kiper, Reid and Miller also singled out prospects rising up their draft boards and players flying under the radar who could get a draft-stock boost. Finally, they emptied their notebooks with everything they saw and heard over the weekend. Let's get started.
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Big questions | Risers
Under the radar
Emptying the notebook
Is Will Anderson Jr. still the no-doubt No. 1 overall prospect for 2023 -- and could he beat out the quarterbacks to end up the top pick?
Kiper: Anderson is a special edge-rushing talent, but there is serious doubt creeping in about him being the top prospect. It's less about what he has done on the field this season -- though his counting and rate numbers are down -- and more about the prospects chasing him. This is a great class at the top.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter (Georgia) has looked tremendous the past two weeks since returning from a knee injury, and it's harder for NFL teams to find interior pass-rushing than guys who can do it from the edge. Plus, quarterbacks C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) and Bryce Young (Alabama) are playing extremely well, and we know how much they're valued at the next level. Will Levis (Kentucky) is another passer who will be in the mix, though injuries and a subpar offensive line have limited his production. I'm high on Levis' potential once he gets a better supporting cast around him at the next level; he has all the tools to be an elite signal-caller.
Based on the teams that could pick No. 1 -- the Texans and Panthers have the best chance, according to ESPN's Football Power Index -- I don't see Anderson going at the top of the board. That's just the reality. If teams can get their franchise passer, they have to prioritize that over an elite pass-rusher.
What makes Anderson so special?
Reid: It's his combination of pass-rush savviness, heavy hands and explosiveness. Anderson has exceptional situational awareness and doesn't hesitate when he has the opportunity to make plays. He combines power with speed effectively, and he can reverse course and still jolt blockers backward with his sheer strength.
Offensive schemes revolve around Anderson's presence, which creates more one-on-one matchups for his teammates. And while showcasing a deep repertoire of pass-rush moves, he now has a sack in three straight games and is proving extremely disruptive. He has eight sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss on the whole season. When compared to other elite edge-rushing prospects of the past 10 years, Anderson is probably right below Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa -- who were all probably a little more crafty as prospects -- in that top tier.
Is there anything Anderson still needs to improve, though?
Miller: Every player has areas for improvement, even No. 1 overall prospects. There will be concerns Anderson is undersized at 6-foot-4 and 243 pounds, and he will get knocked a little for a lack of bulk. Consider that Travon Walker (272 pounds), Chase Young (264 pounds), Nick Bosa (266 pounds) and Joey Bosa (269 pounds) are all at least 20 pounds heavier.
But to be fair, Anderson is also in Von Miller territory (6-foot-3, 250 pounds). And like Miller, Anderson consistently wins with his quickness, length and relentless pursuit of quarterbacks, so his build might not be a big problem.
From an on-field play perspective, Anderson can still work to improve missed tackles in the backfield. He has a tendency to come in too hot at times, and he has nine missed tackles on the season.
Name a prospect on a top-ranked team we should be talking about more at this point in the season.
Reid: BJ Ojulari, OLB, LSU. The Tigers are one of the biggest surprises of the season, and Ojulari's play is a big reason they've emerged. He has an explosive first step, plenty of speed and great bend, and the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Ojulari can corner and win once reaching the quarterback. He is still growing against the run, where he has powerful hands to hold a firm edge at the point of attack, and has some experience dropping in coverage, too. Ojulari is a prototypical outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme and is trending toward a top-40 pick. He has five sacks and 47 tackles this season.
Miller: Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State. Much of the attention around the Buckeyes' dominating offense goes to Stroud, but Johnson has been flawless. A former top recruit, Johnson played guard his first two seasons because of the team's depth, and while he excelled there, he moved to his natural left tackle position for this season. You can see his poise and agility as a pass protector, and his quickness and power in the run game are impressive. At 6-foot-6 and 310 pounds, he's my top tackle in this class and should start getting more love as a potential top-10 pick. Johnson hasn't allowed a sack yet this year.
It's obviously early, but who do you see in the top tier of quarterbacks for the 2024 class, and what are you hearing?
Miller: USC's Caleb Williams and North Carolina's Drake Maye top the early list of passers. Williams (6-foot-1, 215 pounds) has been electric and somehow is still underrated nationally based on his ability as both a passer and runner for the Trojans' offense. He's the ideal modern pro quarterback thanks to his movement skills in and out of the pocket. In 10 games, Williams has 3,010 passing yards, 31 touchdown throws, another six scores on the ground and just two interceptions.
And Maye -- a 6-foot-4, 220-pound first-year starter -- has a strong arm with good mobility and is one of the best deep-ball throwers in the nation. He is completing 70.1% of his passes, totaling 3,412 yards, 34 TDs and three picks. Both Williams and Maye look capable of being the No. 1 overall prospect for 2024.
Reid: Yeah, Williams and Maye appear to be a step above the rest right now. But Texas' Quinn Ewers (6-foot-2, 206 pounds) and Michigan's J.J. McCarthy (6-foot-3, 196 pounds) are two other passers scouts are watching closely. I'd like to see more consistency from both, though. Ewers has four interceptions over the Longhorns' past three games (all against ranked opponents) and is completing just 55.2% of his passes for the season, while McCarthy has connected on less than 50% of his passes in the Wolverines' past two outings. I'm excited to see if this duo takes the next step next season.
Kiper: It's extremely early -- and remember when everyone was high on Spencer Rattler (including me) after one tremendous season -- but Maye is the guy who really has scouts fired up right now. He might have even been the No. 1 passer in the 2023 class if he was eligible. He does everything -- throws in the pocket, throws off platform, runs for first downs and doesn't make mistakes. If Maye keeps playing this well for another 15 games into 2023, he's going to be the guy in the 2024 draft.
Drake Maye throws a touchdown pass to Josh Downs to put North Carolina on the board in the first quarter.
Which prospect are you moving up your board?
Reid: Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College. He was unstoppable in an upset victory over NC State, posting 130 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions on seven catches. And the performance came with redshirt freshman Emmett Morehead starting at QB in place of Phil Jurkovec (knee). At 5-foot-10 and 172 pounds, he is a smaller wideout but plays much bigger than his frame indicates.
He has strong hands and elusiveness after the catch, making defenders miss in space with ease. On his second touchdown catch (35 yards), he exhibited his explosiveness as he took a simple crossing route to the endzone. Flowers reminds me a lot of Jets receiver Elijah Moore when he was coming out of Ole Miss. Flowers is firmly in the Day 2 discussion, and it shouldn't come as a surprise if Flowers ends up selected inside the top 50.
Kiper: Josh Downs, WR, North Carolina. The true junior has 175 catches over the past two seasons, catching passes from Maye and Sam Howell (fifth-round pick in April). He's the ideal second-round slot receiver. He changes speeds well, has burst after the catch and is aggressive in going after the ball to high point. Downs had 11 catches for 154 yards and three touchdowns against Wake Forest on Saturday. He's going to make an NFL team immediately better in 2023.
Jordan, I really like Flowers, too, and I'll go one step further on him and say he could land in Round 1 when everything is said and done. He's playing this well with mediocre quarterback play, showing explosion, great hand-eye coordination and speed after the catch. He's one of my favorite prospects in the entire class.
Miller: Cade Stover, TE, Ohio State. Stover had three catches in Ohio State's blowout of Indiana, but two went for touchdowns as the senior tight end showed again his penchant for big-time plays. Stover won't wow you statistically in the Buckeyes' offense (29 catches, 366 yards and five TDs on the year), but his effort and ability as a downfield blocker, along with what he does opening up outside lanes in the run game, are notable.
He's a more complete tight end than we're used to seeing at Ohio State, and that three-down ability is moving him up my board. The 6-foot-4, 255-pounder is now inside my top 50 players overall.
Which under-the-radar prospect are you keeping an eye on after Week 10?
Kiper: Thomas Incoom, DE/OLB, Central Michigan. Incoom is having a tremendous season for the Chippewas, with 9.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss and a forced fumble. He had 13 total tackles and a sack in the win over Buffalo last Wednesday. The Valdosta State transfer has good arm length in a 6-foot-3 frame, and he can set the edge at 265 pounds. He's disruptive at the point of attack, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Incoom in the third- or fourth-round discussion in the draft.
Miller: Jacob Cowing, WR, Arizona. In a surprise win over UCLA, Cowing was the go-to target for the Arizona offense, catching nine balls for 118 yards. He has been consistently productive this year but struggled in Week 10 against Utah. A bounceback performance against UCLA -- in which the 5-foot-11, 175-pound receiver showed his quickness and ability to beat coverage with speed and toughness -- helps his cause. I have a Day 2 grade on him right now, but in a wide receiver class that hasn't lived up to the hype, he has room to move up.
Reid: Eric Gray, RB, Oklahoma. One of the few bright spots for the Sooners this season has been the play of their 5-foot-10, 211-pound senior running back. After a slow start to his Oklahoma career after transferring from Tennessee, he has gone on a tear, accumulating 596 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 88 carries over the past four games. He piled up 223 total yards Saturday in a loss to West Virginia. A quick-footed and sudden rusher, Gray is likely to be a complementary back at the next level, but he's a Day 3 option who will be a welcome addition to a committee backfield because of his ability as a rusher and formational versatility on passing downs.
Let's empty the notebooks ...
Reid: Mel called him out earlier, but North Carolina's Downs is really on fire right now in the Tar Heels' up-tempo offense. Over the past four games, he has 548 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 46 catches. With plenty of versatility, Downs has potential as a No. 2 receiver at the next level. His strength and catch radius are way outside of the norm for a 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver. He has great suddenness, and NFL playcallers can get creative with him. Downs should be targeted in the late-second or early-third round.
Miller: NFL scouts are excited about Shepherd quarterback Tyson Bagent, who will attend the 2023 Reese's Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. Bagent is the reigning Harlon Hill Award winner as the top player at the FCS level, and the 6-foot-3, 215-pound senior passer is accurate with awesome timing and anticipation on underneath and crossing routes. But he doesn't bring much to the table as a runner. One scout I spoke with compared him to Bailey Zappe -- a player the Patriots selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. Bagent could be moving his way into a similar range.
Reid: After its Week 9 loss to Georgia, Tennessee got back on track with a blowout 66-24 victory over Missouri. And we got the entire Jalin Hyatt experience. The 6-foot receiver again led the team in receiving, finishing with seven catches for 146 yards and a touchdown. Hyatt's explosiveness and downfield ability was evident, as he averaged 20.9 yards per catch. He's a dangerous deep threat who puts a lot of stress on the third level of defenses. But Hyatt also had two crucial drops. Some area scouts I've spoken with compare him to William Fuller V as a sudden player who can flip the outlook of a game in an instant but is inconsistent in the short-to-intermediate areas of the field. Hyatt looks like a second-rounder, as teams will always value speed.
Miller: Following Kentucky's 24-21 loss to Vanderbilt, an NFL scout texted me about Levis, the Wildcats' quarterback: "I can't believe people really think he's a potential No. 1 pick." Levis struggled against the Commodores, throwing an interception on an 11-of-23 day that included no scores. He now has 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions on the year with a QBR of 54.3. The tools are exciting -- from arm talent to mobility to a 6-foot-3, 232-pound frame -- but Levis' pocket presence and decision-making can be frustrating. How will teams view his potential versus his production?
Kiper: One thing that is important on Levis is that scouting is about projecting. It's not about who the player is now but who he will be in the NFL. We look for the tools that translate to the next level. We miss sometimes, of course, but I've been impressed with how Levis has fought through his injuries, even if his progress doesn't always show up on the statsheet.
Reid: Texas Tech edge rusher Tyree Wilson exited Saturday's game against Kansas after suffering a lower right leg injury. My No. 7-ranked overall prospect, Wilson is having one of the best seasons of any defensive prospect in the country (seven sacks, 15 tackles for loss). At 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds, he has a great combination of size, pass-rushing ability and upside that could lead to him becoming a top-15 pick. But scouts will be monitoring this injury situation.