Raiders buying and selling up, Texans passing on a QB, and different 2023 NFL Draft rumors

Thankfully, the 2023 NFL Draft is lower than every week away. All 32 groups are within the technique of finalizing their draft boards, and waiting for Thursday evening when the Carolina Panthers are formally on the clock.

All expectations have the Panthers drafting a quarterback with that choice, and all indicators are pointing to Carolina including Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with that choice.

After that, nevertheless? It appears all bets are off.

We’ll give into what the Houston Texans may do when they’re on the clock with the second-overall choice, whether or not the Las Vegas Raiders are a workforce to observe for a commerce up within the first spherical, whether or not C.J. Stroud is certainly sliding, and extra rumors because the 2023 NFL Draft approaches.

Could the Texans stun us all?

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As the 2022 NFL season gave method to the 2023 NFL Draft season, each analyst and reporter believed that the Houston Texans have been a lock to draft a quarterback with the primary of their two picks within the first spherical.

However, when the Panthers pulled off their commerce with the Chicago Bears, leapfrogging forward of the Texans and into the first-overall spot, the dialog shifted. Instead of the Texans being in place to draft the primary quarterback on the board, now they have been watching maybe QB2.

Still many — myself included — believed the Texans would forge forward with a quarterback, whether or not it was Young or C.J. Stroud. But that concept has taken successful in latest days, with insiders resembling Matt Miller, Adam Schefter, and Lance Zierlein floating the notion that the Texans may go on a quarterback and draft a defensive participant, and even commerce out of the second-overall spot.

For instance, based on Miller of ESPN, the Texans are usually not offered on any of the quarterbacks besides Young, and even have reservations concerning Alabama go rusher Will Anderson Jr.

During his pre-draft press convention Nick Caserio, the Texans common supervisor, addressed the concept of Houston buying and selling out of that spot. “We’ve received some calls on the number 2 pick,” Caserio stated throughout his press convention. “If you want to quote me… Are we open for business? We’re open to listening.”

Houston handed on an opportunity to commerce with Chicago?

The Texans transferring down within the first spherical shouldn’t be the one rumor floating round NFL circles because the draft approaches.

There are additionally rumors that Houston and Caserio handed up on an opportunity to maneuver as much as the first-overall spot in a commerce with the Bears.

According to Aaron Wilson of Click2Houston, the Texans have been certainly in discussions with Chicago for a transfer to the first-overall spot, however balked on the concept of sending each of their first-round picks to the Bears. Houston countered with the second-overall choice, in addition to the 2024 first-round choose the Texans obtained from the Cleveland Browns within the Deshaun Watson commerce, however the Bears went in one other route.

Could the Las Vegas Raiders transfer up within the draft for a QB?

So if the Texans are transferring again within the first spherical, who may doubtlessly come up in a cope with them?

That workforce might be the Las Vegas Raiders, based on some latest chatter across the league.

Las Vegas added free agent quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason, however the Raiders have been linked with a few of the incoming quarterbacks all through this draft course of. During his media session on the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, previous to signing Garoppolo, McDaniels mentioned concept of discovering a long-term quarterback answer for the Raiders;

“I mean, I think there’s always urgency at that position. Look, the goal for us eventually is to have somebody that’s going to be here for a long time. I think that, you know, you see the teams that are having success right now, in our league, I would say in our conference, and specifically in our division. they’re young players that were drafted by their clubs, and they’re being developed there under the same continuity. And so I think that eventually, yes. Do I think you have to do that if you’re not sure or not sold on the player, and now you’re making a mistake, just to try to say that you’re solving a problem, I don’t think that’s really a smart decision. So we’re gonna do everything we can do to evaluate every player at that position, both in the draft and free agency and try to do what we can do to improve the room. I mean, there’s certainly going to be a number of players added at that position. Right now only Chase Garbers is under contract. So we’ll look at everything we can look at but the goal eventually is to try to have a young player here, that’s going to be a Raider for a long time.”

Now there are reviews that as a substitute of simply seeing what quarterback is offered when the Raiders are on the clock with the seventh-overall choice, Las Vegas might entertain buying and selling up for a quarterback they like. On Thursday’s episode of Get Up, ESPN insider Dianna Russini point out that the Raiders may be prepared to come back as much as the third-overall choose — presently held by the Arizona Cardinals — if a quarterback they like is offered:

“Arizona really wants to move out of that No. 3 spot. Teams have been having conversations with Arizona, and Arizona is very open to moving out. So, if the Raiders see a quarterback that they are in love with, they are willing to move up there and perhaps have some conversations to go get their guy,” stated Russini on Thursday.

Still, there’s a probability Las Vegas stays put, based on Russini, and addresses the opposite aspect of the soccer. “But that being said,” added Russini, “defense is the focus from what I can gather from having a couple of conversations with where they would like to go.”

Is C.J. Stroud actually falling?

In a draft class the place a number of quarterback are thought of to be coming off the board inside the highest ten, an Ohio State passer is immediately falling out of favor because the draft approaches.

No, this isn’t the 2021 NFL Draft and we aren’t speaking about Justin Fields, as a substitute it’s the 2023 NFL Draft and we’re speaking about C.J. Stroud.

With rumors swirling that groups are decrease on Stroud than media consensus, and rumblings that the Ohio State passer didn’t rating in addition to the opposite QBs on the S2 Cognitive check, the latest pre-draft examination NFL groups are turning in the direction of as they transfer away from the Wonderlic, may Stroud truly be falling down draft boards? Will Brinson of CBS Sports lately mocked Stroud to the Tennessee Titans on the Eleventh-overall choice, pairing the Ohio State QB with Mike Vrabel, one other former Buckeye.

Is Stroud truly falling? These tales about him have the texture of a traditional pre-draft smokescreen, and that the Ohio State QB nonetheless comes off the board on the prime of the primary spherical.

But I’m sufficiently old to recollect saying the identical actual factor about Fields, earlier than he slipped deeper into the primary spherical than anticipated.

Are the Detroit Lions warming as much as Jalen Carter?

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Earlier within the draft cycle, there have been reviews that the Detroit Lions harbored reservations about Georgia defensive deal with Jalen Carter. Former Lions offensive guard T.J. Lang addressed these points lately on a radio look. Speaking on 97.1 The Ticket, the Lions’ flagship radio station, Lang had this to say:

“If you just turn on the film and watched this kid play and never interviewed him, it would be a damn easy process for him. He’s one of the best three talents in this draft class. And I put more stock into that,” stated Lang. “But if you’re the Lions, a team that has worked so hard the last two years to do this thing right, to bring in the right guys with the right characteristics and right type of leaders, if you get it wrong with one player at No. 6 that’s going to come in feeling some sort of immortality, it could go sideways really quick.”

However, is the temper shifting inside Detroit following a pre-draft assembly with Carter? The workforce met with the gifted defensive deal with lately, and Brad Holmes, the workforce’s common supervisor, supplied this throughout his pre-draft press convention Thursday. “Yeah he came in and he did a nice job,” Holmes stated when chatting with the media. “Yeah, again, it’s always case-by-case. [Carter] came in, we enjoyed our time with him, he did a nice job. I’ll say even after he left our visit, I felt better on him.”

If quarterbacks do certainly come off the board throughout the first 5 picks, the Lions might be able to draft Carter with the sixth-overall choice. While that may have appeared unlikely every week in the past, maybe the chances are growing of such a pairing subsequent Thursday evening.