Over the past week or so, free agency and the trade market have taken over the NFL world. Yet, the 2023 NFL Draft is less than six weeks away. With the 2023 NFL Combine in the rearview mirrors, prospects have one last chance to make a massive impression on NFL teams at their pro days. Things can still change between now and the end of April. However, let’s look at which players have seen their draft stock recently rise or fall.
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2023 NFL Draft Stock Up & Down: Darnell Washington, Jahmyr Gibbs, Jalen Carter
Stock Up
Darnell Washington (TE – Georgia)
During his three years at Georgia, Washington had a limited receiving role. The tight end had only 45 receptions for 774 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 27 career games. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t do more for an NFL team. The Bulldogs have an elite tight end in Brock Powers. Unfortunately, that limited what Georgia needed from Washington. However, he had an impressive performance at the NFL Combine.
Washington can block like an offensive tackle. His team will always have the advantage in the run game when he is on the field. Meanwhile, the former Georgia tight end ran a 4.64 40-yard dash at 264 pounds. Furthermore, he measured 6-foot-7 at his pro day. Now that NFL coaches are becoming more involved in the draft process, Washington’s raw physical talents will catch their eye. Don’t be surprised if the Georgia star is the first tight end drafted in April.
Darnell Wright (OT – Tennessee)
Quarterbacks always get pushed up draft boards the closer we get to the NFL Draft. However, so do offensive tackles. While the media has focused on Paris Johnson Jr., Peter Skoronski and Broderick Jones, Wright has quietly improved his draft stock. His performance at the NFL Combine was solid. Wright had a 1.80 10-yard split on his 40-yard dash. More importantly, the former Volunteer has experience on both sides of the offensive line.
Wright started his college career at right tackle before sliding over to the left side in 2021. However, Tennessee moved him back to the right side last season. Despite playing only one year at left tackle, Wright belongs on the left side in the NFL. Furthermore, some scouts believe the former Volunteer is arguably the best pass protector in this year’s draft. There are several offensive tackle-needy teams in the top 20 this year. We might see a mini-run of offensive tackles start as early as seventh overall with the Las Vegas Raiders. Some team will fall in love with Wright and make him a top-20 selection.
Julius Brents (CB – Kansas State)
Too often, we equate the 40-yard dash to success at cornerback. While speed is important, it is needed to succeed. Brents ran a 4.53 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine with a 1.57 10-yard split. However, he jumped out of the building. The former Kansas State star led all cornerbacks with a 138-inch broad jump. He also finished second among cornerbacks with a 41.5-inch vertical jump. Furthermore, his 138-inch broad jump was the second-highest over any cornerback in NFL Combine history, only behind Byron Jones in 2015.
Meanwhile, Brents also should excellent quickness and change of direction, running a 6.63 three-cone time. Not only did the former Kansas State star run the quickest three-cone time at cornerback this year, but he was a quarter of a second faster than any other cornerback. Furthermore, Brents did that at 6-foot-3. The former Kansas State star also has 34-inch arms. More importantly, he had four interceptions last season, a career-high. Brents will likely be a top 50 pick.
Stock Down
All the talk over the past few years is the devaluing of the running back position. Unfortunately, we’ve seen that continue in free agency. Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and Tony Pollard earned the franchise tag. However, none of the running backs on the open market earned a massive paycheck. The running back position is splitting between the elites and everyone else. Therefore, it’s no surprise Gibbs’ draft stock has slid lately.
While he is the clear-cut No. 2 running back this year behind Bijan Robinson, there is a significant gap between Gibbs and the former Longhorn. Furthermore, the former Alabama star didn’t have the best NFL Combine performance. He did run the second-fastest 40-yard dash among running backs at 4.36 seconds. However, Gibbs was expected to run sub-4.4. Yet, he did that at under 200 pounds. Some scouts have concerns that the former Alabama running back can’t handle a full workload in the NFL. While he was almost a first-round lock a few weeks ago, Gibbs could end up sliding into early Day 2.
Michael Mayer (TE – Notre Dame)
Sometimes a player will see his draft stock slide without it being his fault. Unfortunately, that’s the case for Mayer. The former Notre Dame tight end had a terrific college career, totaling 180 receptions for nearly 2,100 receiving yards in 36 games. Most scouts didn’t expect an athletic showing from Mayer at 6-foot-5 and 249 pounds. However, his 4.7 40-yard dash time was the third-slowest among tight ends at the NFL Combine. Meanwhile, Mayor’s 1.66 10-yard split was the slowest among tight ends, while his 32.5-inch vertical jump was the third-lowest.
His numbers weren’t bad, given the tight end’s size and play style. However, Washington had the best athletic performance among all the tight ends at the NFL Combine. Furthermore, the former Georgia Bulldog was the best blocking tight end, looking like an offensive tackle during the drills. Meanwhile, Dalton Kincaid didn’t participate in any of the field work at the NFL Combine. The former Utah star is recovering from a minor back he suffered at the end of the regular season. Mayer was the favorite to be the first tight end draft a few weeks ago. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if the former Notre Dame star slid into the second round.
Unless you didn’t watch a second of the NFL Combine coverage, you know Carter left Indianapolis to deal with an arrest warrant in Georgia. He was charged with two misdemeanors tied to his involvement in a fatal car crash in January that killed a teammate and staff member. However, the talented defensive lineman recently pled no contest to the charges. Carter was sentenced to 12 months probation, 80 hours of community service and a $1,000 fine. While the defensive lineman can now put this legal issue behind him, NFL teams have plenty of homework to do. Some teams will severely push Carter down their draft board or remove him entirely because of the January incident.
Unfortunately, that’s not the only issue for the former Bulldog. Carter had an awful performance at the Georgia pro day after he didn’t work out at the NFL Combine. The talented defensive lineman weighed nine pounds heavier than at the combine. Furthermore, he only did the position drills at his pro day. More importantly, Carter couldn’t finish the position drills at the pro day nor speak to the media. Unless he has a second pro day and puts on a show, the former Bulldog went from the potential No. 1 pick to a mid-to-late first-round selection in under a month.
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Mike Fanelli is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @Mike_NFL2.