Three Oregon Ducks land on Mel Kiper Jr.'s 2023 NFL Draft Big Board; several others 'just missed'
Earlier this week, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. released his updated big board ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft. If it is any indicator, a handful of Oregon Ducks could hear their names called early in April, while several others are fringe Draft prospects.
In total, three Oregon players cracked Kiper’s top-10 rankings at their respective position and two Ducks fell into the “just missed” category at their position.
The most notable of those is senior quarterback Bo Nix. The star signal-caller will be facing a major decision after the Dec. 28 Holiday Bowl as he has seen his Draft stock soar amidst a stellar 2022 season.
Nix is eligible to return to Eugene for another season, but some NFL Draft analysts have tabbed him as a potential first-round pick.
Kiper, though, currently has Nix listed as his No. 11 quarterback.
He lists Will Levis, Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Anthony Richardson as first-round picks, and also has Jayden Daniels, Hendon Hooker, Jaren Hall, Jake Haener, Stetson Bennett, and Tanner McKee ranked inside his top-10.
Kiper lists Nix, Max Duggan, and Tyson Bagnet in his “just missed” section.
The lone Duck to make the cut for Kiper’s first-round mock draft is cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who he projects at No. 18 overall. The star sophomore announced last week that he has opted out of Oregon’s bowl game and will enter the Draft.
After one stellar season in Eugene, the Colorado transfer has seen his stock soar. Here’s Kiper’s analysis of Gonzalez.
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“Gonzalez started 18 games at Colorado — including six as a true freshman in 2020 — before transferring to Oregon before the season. After an inconsistent game in the season-opening loss to Georgia, he has been a lockdown corner ever since. Gonzalez picked off four passes this season; he has the hands of a receiver. He has excellent length and the recovery speed to make up for mistakes in his technique. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him rise even higher.”
Kiper has Gonzalez listed as his No. 2 cornerback behind Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr.
Oregon senior Alex Forsyth is ranked as Kiper’s No. 6 center, and sophomore Noah Sewell is his No. 4 inside linebacker.
Sewell began the year as a projected first-round pick but has seen his stock drop a bit after an up-and-down season.
Senior edge rusher DJ Johnson, who announced earlier this week that he has opted out of the bowl game to focus on preparing for the Draft, landed in Kiper’s “just missed” category at defensive end.
One notable absence from Kiper’s rankings is that of junior defensive lineman Brandon Dorlus. Like Sewell, Dorlus entered the year with massive expectations but struggled from a production standpoint this season.
