The injury impact you should know about each top prospect. Did we miss any? Send us your questions @SportMDAnalysis and @FantasyPros on Twitter and we’ll hit the FAQ before the draft kicks off.
- Thor Nystrom’s 2023 NFL Draft Big Board: Top 500
- Final Mock Drafts: Freedman | Jones | Weyrauch | Erickson | Nystrom
- NFL Draft Needs for Every Team
- Historical Draft Picks of All 32 Teams
- NFL Draft Prop Bet Cards: Freedman | Weyrauch | Erickson
- 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports & Prospect Profiles
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2023 NFL Draft Injury Guide
- Injury Risk: 4/5
Young’s history is mild – 1 AC joint sprain that shouldn’t carry any risk forward. Questions stem from the fact that we haven’t seen a prior top QB prospect this size, but the logic is simple. Players with lower weight experience greater accelerations/decelerations in collisions, and that’s usually when injuries occur. It will be harder to avoid hits without Alabama’s offensive line, so we have real concerns about Young’s ability to stay healthy in the NFL.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Injury evaluation on Levis is really more reassuring than concerning. 2022’s production was definitely depressed by injuries – turf toe, AC joint, finger dislocation – but none carry lingering performance or durability impacts. Plus the fact that he played through so much speaks well of his pain tolerance. Scouts say he’ll have to learn to avoid violent hits, but otherwise no red flags on Levis.
- Injury Risk: 3/5
NFL data suggests shorter careers with more missed games for players with pre-NFL meniscus tears, and he’s had 2. Longevity (10+ years) may be hurt, but expect minimal short-term (~5 years) injury impact unless that knee takes another hit.
But this risk level is part history, part playing style. Early on, Richardson will be a running QB, which makes him more prone to injury in our database. Overall moderate risk, but could decrease over time as style evolves.
- Injury Risk: 1/5
As a pocket-based QB with average size, Stroud is relatively safe. In college, he had only an AC joint sprain that is likely fully healed without any long-term impact.
- Injury Risk: 3/5
2022 was limited by a severe hamstring, which carries a 20-30% recurrence rate in the first years back. If he’s able to avoid that outcome, there’s no long-term performance hit expected, and the recurrence goes down as time goes on. Moderate risk.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Prototype athlete with a mild history. His elbow dislocation in ’21 and neck strain in ’20 don’t carry forward any risk or performance impact. RBs do face the greatest injury risk, but he has the skill set to feature in the passing game. If he is utilized accordingly, that would be protective from injury since receptions carry lower risk per play than rushes.
- Injury Impact: 3/5
Hooker is likely to be cleared right around Week 1 from his Nov. ACL. QBs return to their pre-injury passing productivity, but running takes a sizable dip in the first year before bouncing back in the second. The ACL has mild long-term durability impact, but reportedly his meniscus was uninjured which helps his outlook.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Carter’s production was depressed by a high ankle sprain followed by an MCL sprain. Both injuries should be fully healed by now, and neither confers any injury risk the following season.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Wilson had foot surgery in ’22 for what was likely a Lisfranc or Jones fracture. The fact that the surgeon then removed the implants and cleared Wilson a few months later indicates that healing very likely went well. Mild re-fracture risk exists, but no major concerns.
- Injury Impact: 2/5
Miller’s January MCL sprain should be fully healed well before OTAs. No lasting impact expected. Average risk for RBs.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Needing 2 surgeries to treat an ankle fracture slightly raises eyebrows, but at this point, Boutte has very likely healed fully. No lasting impact expected.
- Injury Impact: 1/5
Most nonoperatively treated fractures in the lumbar spine heal well without any lingering impact on performance or durability. Low concern.
- Injury Impact: 2/5
Severe MCLs heal slightly looser than the pre-injury versions, so the injury carries mildly increased durability risk going forward. Expect no noticeable performance impact by the start of OTAs.
- Injury Impact: 2/5
Potential sleeper value in this draft due to injury. Data indicates that Bresee’s ’22 production was likely depressed by his ’21 ACL recovery. The same data points to a return to full pre-injury form in ’23. Some team could be getting a steal on this former No. 1 recruit and Freshman All-American.
- Injury Impact: 4/5
The earliest reasonable clearance for Voorhees post-ACL could come around December, so we’d strongly expect him to miss the ’23 season. Should return for the start of ’24, but offensive lineman average ~20 months to regain their full pre-injury performance levels. That would come around November 2024. Mildly increased durability risk going forward.
- Injury Risk: 2/5
Not too worried that Campbell was unable to bench press at the Combine. He had sprained his elbow UCL a few months earlier, so he had likely avoided heavy lifting recently to let it heal. This shouldn’t affect an LB too much going forward.
- Injury Impact: 3/5
The question here is timeline. Recovery from early March pec repair averages ~6-7 months, which returns Skinner around the first quarter of the season, but may cost him the first few games. High likelihood that he regains full pre-injury performance level without major re-injury risk.
- Injury Risk: 1/5
As safe as prospects get. Skoronski played every game without injuries to report.
- Injury Risk: 1/5
No notable history here.
Mock NFL Drafts
- Thor Nystrom’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0)
- Matthew Freedman’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 | 12.0 | 13.0)
- Kent Weyrauch’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 10.0)
- Matthew Jones’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.0)
- Andrew Erickson’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 6.0 | 7.0)
- Mike Fanelli’s Mock Drafts w/ Trades (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 5.0)
- John Supowitz’s Mock Drafts (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0)
- Russell Brown (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0 | 4.0)
- Ken Zalis (1.0 | 2.0 | 3.0)
- PJ Moran (1.0 | 2.0)
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