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Monday, April 10, 2023 |
Welcome to Monday's edition of the With the First Pick newsletter, your early-week guide to everything NFL Draft as your blood sugar stabilizes from the copious amount of football-shaped chocolate you consumed yesterday as the Odell Beckham Jr. to the Ravens news materialized. |
You probably know this by now, but in case you don't -- we've rebranded the Pick Six newsletter through the end of April. And I, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso, will be with you every step of the way. This daily newsletter's sole purpose is to track everything transpiring in the NFL and spin it into a draft angle. |
Before I begin, here's your daily reminder to tell all your buddies and that one uncle who's always texting you mock draft links to sign up for the With the First Pick newsletter. Just click here and share this link with them. |
Today's NFL mock draft 🔮: Titans and Colts trade up for QB! |
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Last week Ryan Wilson's mock draft featured a Tennessee Titans trade up to No. 3 for a quarterback. This week, in Ryan's newest mock, the trade intensity in the AFC South gets cranked even more, with the Titans and Colts ascending the board to pick quarterbacks. |
It's impossible to tell if the Titans leaked their interest to move to No. 3 to get Indianapolis to overpay for a minimal move upward or Tennessee's new GM Ran Carthan is actually dead set on getting in front of Indianapolis. Ryan's mock features the Titans making no mistake about their intentions, with a bold move from No. 11 to No. 2 overall to grab C.J. Stroud. The Colts then strike a deal with the Cardinals to pick Anthony Richardson. |
These moves would represent the precise intra-division jockeying that makes the draft such a blast. |
Here are other notable prospect-team pairings in Ryan's mock: |
7. Las Vegas Raiders - Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech 11. Houston Texans (via mock trade) - Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State 12. Houston Texans - Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern 25. New York Giants - Jordan Addison, WR, USC 26. Dallas Cowboys - Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa 28. Cincinnati Bengals - Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame 31. Kansas City Chiefs - Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
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Ranking Lamar's WRs in his career with Ravens |
The Ravens' surprise signing of Beckham got a lot of us thinking -- where does he rank among receivers Lamar Jackson has had to throw to in Baltimore? Of course, no one knows if Jackson will be throwing to receivers in Baltimore in the future, but at least from an on-field perspective, the presence of Beckham should make signing some type of deal with the Ravens more appealing for the former MVP passer. Our very own Jeff Kerr ranked 14 wideouts Jackson has had at his disposal during his first five seasons with the Ravens. |
Prospect of the day 📈: Bryan Bresee, DL, Clemson |
- Notable combine results: 4.86 in the 40-yard dash
- Combine measurements: 6-foot-5 5/8", 298 pounds
- Current CBS Sports prospect ranking: No. 25
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Bresee feels like a forgotten man with first-round capabilities in this draft. The former No. 1 overall recruit -- regardless of position -- in the country just three years ago, Bresee never quite met those lofty expectations playing under Dabo Swinney. That does not mean he's a blah prospect without a bright NFL future. |
In fact, after battling through injuries early in his Clemson career, the towering and genuinely versatile (a word thrown around willy nilly during draft season) was mostly healthy in 2022 and became a havoc-wreaker again, just like he was a true freshman in 2020. He generated pressure on nearly 12% of his pass-rush snaps, an impressive rate for mostly interior rusher. Then Bresee ran 4.86 at the combine -- an elite time for a defensive tackle -- and posted awesome agility drill times at the Clemson Pro Day. In an NFL that is moving toward more positional-ambiguous defensive players, Bresee cannot be slept on in this class. Read his comprehensive, football-dorky scouting report here. |
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Five NFC teams that *must* ace this draft 👀 |
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The NFL Draft is always important for all 32 teams. But you know, I know, we all know -- the 2023 iteration of the NFL Draft is a little more critical for a few franchises, for different reasons. CBS Sports staffer Jordan Dajani selected the a quintet of NFC teams that absolutely, unequivocally, indisputably must ace this draft. And I'll give you a sneak peek. The Seahawks came in at No. 5 on Jordan's list. Here's the first paragraph in his Seattle write-up: |
"The Seahawks aren't a team that has pressure on them to win the draft in order to save the head coach's job or save them from a rebuild, but much like the Lions, this is a great opportunity to build upon the success they had last year. When you possess the kind of draft capital Seattle does, you can't let it go to waste." |
News & Notes 📝 |
- Lamar Jackson seems thrilled with OBJ signing. Soon after the deal was announced, the quarterback screenshotted a FaceTime convo between him and Beckham and posted on Instagram. Will this help the Ravens and Jackson come to an agreement on a long-term deal?
- Marlon Humphrey welcomes OBJ to Ravens. The corner and receiver had highly publicized on-field altercation back in 2019 when Beckham was on the Browns. But Humphrey recently took to Twitter to welcome OBJ, writing "Want to be best friends and win a Super Bowl?" Humphrey is one of the best NFL follows on the bird app, by the way.
- Aaron Rodgers working out with Jets receiver. And that Jets receiver would be none other than former Packers teammate Allen Lazard, who signed a multi-year deal with Gang Green in March.
- Minimal first-round WR grades? Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy tweeted Monday that numerous NFL teams have just one prospect with a first-round grade. Oh really?! That changes a lot for many clubs in Round 1.
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