Last week, I looked at 2023 NFL Draft prospects who saw their draft stock fall after the 2022 College Football season, it’s now time to see the players who were able to make a massive leap and rise across all draft boards.
As a reminder, you can find my top 10 rankings for every position here:
- Quarterback
- Running Back
- Wide Receiver
- Tight Ends
- Interior OL
- Offensive Tackle
- Edge
- Defensive Tackle
- Linebacker
- Cornerback
- Safety
Jalin Hyatt
Wide Receiver, Tennessee
The junior pass catcher entered the season as a prospect who wasn’t even on draft boards. He had only collected less than 500 yards in his first two seasons in Knoxville, yet ended up lifting the Biletnikoff Award just last week.
Hyatt is a speed demon who had tremendous chemistry with a solid deep ball thrower like Hendon Hooker and could easily end up being a late first round pick or early second round selection next April. He’s a big-time deep threat who can be a valuable weapon in the NFL even if he’s not a “complete” receiver.
He would fit perfectly in a wide receiver core that misses speed and field stretching ability: a dream landing spot for him would be the Los Angeles Chargers, where he could truly be a nightmare while catching darts from Justin Herbert.
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Jalin Hyatt brings to the table a similar skillset to Jameson Williams' coming out of Alabama.
An elite deep threat who's able to beat anyone downfield with his lethal speed and burst. He will be a game-changer paired with a good deep ball thrower.https://t.co/i8T1EtowKJ
— Luca Sartirana (@SartiranaLuca) November 29, 2022
Tyree Wilson
Edge Rusher, Texas Tech
Wilson caught a lot of eyes in 2021 after a productive season with the Red Raiders, but in 2022 he came back and was able to perform as well if not even better. The senior pass rusher matched his 2021 production and emerged as a consistent threat on a weekly basis, a factor who should always be considered valuable as his production wasn’t streaky but rather well spread throughout the season.
The general feeling is also that Wilson isn’t even near reaching his upside and needs somehow to get “unlocked”. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Wilson sneak into the top-10, he’s a prospect with a rather solid floor and immense ceiling.
Drew Sanders
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, Arkansas
Sanders has been one of the biggest risers overall and one of my favorite prospects in whole draft class. He wasn’t able to find playing time at Alabama but dominated right out of the gate after transferring to Arkansas. Even though he probably better projects as an edge rusher at the NFL level, he has been utilized as a middle linebacker by the Razorbacks.
He has emerged as a dominant force able to consistently stay around the ball while being solid both in pass rush and run defense. I’m expecting him to be a late round one or early round two pick as a player who has everything needed to become a reliable starter for a long time.
Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders is playing out of his mind.
Tremendous effort, big-time explosiveness and a pretty refined profile overall. He can be a LB/EDGE hybrid at the next level. He's a game changer. pic.twitter.com/SuGHmTc3wP
— Luca Sartirana (@SartiranaLuca) November 8, 2022
Christian Gonzalez
Cornerback, Oregon
Georgia’s Kelee Ringo was the big-time favorite at the beginning of the season to be the best cornerback prospect in the class. However, players like Gonzalez and Joey Porter Jr. were able to sneak in and make it a close race.
Christian Gonzalez was a key player for a surprising Oregon side during the season as he emerged as a true lockdown corner with solid athleticism and ball production. Now Gonzalez could easily end up being the first cornerback selected next April as a prospect with all the tools to be a true primary corner at the next level.
Cristopher Smith
Safety, Georgia
In another historic version of the Bulldogs defense, Smith emerged as a true star replacing first-round pick Lewis Cine. Smith could now be a first-round pick after putting together multiple stellar performances throughout the season.
He’s a do-it-all defensive back with great instincts, athleticism and range. He looks like a well-refined safety able to make an impact quite early at the next level, he’s the favorite to be the first prospect selected at his position.
