2023 NFL Mock Draft: Picks 9-12 by the DBN Community

The previous picks of the 2023 DBN Community NFL Mock Draft can be found here:

• Picks 1-4
• Picks 5-8

Picks 9-12 are below.

No. 9 - Bears - Paris Johnson Jr, OT, Ohio State

The selection and write-up were made by mark.p.kendall:

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“Chicago has their Quarterback in Justin Fields and now needs to give him time to work. Wanted home town boy Skrononski from Northwestern who is probably more ready to start, but Johnson may have a higher ceiling overall so this may work out better. Bears allowed 58 sacks in 2022 (4th worst in NFL) and need to address the O-line.”

No. 10 - Eagles - Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois

The selection and write-up were made by Chris Pokorny:

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“It’s always interesting to think about what position a team that is coming off of a Super Bowl appearance should address. Usually, the loser of the big game would have the 31st pick, but Philadelphia has the unique situation of picking higher up.

The Eagles lost their top running back in Miles Sanders, as he inked a deal with the Carolina Panthers. I feel like with the Eagles’ system and Jalen Hurts at quarterback, though, they are better served with any plug-and-play back as opposed to drafting someone like RB Bijan Robinson.

The Eagles were able to retain cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darius Slay this offseason, so selecting a cornerback might seem like a luxury. But this would be both a short-term and long-term move, as Witherspoon can immediately contribute to the Eagles’ secondary, while also giving Philadelphia their cornerback of the future, considering Bradberry and Slay are both in their 30s.”

No. 11 - Titans - Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU

The selection and write-up were made by Ezweav:

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“With the 11th pick in the 2023 draft, the Tennessee Titans select Quentin Johnston, WR - TCU. Titans would have to be thrilled with this selection, as it would be a perfect marriage of need and positional value. Johnston is PFF’s top rated receiver in this year’s draft and currently Tennessee has Traylon Burks and a whole lotta nothing at the position. Johnston has great size (6’4, 215), speed (4.4 forty), a fantastic catch radius and is great with the ball after the catch. He’ll be a day 1 starter for the Titans.”

No. 12 - Texans - Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech

The selection and write-up were made by Swagnasty:

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“I know - two defensive ends and zero quarterbacks? First off, Wilson is simply the best player available* here. He’s also a very different player from draftmate Will Anderson. He’s quite a bit bigger, by maybe two inches and twenty pounds. This helps him in terms of versatility; while Anderson (and old Jerry Hughes) will primarily harass the QB, Wilson can play inside or out as a strong run defender or use his inside pass rush and stunting skills to bring pressure from all kinds of alignments. Line him up across from Anderson, or right next to him and watch the fireworks. This would plant the seeds of a young and savage defensive front that the Texans’ new regime can build around.

Now, whether the Texans can steal Lamar or simply ride Keenum and Mills into 2024, the solution is NOT to try to shape Will Levis as a franchise savior simply out of desperation. In fact, I’m higher on Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker and might suggest the Texans use some draft capital to grab him at the back of the first round.

*Pure BPA is probably Bijan Robinson by a hair, but RB is both a low-value position and one of the Texans’ strongest. I considered a few pass-catchers here as well but didn’t love the value or fit.”

Up next will be the 13-16 picks in the 2023 DBN Community Mock Draft.