Cowboys Wire’s Top 100 Prospects: A 2023 NFL draft big board

With the 2023 NFL draft arriving in two days, it’s time to unveil the CowboysWire’s top 100 big board for the year’s class. To create this list, I spent hundreds of hours evaluating game tape, analyzing stats and considering a range of factors including health, off the field issues, age, and other factors to come up with the most comprehensive ranking possible. This year, I studied 234 players, seeking out the top talents in the upcoming draft class.

Our big board is created as a league-wide list, without taking into account scheme fit for the Cowboys or team-specific needs. Instead, I decided to focus on the individual player skills, versatility, and overall potential in the NFL.  It’s important to note that while our big board represents the best talent available, some prospects may be drafted higher or lower than their individual ranking due to positional value or team needs.

Without further ado, let’s dive into CowboysWire’s top 100 big board for the 2023 NFL draft.

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• Schoonmaker is a physical tight end who is an effective blocker in the run game. He has good hands and can make contested catches in traffic. While not the most explosive athlete, he has good size and strength that allow him to add value in the short and intermediate range.

• Strange is a versatile tight end who can contribute as a receiver and blocker. He has a large catch radius and good hands, making him a reliable target in the red zone. His ability to line up in different positions and execute a variety of blocks makes him a valuable asset to any team.

• A.T. Perry is a long and explosive wide receiver who can make plays downfield and after the catch. He is a sneaky good route-runner for his size who uses his quickness and long stride to create separation from defenders.

• Roschon Johnson is a powerful and physical running back who consistently breaks tackles and rarely fumbles. He has good vision and quick feet that allow him to get through holes more quickly than expected for a player his size . Despite lacking production due to backing up Bijan Robinson, Johnson grades out as a top-10 positional prospect in the class.

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• Turner began his college career as an FCS walk-on. He’s a strong and agile athlete with a high motor, good lateral movement skills, and a knack for forcing fumble. Turner’s play-strength make him a potential three-down player in the NFL.

• Young is a talented edge rusher with great burst and speed off the line of scrimmage. He has a strong bull rush and can use his hands well to get past blockers. However, he’s still developing his pass-rushing moves and needs to improve his consistency. His age, 25, will cause him to fall later than his talent suggests.

• Cory Trice from Purdue is a long and physical corner who can play press coverage and disrupt receivers at the line of scrimmage. He’s also a solid tackler and can contribute on special teams.

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• Tyler is undersized but a great athlete. He’s a converted running back who is still learning the nuances of playing wide receiver but runs smooth routes and has breakaway ability..

• Spears is an elusive playmaker with home-run ability. He ran for 1,587 yards and scored 19 touchdowns last season There are some concerns about his history of knee injuries and overall durability may cause some teams to pass on him.

• Zavala is a powerful and technically sound interior offensive lineman who excels in the run game. The cause for concern will be his back injury history. Medicals will be important for him.

• Rush is a physical, press-man corner with good size, length, and ball skills. Rush has shown the ability to  make plays on the ball, showing off his skills as a converted wide receiver. He’s still a bit raw, but will draw some Trevon Diggs comps.

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• Rice is one of the bigger wide receivers in this draft class. He is physical and does a nice job of picking up YAC, breaks tackles and is capable of handling a high volume. He doesn’t create as much separation on film as what you’d like to see but adjusts well to the ball and uses his body to box out DB’s.

• Brents is a player with a great mixture of size and speed. He showed improved ball skills in 2022 intercepting four passes and uses his length to disrupt passes. He fits the Dan Quinn size profile for an outside cornerback.

• Benton is a unique interior line prospect who played almost an equal amount of snaps at 1-tech and 3-tech. He shows explosiveness and has a quick first step for his size and had violent hands.

• Mims is on the smaller side of things but showed off his explosiveness at the combine, running a 4.38 second 40-yard dash. He was used heavily as a deep threat at Oklahoma and has multiple releases in his toolbox.

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• LaPorta excels with the ball in his hands. He moves really well in space, can win on shallow crossing routes, seams and is difficult to bring down after the catch. He had too many drops last season but can be a weapon in the passing game.

• Simpson moves incredibly well. He is a rangy linebacker with strong explosiveness.  He will likely fit in best as a WILL linebacker who excels in pass coverage. He is a player that has traits that project well but doesn’t always see the field as well as you’d like.

• Campbell is a classic linebacker with top end size and showed off more speed than expected. He does a nice job of moving laterally and excels as a run defender. He is a classic MIKE linebacker.

• Mauch is a three-year starter with excellent athleticism, natural foot quickness, and balance. Cody played both left and right side in college but projects well as an interior offensive lineman in the pros.

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A four-year starter, Torrence has excellent size and power, and his length and frame density give him elite power capacity although he tends to catch defenders.  His footwork is a bit of concern and he doesn’t move as well in space as some of the other interior linemen in this class but he is consistent in pass protection and didn’t allow a sack last season.

• Smith is a strong run defender with good instincts and the ability to penetrate the backfield. Smith’s ability to occupy blockers and clog running lanes makes him an attractive option for teams in need of a run-stuffing defensive tackle. He isn’t going to be much of a force as a pass rusher but does create interior pressure.

• Sanders started his college career at Alabama as an edge rusher before transferring to Arkansas. He is still developing as a linebacker but has a nice combination of size and athleticism. He can line up at linebacker and play off the edge, providing position flexibility.

• Stevenson started his career at Georgia before transferring to Miami. For Miami he played primarily as an outside cornerback despite playing over the slot for Georgia. He has a nice combination of size and length and contests passes well. Showed good man coverage ability and plays better at the line of scrimmage in press.

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• Washington is a physical freak at the position. His size and speed combination is unique in this class. Mostly utilized as a run-blocker who was an extension of their offensive line where his length and strength over-powered linebackers and defensive backs. He isn’t a smooth route-runner but is extremely difficult to bring down with the ball in his hands.

• Avila is one of the most versatile lineman in this class, playing at all five spots in college. He moves well for his size and has exceptional play strength with the ability to anchor in pass protection. He is a guy that could immediately compete at guard or center in the NFL.

• Kincaid is a tight end who plays more like an extra wide receiver. He has good size and moves pretty well in space but is not going to offer much a blocker. He has soft hands and was a reliable option who could be a QB’s best friend. He adjusts well to passes, runs crisp routes and only dropped two passes on 93 targets last season. He had a back injury and we recently cleared for contact again which could positively impact his draft status.

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• Mayer is the top tight end prospect on most of the boards for good reason. He does everything well and is as consistent as they come. He isn’t an exceptional athlete but does a great job of understanding coverages and getting open. Projects well as an inline tight end. He is one of the safest prospects in this class.

• Gibbs originally started at Georgia Tech before transferring to Alabama last season. He has a smaller frame but is can be utilized similarly to Austin Ekeler or Alvin Kamara. Get the football in his hands in space and he is a big play waiting to happen.  If he can put on additional weight he could quickly become one of the most dangerous backs in the league.

• Porter Jr. is the son of former Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker Joey Porter. He is a press-man cornerback that thrives by winning at the line of scrimmage where he can use his length to smother receivers off the line. He tends to be a bit grabby with his hands but wasn’t penalized often.

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• McDonald is an edge rusher who’s best football is still in front of him. Although he was largely used in a 4i role at Iowa State, his explosiveness and ability to beat offensive tackles was evident when played on the outside. He’s a high motor player with athleticism and could be an excellent edge rusher in the NFL.

• Wright is a name that has picked up a lot of steam as the draft nears and for good reason. He has experience in the SEC playing right and left tackle and has some of the best grip strength in this class. When you think of an offensive lineman who can help in the running game, Wright leads the pack.  With his body type and strength, he is a candidate to kick inside to guard as well.

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• Forbes may be a surprise addition to the top 10 for some but he’s got a great combination of length and speed and possesses the best ball skills in this class. He has returned more interceptions for a touchdown than most of the other cornerbacks in this class have career interceptions. A player with incredible route recognition skills who can turn any pass into points the other way is always going to be heavily in demand. The concern with Forbes is his thin frame. He weighed in at the combine at under 170 pounds and that may scare teams from drafting him as high as he should go but I have a feeling he will be among the best corners in this class when it’s all said and done.

• Robinson is a do-it-all running back who has a combination of size, speed and strength. He has great contact balance, great vision, patience and enough quickness to burst through a hole and take it to the house. As a receiver, he showed good hands and the ability to run multiple routes and even displayed the body control to make adjustments in phase on wheel routes. Positional value be damned, Robinson is one of the best players in this class.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire