It’s almost draft time, we have less than a month, and we are all itching to get our drafts going. For us that play IDP, we are ready to start seeing these defensive guys get some love, and I gathered a few of my friends to do an IDP Mock Draft. Let me introduce our cast of characters for this collaborative effort!
Pick #1 was awarded to Kyle Bellefeuil, an IDP Contributor for Footballguys. They do great work over there, and Kyle is no exception. He recently joined me on my Daily Draft podcast to talk about Drew Sanders.
Pick #2 was given to Joey the Tooth, also from Footballguys. He’s another fantastic mind and even has written a book – he’s multi-talented! Joey joined me this week, and we covered Myles Murphy. Fun episode!
Pick #3 was me, I’d like to think I know some things, but my wife regularly reminds me that I do not.
Pick #4 was the one and only (thankfully) Hollywood Titan! He’s with IDP Nation and the Devy IDP Grind, the only college IDP podcast I know of. Hollywood joined my pod early to talk about Army’s EDGE rusher Andre Carter II.
Pick #5 was Dynasty Nerd’s senior writer Jason Snyder. Jason is an all-around good guy, and I really enjoyed covering Will Anderson on my pod with him.
Finally, Pick #6 was awarded to my good friend Justice! He’s from the Devy IDP Grind and also here at Campus2Canton and has created an awesome Tackle Production Tool on the site. Justice joined me on the Daily Draft Report to cover Devon Witherspoon recently as well.
We rotated through two rounds with this group of guys making picks, and landing spots were grabbed from Chad Reuter’s recent four-round mock draft. Our offensive crew at Campus2Canton used the same mock in an offensive mock draft, and the YouTube recap of that will be available soon on our YouTube page.
FIRST ROUND
1.01 Will Anderson, EDGE Cardinals
This pick is about as chalk as it gets. Anderson is a premiere NFL prospect, and the same holds true for IDP. Anderson not only impacts the game in a big way as a pass rusher, but he’s a strong run defender who packs a punch in his 6-foot-4 and 253-pound frame. Arizona’s defense lacks pass rushers, and they have a new defensive-minded head coach in Jonathan Gannon. This pairing seems destined to happen, and Anderson has the makings of a top-tier IDP EDGE asset for years to come. – Kyle
1.02 Tyree Wilson, EDGE Raiders
One of the top 5 EDGE rushers in this draft, Wilson lands himself across from one of the top pressure-producing edge rushers in the NFL, Maxx Crosby. Wilson should see plenty of one-on-one looks where he will look to use his massive frame to bull rush and power rush his way to the quarterback. – Joey
1.03 Jack Campbell, LB Eagles
Campbell was my top LB for fantasy coming into the draft, and I don’t ‘love’ the Eagles’ landing spot, but I think he won’t take a massive hit in value for me. He’s still going to get tackles and could quickly establish himself as a leader in a revamping Philly front seven. – Dwight
1.04 Myles Murphy, EDGE Saints
Murphy is a top-three EDGE in this class and gets to pair up and learn from Cameron Jordan. It’s a great fit for the New Orleans scheme. – Hollywood
1.05 Nolan Smith, EDGE Steelers
Smith was a standout EDGE rusher in a powerhouse Georgia program. He brings unquestioned athleticism into a pro career where he’ll be bookended by former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, TJ Watt. With first-round draft capital paired with a rich history of team success, it’s hard to imagine a more prosperous landing spot for one of the top EDGE rushers of the 2023 class. – Jason
1.06 Drew Sanders, LB Bills
My #2 LB, from a fantasy perspective and with the best landing spot of the top three LBs, in my opinion, sign me up. There should be plenty of opportunities for Sanders in Buffalo with Edmunds leaving. – Justice
1.07 Lukas Van Ness, EDGE Falcons
To say at Atlanta’s pass rush needs an upgrade would be an understatement. The Falcons get that upgrade here by grabbing Van Ness at eight overall. Van Ness is an explosive powerhouse that new Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen will be eager to utilize and develop. Van Ness has intriguing IDP potential in Atlanta and should be heavily involved right away. – Kyle
1.08 Brian Branch, S Eagles
Do you remember the huge breakout that Chauncey Gardner-Johnson just had with the Eagles? Enter Branch. He is a player that fits the exact mold of Gardner-Johnson. He can play every position in the secondary and thrives as a slot cornerback. This is a seamless fit for Branch. – Joey
1.09 Trenton Simpson, LB Giants
The Giants are a phenomenal landing spot for linebackers – Simpson gets the lucky draw, and I am sure he will be an intricate part of the defense early. I worry a bit about IDP production as he could get the Isaiah Simmons treatment and be played at safety, slot corner, moving all over, and not raking in tackles like we want him to. – Dwight
1.10 Jalen Carter, DL Lions
Carter is arguably the best player in the draft but is solid due to some off-field issues. He’s a monster in the middle and will open a lot of things for this defense – Hollywood
1.11 Calijah Kancey, DL Bills
Athletes from the defensive interior are not traditionally regarded as high-value prospects in IDP. However, Kancey is also not your traditional defensive tackle. With 16 sacks and 34.5 tackles for loss in his three-year college career, Kancey has shown game-wrecking potential on high-value splash plays. With first-round capital from the Bills, this fit seems to be the perfect intersection of talent and opportunity. – Jason
1.12 Will McDonald IV, EDGE Texans
The edge rusher from Iowa State should fit in nicely with the Texans and new defensive-minded head Coach DeMeco Ryans. The Texans need to upgrade most positions on defense, and McDonald can help do that from a pass rush perspective. – Justice
SECOND ROUND
2.01 Bryan Bresee, EDGE Jets
Bresee has dealt with injuries during his time at Clemson, but when healthy, he’s a problem along the defensive interior. At the NFL combine, Bresee took a big step in showing he’s back to form as his intriguing pairing of size and athleticism was on display. Now, Bresee gets paired with the dominant force that is Quinnen Williams and could provide some nice IDP production in these true-position formats. – Kyle
2.02 Keion White, EDGE Seahawks
White to the Seahawks makes too much sense. He is an athletic masterpiece of an athlete with tremendous pass-rushing ability. Quinton Jefferson just had 29 tackles and 5.5 sack seasons in the middle of the Seahawk’s defense. White has far more talent and athleticism. Add the fact that he can slide outside if necessary on a team with a weak pass-rush group, and the marriage seems like a match made in heaven. – Joey
2.03 Antonio Johnson, S Steelers
This would give the Steelers a pretty nasty safety duo, as Johnson would complement Minkah Fitzpatrick well. I am not 100% sure how they would determine, but Johnson should line up as a strong safety as he learns the game and be in line for solid DB2 numbers right off the bat. – Dwight
2.04 Byron Young, EDGE Texans
The Texans doubled down on pass rushers, and Young tested off the charts at the combine. His speed-to-power combination is gonna be fun to watch. – Hollywood
2.05 BJ Ojulari, EDGE Bears
Not since Khalil Mack was terrorizing offenses in his prime have the Bears had a consistent and legitimate pass rush. But with their savvy selection of LSU’s Ojulari in the third round, I believe they can change that trend. Ojulari brings athleticism and a full range of pass-rush moves to the Windy City revival. – Jason
2.06 Derick Hall, EDGE Dolphins
Hall is one of my favorite edge rushers in this class, and he can help improve the Dolphins’ pass rush/pressure alongside Jaelen Phillips. He has an SEC pedigree and had a pretty good production at Auburn. – Justice
2.07 Daiyan Henley, LB Cowboys
Henley is an athletic, rangy linebacker who will need some time to develop. Dallas brought back Leighton Vander Esch on a two-year deal in free agency, meaning Henley likely won’t get thrown into the fire right away. Patience may be required; however, Henley has a chance to develop into a nice IDP asset with his three-down profile. – Kyle
2.08 Isaiah Foskey, EDGE Rams
Foskey will get the opportunity to be the next edge rusher to produce for the Rams. The Rams are letting Leonard Floyd leave via free agency, opening up a huge opportunity for Foskey to make an instant impact. we have all seen the Aaron Donald effect, whether it was Dante Fowler or Leonard Floyd. Edge rushers next to Donald produce. – Joey
2.09 JL Skinner, S Buccaneers
Another great opportunity to form a dynamic safety duo, Skinner will mainly play strong safety initially, with Antoine Winfield playing back. Skinner loves to come up and smack people, modeling his game after Kam Chancellor. This could be a fun spot for IDP production. – Dwight
2.10 Karl Brooks, EDGE Bears
Brooks is a blue-collar workman who will bring his high motor and consistency to a team that needs it. Hollywood
2.11 Noah Sewell, LB Lions
My selection of Sewell here is a bit inflated by the landing spot. But with the Lions investing mid-second draft capital, I feel confident that he’s in their plans as an immediate contributor. Much maligned Alex Anzalone played over 1,000 snaps for Detroit last season, and if Sewell is the heir apparent, I want a piece of that workload. – Jason
2.12 Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL Eagles
If Double A gets Defensive Tackle (DT) position eligibility like I suspect he will, then he can be a sneaky pick in DT-required leagues, and that is what I am betting on with this pick. Given his size, he has freakish athletic ability. He should team up well with Jordan Davis, Haason Reddick, and Josh Sweat along that Eagles’ Defensive Line. – Justice
