Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Bijan Robinson, Jalen Carter and Devon Witherspoon. These are among the most highly-touted and exciting NFL rookies expected to make major impacts with their respective teams right away.
In any given draft year, you’ll always see several day two and three picks exceed expectations and shine right off the bat. And 2023 promises to be no different.
For this list, we are focusing on players who were taken in the third round or later. We’re looking at guys who aren’t necessarily expected to go off in year one but have the potential and the pieces around them to make a giant impact right away.
Stetson Bennett
The Los Angeles Rams drafted Bennett in the fourth round at No. 128 overall, giving Sean McVay and company a potential succession plan to Matthew Stafford.
Bennett is young in human years at 25, but that’s quite ancient for an NFL player to begin his career — especially a quarterback. Hey, better late than never for the two-time national champion with the Georgia Bulldogs.
Stafford is now entering his age-35 season, and who knows how much left he has in the tank after being shut down for the final stretch of the year with a spinal cord contusion. Not to mention he required surgery on his right-throwing elbow last year.
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If Stafford gets injured again and/or struggles early and often, McVay won’t be afraid to throw Bennett out there. The latter has the championship pedigree and confidence to immediately succeed, especially under an offensive-minded genius like McVay.
Working with Cooper Kupp should only make things easier for Bennett, should he get the starting reps. Again, if Stafford stays healthy and plays up to his usual standards, Bennett will have to wait his turn.
But those are two big “ifs” for Stafford. If McVay has to turn to Bennett, we might have the next Dak Prescott in La La Land. That is, a fourth-round pick replacing an injury-prone and ageing Pro Bowl signal-caller on his team.
Jalin Hyatt
The New York Giants drafted the speedy Tennessee wideout in the third round at No. 73 overall, and he should get every opportunity to emerge as Daniel Jones’ go-to pass catcher here in 2023.
Incredibly, Jones had a career year and helped the Giants to the postseason in 2022 even though Darius Slayton was the club’s leading receiver with only 724 yards. Richie James and running back Saquon Barkley co-led the G-Men with 57 receptions apiece.
Joe Schoen made three notable moves to bolster the receiving corps around
Jones. For starters, he acquired ex-Las Vegas Raiders’ star tight end Darren Waller via trade.
He also signed ex-Indianapolis Colt Parris Campbell to a one-year deal after the latter recorded a career-high 623 receiving yards. But there’s a real good chance here that Hyatt, not Waller or Campbell, ends up as the ultimate difference-maker in this offense.
The Tennessee burner gives Jones that much-needed deep threat he lacked a year ago. His game should go hand-in-hand with “Danny Dimes”, one of the game’s top deep ball artists.
Head coach Brian Daboll comes from an offense-first background. He’s done wonders with many receivers, and we have no doubt he’ll do just fine in getting Hyatt going here in the Meadowlands.
Don’t be surprised if Hyatt is a 1,000-yard receiver and Pro Bowler in year one.
Trenton Simpson
What a potential steal the Baltimore Ravens got in Trenton Simpson, a third-round pick at No. 86 overall.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker was widely projected to be a second-round pick by scouts and analysts, so this was a wonderful value pick for Eric DeCosta and company.
Baltimore’s decision to draft Simpson immediately put the future of underperforming 2020 first-rounder Patrick Queen in doubt. We already know that Tyus Bowser and Roquan Smith will be starting linebackers, but Simpson should get every opportunity to dethrone Queen for a starting LB position.
Simpson is tailor-made for Mike Macdonald’s defense in Baltimore. He can play man-to-man coverage or be dialed up for all-out blitzes. This is the ideal landing spot for Simpson to make an impact immediately.
If Queen doesn’t put it together in a make-or-break year, the Ravens will lean a lot more on Simpson. And that could result in the Clemson product emerging as one of the premier defensive rookies of 2023.
Byron Young
Funny enough, there were two players named “Byron Young” taken in the third round: The Alabama defensive tackle at No. 70 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders and the Tennessee edge rusher at No. 77 overall to the Rams.
Young joins a Rams’ defense led by this generation’s best defensive player in Aaron Donald. You may notice that plenty of edge rushers have enjoyed their best football playing alongside Donald in La La Land.
For example..Robert Quinn with his 10.5 sacks in 2014…Dante Fowler with his 11.5 sacks in 2019…Leonard Floyd with his 10.5 sacks in 2020…Von Miller turning back the clock for the club’s Super Bowl 56 championship run…just to name a few.
With Floyd gone, the Rams lack notable edge rushers to complement Donald in the defensive line. Maybe this is where Young steps up and makes the most of his opportunity to play alongside Donald.
Young had seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss in his final season of college football. Something tells us he’s ready for the big leagues.
So don’t be shocked if Young and Donald emerge as one of the top pass-rushing duos in 2023….
Cedric Tillman
Amari Cooper had a superb year for the Cleveland Browns in what was a mostly uneventful 2022 season. It was quite obvious that the club needed a WR2 to complement the veteran Pro Bowler, and they might have found one in Elijah Moore…or Cedric Tillman.
The Browns acquired the disgruntled Moore via trade with the New York Jets, but it’s Tillman we’re high on here. The big 6-foot-3, 215-pound wideout was limited to six games in 2022, but the year before that, he hauled in 64 receptions for 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns.
With Cooper drawing the opposition’s top corner, Tillman will get his fair share of opportunities to win those 50-50 balls from Deshaun Watson. Tillman can especially be a red zone weapon when defenses are more locked in on Cooper and Nick Chubb, too.
Consider Tillman a secret weapon and potential steal for your fantasy football leagues. This kid could go off right away, and we’ll happily say “We told ya so!”
Clark Phillips III
Like Trenton Simpson, Phillips was once projected to go much earlier than he actually did.
He should’ve been off the board by the mid-part of the third round, but Phillips incredibly didn’t go until round four in the 113th spot to the Atlanta Falcons.
This selection could go down as an all-time steal for Atlanta. Pro Football Focus graded Phillips at 85.2 in his final season at Utah, where he recorded two interceptions and six pass defenses.
Phillips joins an Atlanta secondary headlined by AJ Terrell, one of football’s premier cover corners since 2021. They also traded for ex-Detroit Lion Jeff Okudah and signed former Cincinnati Bengals standout safety Jessie Bates.
So Phillips has plenty of support around him, for starters. Terrell will take the opposing team’s top receiver, allowing Phillips and Okudah to draw more favorable matchups. If all three of these guys play up to their levels, Atlanta could field one of football’s best secondaries in 2023.
Phillips the player is exciting enough to begin with, but he also lands in a great situation where he can shine right away. It also helps having football’s easiest strength of schedule in 2023. Just sayin’.
Chase Brown
Many thought the Cincinnati Bengals would release the injury-prone and declining Joe Mixon, but it looks like they’ll keep him around for at least another year.
Well, Mixon sure as heck better regain that 1,000-yard form. Otherwise, Zac Taylor won’t be afraid to give rookie Chase Brown some looks. We actually wouldn’t even fault Taylor if he decided to make Brown his lead RB come Week 1.
Brown — a fifth-round pick who went to Cincy at 163 overall — exceeded 1,000 yards rushing in each of his last two years at Illinois. In 2022, Brown rushed for 1,643 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with three receiving TDs.
Brown is four years younger than Mixon, not to mention there’s obviously a lot less mileage on his body. If Taylor decides to hand the rookie starting reps, he can easily break out as a 1K rusher and Pro Bowler in 2023.
He might even lead all rookies in rushing yards. Who knows?
Kelee Ringo
The Philadelphia Eagles may as well rename themselves the “Bulldogs” after drafting three Georgia players alone in 2023: Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith and Mr. Ringo.
Carter and Smith were first-round picks. Ringo, once projected to be a first or second-round pick, actually fell to Philly in round four in the 105 spot.
PFF had Ringo ranked as the No. 10 cornerback prospect — and at No. 66 on their board. Holy excellent value pick, Batman!
At 6-foot-2 and 210-pounds, Ringo has the physicality and ball-hawking skills to be a grade-A shutdown corner in this league. And better yet, he’ll have the honors of learning from the league’s best active cornerback duo in Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
Ringo’s skill set is one thing, but the chance to play on a star-studded defense loaded with All-Pro-level players and multiple Georgia teammates will make the transition to the NFL that much earlier.
And for all we know, Ringo will be a big-time play-maker for the reigning NFL runner-ups right away.
Jordan Battle
There were approximately 55,000 Alabama Crimson Tide players selected before Battle. Okay we’re kidding, but you get the idea — he was overshadowed by all of those other Crimson Tide players that went before him….namely Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr.
Also, Battle isn’t even the most highly-touted Alabama safety in this year’s class. That nod instead belongs to Brian Branch, who went to the Detroit Lions in round two at No. 45 overall.
The Bengals snagged Battle with the No. 95 overall selection in round three. And does he ever have the chance to flourish on the reigning AFC North runner-ups.
This underrated defense is led by Chidobe Awuzie and Mike Hilton, two of PFF’s top 22-ranked cornerbacks. Second-year safety Dax Hill should also enjoy an increased role following Jessie Bates’ departure.
From 2021 to 2022, Battle was PFF’s highest-graded cover safety at 91.6. And now he joins one of the NFL’s top defenses led by defensive mastermind and DC Lou Anarumo. Should we really doubt Battle’s ability to excel as a rookie?
Jordan, must we say…is ready for “Battle” here in 2023.
Kayshon Boutte
The New England Patriots have come under fire for some not-so-great drafting over the last few years. But this class, headlined by Christian Gonzalez, Keion White and Kayshon Boutte, could very well end up being one of Bill Belichick’s best hauls.
Boutte, a sixth-round pick at No. 187 overall, didn’t exactly post eye-popping numbers at LSU…but he also didn’t have an elite QB like, ahem, LSU product Joe Burrow throwing him the football.
Boutte is a smooth route-runner with extremely reliable hands, two things that Belichick values in pass-catchers. With top wideout Jakobi Meyers leaving for the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency, Boutte will have every opportunity to step in as the Patriots’ No. 1 receiver.
Free agent pickup JuJu Smith-Schuster will work the slot, and DeVante Parker will be the team’s deep threat and 50-50 ball target. Boutte can be the do-it-all play-maker who can work the middle of the field and provide Mac Jones with a reliable third-down chains mover.
Belichick’s greatest wide receiver find, Julian Edelman, was a former QB and seventh-round pick. Meyers himself was undrafted. Wes Welker wasn’t a household name when the Patriots acquired him in 2007.
In other words, Belichick always seems to find his best receivers out of nowhere instead of the early rounds of the draft. Why can’t Boutte be his next hidden gem of a find?
New England’s offense stunk a year ago, but with Bill O’Brien returning to Foxborough as the OC, this unit has nowhere to go but up. And if the Patriots’ offense regains its 2021-like form, Boutte could be a huge reason why.
Which other NFL rookies could shock the world?
