Josh Queipo’s 2023 NFL Draft “My Guys”

One of the most fun parts of the scouting process for the NFL Draft is finding “my guys.” My guys are players that stand out among the throngs of player evaluations. They aren’t necessarily the best player in their position group, but one or two traits stand out as something I think can be built upon to make the player better than the consensus opinion of him. And ultimately that’s what makes a “my guy” a “my guy.”

In general, for a player to make a “my guys” list the evaluator ranks that player significantly higher on their “big board” or positional board than general industry consensus. Therefore, they would be guys you “pound the table” for if you were in the draft war room to make a case for them to be drafted.

Last year was my first year publishing my rankings and some of “my guys” were Georgia offensive lineman Jamaree Salyer, running backs Tyler Allgeier and Kyren Williams, UCF (yuck) defensive tackle Kalia Davis, and Washington cornerback Kyler Gordon. Of those players I would argue Salyer and Allgeier performed well for their draft positions.

Williams was injured for most of the season, which was a concern many had on him due to his size. This was something I overlooked more than I should have. Gordon recorded three interceptions in his rookie year but struggled to find any consistency and allowed over 80% of the passes thrown his way to be caught. Davis was coming off of major knee surgery and did not play last season.

With a season of learning from last year, here are five of “my guys” for the 2023 NFL Draft.

Texas Defensive Tackle Moro Ojomo

I profiled Texas’ Moro Ojomo during my series on defensive linemen who fit the Todd Bowles draft history profile. What I enjoy about Ojomo is the dichotomy of his physical makeup and how one potential deficiency is made up for immediately by another strength. When that is combined with the his skill set flashes it creates a very projectable player.

Despite being on the shorter side (6-foot-2 and 1/2), Ojomo has 34.5″ arms that rank in the 88th percentile for defensive tackles. This enables him to get into offensive linemen’s chests to drive them back and disrupt their anchor on his way to the quarterback. It also helps him control those offensive linemen in the run game, keeping them at bay as he reads the running back and tracks to him.

And even though he only tips the scales at 292 pounds, Ojomo plays with the power of a player with 10-15 pounds of additional weight. The explosiveness he showed in his vertical and broad jump testing (33″ and 112″ respectively–both over the 85th percentile) show up on his tape where he often explodes off the snap and drives through opponent’s shoulders.

I currently have Ojomo listed as the eighth ranked defensive tackle on my board and 72nd overall for the 2023 NFL Draft. Compare that to Arif Hasan’s consensus big board which tracks several prominent big boards to show a consensus opinion. That consensus board has Ojomo listed as the 10th ranked defensive tackle and 170th overall.

Texas Running Back Roschon Johnson

Sticking with Texas and players I have previously profiled, the Longhorns No. 2 running back is conveniently enough my No. 2 back as well. Roschon Johnson lacks the explosive speed that shows up on highlight reels, but he isn’t devoid of plays that pop. Johnson just wins in a different way.

With less than 100 carries last year he was still able to rank fairly high on the leaderboard for missed tackles forced among running backs who have declared for the 2023 NFL draft. Johnson displays impressive contact balance combined with good vision and a hard-nosed running style.

That combination of traits typically add up to a successful back with a good career at the NFL level. For my money, he reminds me of Dameon Pierce from Florida last year. Pierce had a successful rookie campaign with the Houston Texans before getting injured and missing the last quarter of the season.

And while Johnson’s lack of playtime may be suppressing his draft ranking in the 2023 NFL Draft (14th running back on the consensus board and 131st overall), I have him currently as my second running back and 24th overall prospect.

Stanford Wide Receiver Michael Wilson

I’ll get the negatives out of the way at the outset here. Wilson is low on many boards because he has struggled to stay on the field. Over the past three seasons Wilson has managed to play 14 games. The injuries started in 2020 with a foot injury that ended his season prematurely. He re-aggravated that injury in summer of 2021 which stopped him from playing in the first eight games of that season. His 2022 season also ended early due to an undisclosed injury.

And while those injuries will – and should – lower Wilson on draft boards everywhere (including mine) it just does not lower him as much on my board. While there are many talented receivers in th3 2023 NFL Draft many of them profile very similarly. Most are smaller receivers who are going to be relegated specifically to the slot at the next level. Wilson will not have that problem.

At 6-foot-2, 213 pounds Wilson has the size to win on the outside. That size helps him play big and physical at the catchpoint. He uses his large frame to play through contact and helps him win in contested catch situations. For his career he has hauled in 31 of 50 contested catch opportunities.

Even at his size Wilson still shows adept route-running skills. He is sudden in and out of his cuts and has quick feet to decelerate on stops, curls and comebacks. These all assist him in creating natural separation. And while Wilson has good speed for his size that long speed is far from impressive. His 4.58 40-yard dash shows he isn’t going to win by blowing past corners and safeties. He can still be a deep ball winner but more in the vein of Mike Williams.

I’ll be willing to take the risk on Wilson’s injury history for the upside that he is one of the true potential “X” receivers in this draft. That is why he is currently my No. 6 receiver and 53rd overall in the NFL Draft as compared to 21st receiver and 141st overall on the consensus board.

Miami Tight End Will Mallory

In a different, less talented tight end class, Miami’s Will Mallory might be ranked higher on most boards. However, as Bucs general manager Jason Licht said during his recent press conference, this might be the deepest tight end class in 10-15 years.

Mallory is far from a perfect prospect. He will have to put on functional weight and improve his play strength. This will hopefully him get better at fighting through contact on difficult catches.

But when you look at what Mallory can do you can see a playmaker who has some impressive athletic traits. His 4.54 40-yard dash time is faster than Wilson’s. That speed helps him to be a real weapon deep on seam routes. That combined with his quick lateral agility also help him to be a YAC monster. His 7.2 yards after catch average in 2023 was No. 1 among all tight ends entering the 2023 NFL Draft.

With a deep tight end class Mallory could become a real steal. The consensus board has him 206th overall as the 14th ranked tight end in the draft class. Comparatively, I have him as TE9 and 108th overall on my big board.

Maryland Offensive Tackle Jaelyn Duncan

Developmental tackles are some of the most fun players to scout. That’s why Maryland’s Jaelyn Duncan has quickly become one of “my guys.” His 6-foot-6 frame give him ideal length although he will need to put on a few pounds. Duncan’s natural athleticism oozes off the tape. He moves laterally well and would project well to an outside or wide zone system. His movement skills get him to the second level where he hits his target more often than not.

In pass protection Duncan’s feet are what stand out to me. They move quickly allowing him to compete all the way through the top of the arc even against the fastest of edge rushers. His hip dexterity is impressive as well, which makes him less vulnerable to counter moves to the inside as he can shift his weight back and forth with ease.

Duncan’s opportunities are 90% technique, and for my money I want to be able to work with a guy whose potential is tied to improving things that are actually improvable. For him to become a starter at the professional level he is going to need to get bigger and stronger. While he is doing that, he is going to have to develop his hands. Those got him into trouble in college where he drew too many penalties.

Improvements in that area will assist him in controlling power rushers as well. And while Duncan’s feet are quick, he needs to continue to work making sure they move in phase with his upper half to improve his recovery.

Whoever drafts him will have to make a decision on where he best projects at the NFL level as his 33″ arms are in the 13th percentile for tackles. A move to guard may very well be in his future. But if the league believes Peter Skoronski can play tackle with 32.25″ arms there is a path for Duncan as well.

I’m not advocating for a team to take Duncan on Day 1 or even Day 2 of the NFL Draft, but as you get into Day 3 there are a lot worse projects you can bet on than a physically gifted individual with Duncan’s tape. He is OT6 for me while he pops up as OT9 on the consensus board.

Maryland Cornerback Jakorian Bennett

Much like the tight end class the cornerback class in the 2023 NFL Draft is a very deep. It features numerous corners who have the size and length to be lethal on the outside as perimeter defenders. Because these are typically the harder prospects to find they are the players who litter the top of draft boards at the position. Because he is below six-feet tall, Maryland’s Jakorian Bennett doesn’t get the same hype as his bigger draft classmates. And that makes him a perfect sleeper in my opinion.

Bennett is a tenacious player who fights on every rep, including in the run game. He is a willing tackler and wants to be involved as much as he can be on every play. Playing across from likely first-round pick Deonte Banks gave Bennett plenty of opportunities to show his abilities. In his senior year Bennett only allowed 44.4% of passes thrown his way to be caught and did not allow a single touchdown.

He shows amazing athleticism for his size. His 4.30 second 40-yard dash time, 1.48 second 10-yard split, 40.5″ vertical, and 133″ broad jump all ranked above the 90th percentile for cornerbacks. And while he is shorter, his 31.875″ arm length is in the 66th percentile. That arm length helped Bennet break up 29 passes in the last two years combined.

Bennett shows an adeptness at driving down on hitches, curls, and comebacks with impressive click and close skills. He reads receivers well as he moves with them downfield. This is also a big reason why he was able to disrupt so many passes at the catchpoint. And while he can be faked on the occasional double move, I think that can be coached out of him.

Overall, I love Bennett as one of the better slot corner options in the 2023 NFL Draft. He is my CB11 and I have him ranked 67th on my big board which is a huge jump from the CB16 and 155th overall rankings he is featured at on the consensus big board.