2023 mock NFL Draft 2.0: Fallout from free agency wave and NFL Combine
The big wave of free agency has come and gone, along with some changes to the NFL Draft order. With the scouting combine also done, the landscape looks different.
It’s time for another mock NFL Draft as the landscape now looks very different from my very first mock draft from a month ago, which you can read via the link below if you want to procrastinate a bit more of your time away.
Read More: 2023 mock NFL Draft: 49ers watch NFC get significantly stronger
The first wave of free agency has eliminated draft needs, added some and the NFL Combine has raised and sunk the stocks of a lot of NFL prospects.
The 49ers have been relatively proactive in free agency despite walking a bit of the tightrope with the salary cap, but they’ve also lost quite a few players in terms of depth. While the team has done well to bring back the vast bulk of starters for 2023, there’s work to be done with the NFL Draft.
The draft itself is one of the more interesting in recent years. The No. 1 pick has finally be auctioned off and it’s hard to tell for sure what will happen with it. Georgia defensive tackle may go from a potential top-five prospect to undrafted with serious red flags, and Texas running back Bijan Robinson is the wildcard as teams weigh him being the most talented player in the draft against the trend against taking running backs early on in the modern NFL era.
The original plan was to do two mocks this offseason but with this draft being so interesting and fluid I’ve decided to go with three. For this draft the same rules apply as with the first which means no trades. Don’t worry, the difficulty of mocking those draft day trades will come with the final one.
Just a reminder that there will be the 31 picks (the Miami Dolphins had their first-round pick forfeited for tampering) plus a special slide for the Niners’ first pick, just to keep you interested.
The only major change? Instead of providing San Francisco’s first pick in the third round as a bonus selection, I’m giving three for the price of one as I mock every single one of the 49ers picks on Day 2!
So let’s get going.