Ryan FowlerApr 3, 2023
Fowler offers six bold 2023 NFL Draft predictions: a team trades up for Bijan Robinson, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the lone first-round wide receiver, seven cornerbacks go in Round 1, BJ Ojulari is picked on Night 1, multiple kickers are drafted, and five quarterbacks go in Round 1 with Hendon Hooker joining the top four.
Published in writing · The Draft NetworkRead the original
What Ryan Fowler said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromIn a talent pool that touts a ton of WR2s and WR3s, I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just the former Buckeye who hears his name called on night one before a run on wideouts starts early on day two.
- Where it was published
- The Draft Network
- The piece
- 6 Bold Predictions For 2023 NFL Draft - Draft Network
- The original
- The copy as archived Apr 4, 2023
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
The page this came from has since been taken down. The archived copy is the record of what it said.
- SaidApr 3, 2023
- GradedAug 18, 2026
- 1Hendon Hooker to be picked “First round” (picks 1–31)“Bryce Young , C.J. Stroud , Anthony Richardson , Will Levis , and… Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker .”
- 2BJ Ojulari to be picked “Night 1 (first round)” (picks 1–31)“LSU EDGE BJ Ojulari Goes On Night 1”
- 3Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be picked “Only WR selected in Round 1”“Only 1 WR Goes in Round 1 ... I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s just the former Buckeye who hears his name called on night one”
- 4Bijan Robinson to be picked “A team trades up to draft him”“A Team Trades UP For Bijan Robinson ... I don’t expect him to wait too long on draft night before a team calls his name—or makes a trade-up if teams get cute.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hendon Hooker to be picked “First round” (picks 1–31)1 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 68 | 20.13 | 50 | — | |
| BJ Ojulari to be picked “Night 1 (first round)” (picks 1–31)2 | Mock Draft Picks | Went 41 | 64.84 | 50 | — | |
| Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be picked “Only WR selected in Round 1”3 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| Bijan Robinson to be picked “A team trades up to draft him”4 | Mock Draft Picks | — | — | — | — | |
| 4 calls · 1 close call · 1 miss · 2 waiting | 42.5 | 50 | ||||
How each call scored
a naive guessbetter than naiveworse than naive4 checkable claims — 4 mock draft picks — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 4 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
2 of 4 have settled so far, averaging 42.5 out of 100, against 50 for a naive guess at the same calls.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against what happened
overall pickTheir call against what actually happened.
1Mock Draft PicksHendon Hooker
Hendon Hooker to be picked “First round” (picks 1–31)
What happenedWent 6820.13Miss · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2023
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- Hendon Hooker
- season:
- 2023
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 20.13
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 68
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 20.13
- predicted pick:
- First round (picks 1–31)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
BJ Ojulari to be picked “Night 1 (first round)” (picks 1–31)
What happenedWent 4164.84Close · naive 50Think this is wrong?How this was scored
- draft:
- 2023
- naive:
- a shuffled mock scores 50
- player:
- BJ Ojulari
- season:
- 2023
- zero credit this far off:
- 32
- accuracy:
- 64.84
- baseline:
- 50
- actual pick:
- 41
- difficulty:
- 1
- weeks in the season:
- 18
- pick accuracy:
- 64.84
- predicted pick:
- Night 1 (first round) (picks 1–31)
- weeks left when called:
- 0
- mock ordering score:
- only one pick — no order to score
3Mock Draft PicksJaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba to be picked “Only WR selected in Round 1”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
4Mock Draft PicksBijan Robinson
Bijan Robinson to be picked “A team trades up to draft him”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
- All
The take as a whole
the average of 2 settled calls, each counted once
42.5naive 50
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
Danny Parkins · Award Picks · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Miss 0
Parkins picked Seattle to win 27-16 with Jaxon Smith-Njigba as Super Bowl MVP.JP Acosta · Pro Bowl and All-Pro Calls · Bijan Robinson · Hit 100
JP picked the Eagles to beat the 49ers in a low-scoring game and the Jaguars to beat the Bills, called Bijan Robinson the best running back in the league, and named their own first-team All-Pro roster.Jeremy Brener · Roster Spot Calls · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Hit 100
Brener projects Seattle's wide receiver room to include Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, Rashid Shaheed, Tory Horton, Jake Bobo and rookie Emmanuel Henderson Jr. on the 53-man roster, leaving Montorie Foster Jr. fighting for a spot despite a strong camp and preseason showing.Ryan Wormeli · Sleeper Calls · Bijan Robinson · Hit 100
Warmley expects Derrick Henry to post another huge rushing season in Baltimore, sees real upside in Brian Robinson Jr. as Washington's lead back, and calls Javonte Williams, Justice Hill, Jordan Mason and Bijan Robinson values at their current costs.Chris Brockman · Positional Finishes · Jaxon Smith-Njigba · Hit 100
Brockman argued Jaxon Smith-Njigba is already the best receiver in the NFL and deserves to be the highest paid, called their shot that three quarterbacks (Mendoza, Ty Simpson, Carson Beck) go in the first round with Mendoza first overall, and suggested New England is headed for a 7-10 season.Pat Gustavson · Positional Finishes · Bijan Robinson · Close 75
Gustafson picks the Patriots, Bills, Seahawks and Bears in the divisional round with a Seahawks-Patriots Super Bowl, predicts Mike Tomlin and Matt LaFleur stay, Aaron Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh, and lays out their own coaching landing spots.
More mock draft picks
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Chris Simms · Mock Draft Picks · Malachi Corley · Miss 11
Simms named the Bears the NFL's best overall offense and best rushing offense, the Bengals the best passing offense, Seattle the best total defense, Minnesota the best pass defense and Tampa Bay the best run defense; they also called Tristan Wirfs the league's best offensive lineman, projected Miami's Malachi Toney as a top-15 pick, and predicted a 30-14 Jaguars win in Baltimore.Philip Hughes · Mock Draft Picks · Kyle Kennard · Miss 34
Evaluating edge rusher Kyle Kennard ahead of the draft, the account projected them as a Day 2 selection.Blaine Grisak · Mock Draft Picks · Brian Thomas Jr. · Hit 84
Grisak argues the Rams should not trade a second-round pick for Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., calling it too great a risk and too high a cost. In an embedded tweet of their own from the 2024 pre-draft period, they suggested the Rams could select Thomas at pick No. 19.Charlie Campbell · Mock Draft Picks · Xavier Williams · Miss 0
Campbell's draft stock report projects Indiana WR Charlie Becker as a top-10 pick in 2027, Mississippi State CB Kelley Jones as a first-rounder, Tennessee DT Xavier Gilliam as a top-15 pick, and Texas OT Trevor Goosby as a top-10 pick, while suggesting Arch Manning could still be a first-rounder if they declare.