How the experts analyzed every LSU football player taken in the 2023 NFL Draft
BATON ROUGE – LSU football had six players selected during the 2023 NFL Draft.
Unsurprisingly, BJ Ojulari was the first Tiger selected. The Arizona Cardinals snatched him up with the No. 41 overall selection in the second round. Then, the Seattle Seahawks picked Anthony Bradford in the fourth round to begin Day 3 of the draft.
Jay Ward and Jaquelin Roy followed after Bradford, as both were selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth and fifth rounds, respectively. Kayshon Boutte was then picked by the New England Patriots and Jarrick Bernard-Conversed was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round.
Here's what the experts are saying about each Tiger who was selected and their fit in the NFL.
BJ Ojulari
The pick: Arizona Cardinals, second round, No. 41 overall
NFL Network's Eric Edholm: "The Cardinals were highly active in Round 1, and their approach appears to be paying off. Ojulari was earning some late-Round 1 buzz, so getting him here after so many rushers have gone off the board is terrific. We'll predict that the high-character, edge-bendy Ojulari will outperform rushers picked ahead of him."
ESPN Nation's Josh Weinfuss: "No returning Cardinal had more than four sacks last season so the need to build out the pass rush was among the priorities for this draft. He showed in college the ability to pressure the quarterback and Arizona hopes -- err, needs -- him to do that again at this level."
The Athletic's Scott Dochterman: "A major contributor for the Tigers, Ojulari was exceptional coming off the edge, where he played 94 percent of his snaps. Ojulari produced 103 quarterback hurries beyond his 16.5 sacks and 25 tackles for loss.
"The Cardinals opted for offensive line in the first round (selecting Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson) and filled one of their greatest needs in the second."
Anthony Bradford
The pick: Seattle Seahawks, fourth round, No. 108
Edholm: "Several people within the scouting community said Bradford could be a top-100 pick. He has tackle-guard versatility but best operates inside as a steamrolling guard. Perfect Seattle fit."
ESPN Nation's Brady Henderson: "The Seahawks are set (at guard) in the short term with Damien Lewis and Phil Haynes, but Lewis is in the last year of his rookie deal and Haynes only re-signed for one year, so there was a need for immediate depth as well as a potential long-term replacement in the starting lineup. Bradford played with Lewis at LSU and is slightly bigger than his former teammate, listed at 6-foot-4 and 332 pounds."
Jay Ward
The pick: Minnesota Vikings, fourth round, No. 134
Edholm: "A safety-slot combo who can hit with ferocity, Ward is yet another addition for Brian Flores' rebuilt secondary. He's made some game-changing plays in college with multiple blocked kicks and pick-sixes."
ESPN Nation's Kevin Seifert: "The Vikings entered this draft with cornerback as their top position of need and used two of their top three picks in the draft to address it. The Vikings have emphasized versatility among the cornerbacks they've added during an overhaul of the position this offseason, and Ward has experience playing not only outside cornerback and in the nickel but also at safety."
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Jaquelin Roy
The pick: Minnesota Vikings, fifth round, No. 141
Edholm: "The highly touted Roy never quite unlocked his potential in college, but he has the strength to give him a chance as a plugger up front. Roy just doesn't appear to be that quick or agile."
Seifert: "It was more than reasonable to expect the Vikings to draft a defensive tackle at some point following the departure of starter Dalvin Tomlinson via free agency. They signed veteran Dean Lowry to replace Tomlinson, but there was a need for additional depth. Roy was a starter for one season in college and figures to need some development, but the Vikings liked Roy well enough to trade high into the fifth round to get him."
Kayshon Boutte
The pick: New England Patriots, sixth round, No. 187
Edholm: "The previous LSU staff viewed Boutte as a first-round pick in the making, but his first season under Brian Kelly was a roadblock for Boutte's development. Kelly publicly called Boutte out, which Bill Belichick won't be afraid to do if needed, but there's a playmaker to be groomed if Boutte buys in."
ESPN Nation's Mike Reiss: "This is the part of the draft where teams are more comfortable taking a risk and the 5-foot-11, 195-pound Boutte falls into the category of a player whose talent and potential is obvious, but who has yet to put it all together. In one game as a freshman, he had 14 receptions for 308 yards and 3 TDs, but he never carried that momentum throughout his three years at LSU. The Patriots have DeVante Parker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Kendrick Bourne atop their WR depth chart, with TE Mike Gesicki essentially another WR-type option."
Jarrick Bernard-Converse
The pick: New York Jets, sixth round, No. 204
Edholm: "He's been starting in college for the past five years, offering good length and speed, and he's a very solid tackler. Bernard-Converse might have been a bit overlooked as a prospect."
ESPN Nation's Rich Cimini: "The Jets are loaded at cornerback, with Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed and Michael Carter II, but you can never have too many corners, right? Bernard-Converse can contribute on special teams and perhaps push for the CB4 or CB5 job. He took a top-30 visit to the Jets. We're talking about one of the most seasoned players in college football -- 56 starts and 3,500 snaps on defense."
Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football: 2023 NFL Draft experts analyze every Tiger selected
