Every player in the NFL is unique. That doesn’t mean they won’t remind you of the guys who came before them.
A trap we commonly fall into every draft season is to lean too heavily on player comparisons to define their futures as a player. Baker Mayfield was on track to be Doug Flutie. All-Pro Matt Milano’s NFL.com comp was Bears backup John Timu. Viewing prospects solely through the lens of veterans who came before them typically winds up satisfying no one.
But in the larger scope of a scouting report they can shed a little light on the kinds of offenses or defenses in which they’d shine and the styles they embody. This is all to say that no comparison is ever going to be perfect, but some can help.
Which leads us here. Consider each entry a Cliff’s notes version of a larger story — a snippet you can relay at a draft party if you’re not super interested in draft talk. For more, you can check out my final, three round mock draft. But if you’re interested in the broad strokes, well, here you go.
CJ Stroud
Ohio State provided the opportunity and Stroud crushed it. Playing alongside some of the most stacked receiving corps in college football paved the way for two incredible seasons and 85 touchdown passes across 25 games. His deep ball accuracy, reads and ability to fit balls into tight windows suggest he can make this happen even without an absolute mismatch of wideouts in his stable.
NFL comp: There’s a lot of Matt Ryan to his game, from his composure in the pocket, unappreciated by useful scrambling and his ability to link up with epic receivers for massive performances.
Bryce Young
Young is the biggest playmaker among this year’s quarterback crop; a man who rises to the moment in ways you can’t quantify on paper. Yes, he’s going to be the smaller quarterback in the league next fall, but his vision downfield wasn’t hindered by that lack of size. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner has proven he can excel in a pro offense and is capable of both standing up to and escaping pressure in the pocket.
NFL comp: Russell Wilson. A proven quarterback with significant accomplishments getting dinged for his size? Sounds like Russ. Or a more mobile Drew Brees.
Will Levis
Levis may be 2023’s most volatile prospect. He had an underwhelming 2022, but that was thanks to the departure of several key Wildcat contributors as well as a laundry list of nagging injuries — remember his jacked up throwing hand? The bottom line is his efficiency rose last fall despite all that and he remains a prototypical pocket passer prospect. He’s got NFL arm talent, now it’s up to the team who drafts him to weed out his bad habits.
NFL comp: As a toolsy passer with a high ceiling but plenty to prove, his best case scenario probably looks a lot like Justin Herbert — and his worst is something like late-stage Jay Cutler.
Anthony Richardson
Richardson plays football like a transformer stuck between worlds. He’s big and fast enough to absolutely truck fools and has the arm power to throw a football over them mountains. But he’s a bit of a mess when it comes to decision making and accurate throws. He’s going to biff some short, open targets under pressure. The question is whether or not he can address those issues at the next level.
NFL comp: Josh Allen. That’s the path he has to tread to realize his potential. Whomever drafts him better have a Stefon Diggs on hand.
Hendon Hooker
Hooker rode Tennessee’s extremely spread offense to prosperity, emerging as one of college football’s most exciting players by launching deep ball after deep ball. There’s no questioning his ability to sling it downfield, but everything else in his game is a little suspect. 25 years old? Suspect. Excelling once he got to an offense that may not easily translate to the NFL? Suspect. Coming off a significant knee injury … well, ok, it’s 2023, that’s probably not that suspect. But still, he’s got a lot to answer for.
NFL comp: Colt Brennan, but better. Brennan was a monster in a spread offense. Hooker has higher upside than the departed Hawai’i star, but he’ll have to excel where Brennan could not to build an NFL career.
Jalen Carter
Carter is a disruptive force on the field whose ability to stifle running lanes and shrink pockets makes life easier for everyone else. He’s also got questions to answer after pleading no contest to two traffic misdemeanors tied to the night a teammate and a UGA staffer died in a car accident this winter. How teams view his character will shape his draft stock — and potentially his career.
NFL comp: Ndamukong Suh. Carter wasn’t as accomplished or polished as Suh was in his final year at Nebraska, but he was the versatility, size and strength of the veteran lineman.
Will Anderson
Anderson is a monster. Just a wrecking ball along the edge. A player good enough to have a 10-sack season and make it feel like a disappointment (because he had 17 the year before). He’s fast enough to win on the edge, quick enough to dart inside and strong enough to bull rush tackles and use his leverage to embarrass them.
NFL comp: Pre-injury Chase Young. Probably not a good look to pick the guy who has played just 12 games the last two seasons, but there’s a reasonable chance Anderson winds up feeling a lot like Young’s what-if story.
Devon Witherspoon
The leader of a ridiculously talented secondary at Illinois, Witherspoon looks every bit a shutdown corner in the NFL. He’s got fluid hips and the closing speed to be left on an island along the sideline, erasing deep threats and simple outs with similar efficiency. He allowed less than 35 percent of his targets to be caught last fall.
NFL comp: Sauce Gardner. Gardner is the higher level prospect, but Witherspoon’s ability to erase opponents’ top wideouts in 2022 was reminiscent of Sauce’s absurd 2021 with Cincinnati.
Christian Gonzalez
Gonzalez has all the traits of an All-Pro cornerback. In 2022, he put them to proper use. His first season with Oregon after transferring from Colorado ended with four interceptions and All-Pac-12 honors. He’s also 6-foot-1 and runs a 4.3-second 40 — so good luck out-running or outjumping him.
NFL comp: Tyson Campbell. Campbell didn’t have Gonzalez’s draft hype, but he’s developed into an upper crust corner for the Jags with room to grow. Gonzalez can be even better as a rookie, putting him on a Pro Bowl track as a rookie, while Campbell didn’t get there until Year 2.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Our guy came off a season in which he had only three catches and STILL emerged as 2023’s top wideout prospect. That’s how good he is. He had nearly 1,000 receiving yards … over Ohio State’s last five games of 2021 alone. His routes are silky smooth and he does a tremendous job of disguising his intentions until it’s too late for defensive backs to react. Match that with great hands and wild sideline body control and you’ve got a guy who can make any quarterback better.
NFL comp: Justin Jefferson. Smith-Njigba isn’t as explosive as his All-Pro comp, but he’s similarly capable of being prolific and winning inside or out, long or short.
Tyree Wilson
Wilson has the size, strength and speed to lock down multiple positions up front. Need him as an edge rusher? Sure. Want him to cut inside and shoot gaps while opposing guards flail at him? Not a problem. At 6-foot-6 and 271 pounds he’s a terror against the pass and the run and still has room to grow.
NFL comp: Chris Jones when he kicks outside. Wilson isn’t as beefy as Jones and won’t play as much tackle at the next level. But he’s more athletic than the current Chiefs star and equally capable of blasting into backfields and ruining days.
Peter Skoronski
Skoronski’s arm length raises questions about his NFL future, but his athleticism and track record at Northwestern should answer them. He was not only a rare bright spot on an otherwise bad team, but he’s capable of filling multiple roles and filling them well. If his arms are indeed a problem, he’s got the upside of a Quenton Nelson type at guard. If not, well, he’s capable of providing a decade of solid performances protecting someone’s blindside.
NFL comp: Joe Staley if he stays at tackle, Logan Mankins if he has to kick inside. Again, this guy looks like a tackle to me, even if slightly short arms means he’ll have to use his solid recovery skills more than his coaches might want.
