NFL mock draft 2023: Second-round projections

Oh dear reader.

You thought that with the first night of the 2023 NFL Draft behind us, we were done with mock drafts for a while.

We are not. Not by a long shot.

We were warned in the buildup to Thursday night to expect the unexpected, and that is exactly what panned out. Sure the night began with an expected selection, as the Carolina Panthers drafted Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. But then everything went off-script. The Houston Texans made the next two picks, adding Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and then trading into the third spot to select pass rusher Will Anderson Jr.

We also saw a pair of running backs drafted before a receiver came off the board, just a single tight end in the first round, and Will Levis and Joey Porter Jr. are still waiting.

Surprises galore.

How might the surprises of Thursday night shape up the start to the second night of the NFL Draft?

Here’s are some possibilities, with a Round 2 mock draft for your enjoyment. You can also check out our grades from Round 1, our draft tracker, and the best available players according to SB Nation’s big board.

The late buzz around the quarterback position in the final days before the first round centered on Kentucky passer Will Levis. With internet rumors connecting him with the Panthers at the top of the draft, and odds shifting in his favor that he would be the second quarterback drafted — perhaps at No. 2 — it seemed like Levis would not be waiting long to hear his name called.

Instead, he is still waiting.

Now, that slide likely stops early on Friday night. In this scenario we have him coming off the board early to the Detroit Lions, giving the organization an option behind Jared Goff. But with the number of QB-needy teams at the start of the second round, including the Lions, the Seattle Seahawks, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Los Angeles Rams, and the New Orleans Saints, Levis should not be waiting much longer.

Levis was not the only quarterback getting buzz as the draft approached, as Tennessee passer Hendon Hooker was getting consideration for a spot in the first round, perhaps even early in the first.

However, Hooker is also waiting to hear his name called.

There are reasons why teams might have waited on Hooker, such as his age, his recent knee injury, and the offense he ran at Tennessee and how that system might not perfectly translate to the Sunday game. But again, as we noted with Levis, there are a number of teams at the top of the second round that could benefit from adding a quarterback. In this scenario he lands in perhaps the perfect spot, to learn from Geno Smith.

Throughout the mock draft season, tight ends were a popular pick in the first round. Ultimately, however, only Dalton Kincaid heard his name called on Thursday night, when the Buffalo Bills selected him at No. 25 after moving up a few spots.

Prior to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network noted that he had 11 tight ends with a grade in the first three rounds, which was the highest he could remember. What does that mean for the second night of the draft?

We might see a lot of tight ends come off the board.

In this scenario we see six tight ends drafted in the second round: Michael Mayer to the Saints, Darnell Washington to the Titans, Luke Musgrave to the Packers, Sam LaPorta to the Lions, Tucker Kraft to the Cowboys, and Luke Schoonmaker to the Bengals.

What do you get the quarterback that has everything?

Another fun target in the passing game.

This Round 2 mock draft concludes with the Kansas City Chiefs adding Jalin Hyatt. The Tennessee wide receiver might not offer a full route tree on Day 1 — in the Tennessee offense he ran a lot of vertical routes, combined with some shallows, crossers, and slants — but what he does, he does well. Andy Reid can certainly find a way for him to contribute early, and his presence will open up opportunities for the rest of the Kansas City pass catchers.