NFL Network's Lance Zierlein releases first 2023 mock draft
Super Bowl LVII is almost here, which means the entire NFL landscape will shift into offseason mode come Monday morning.
The Super Bowl's arrival means the NFL Scouting Combine is just around the corner. Festivities in Indianapolis will begin on Monday, February 28.
Experts have already begun releasing their predictions for the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The latest to do so is NFL Media draft analyst Lance Zierlein, who published his first mock draft of the year this week.
Zierlein predicted the Giants address the defensive side of the ball with the selection of Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson at No. 25.
"Simpson has extremely rare speed as a linebacker," writes Zierlein. "The Giants know they need to put players on the field who can run and chase the Eagles for years to come."
Simpson played three seasons for the Tigers, totaling 187 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, six pass breakups and three forced fumbles in his collegiate career.
As a freshman back in 2020, the linebacker amassed four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss in just eight games. He followed that up with six sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss as a junior in 2021.
This past season, Simpson accumulated 77 tackles, 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles on 616 defensive snaps across 12 games, all of which he started. He earned a selection as Third-Team All-ACC, along with being named to the All-ACC Academic Team for the second consecutive year.
As of now, the Giants have just three inside linebackers under contract for next season, two of which (Cam Brown and Carter Coughlin) combined for less than 10 defensive snaps this past season. Rookie Micah McFadden, who played 39 percent of the team's defensive snaps at linebacker, is the third linebacker currently set to return in 2023.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah released his first rankings of the top 50 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft.
No. 50 Davis Allen, TE, Clemson
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
No. 49 Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
No. 48 Tyrique Stevenson, CB, Miami
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
No. 47 Tuli Tuipulotu, DL, USC
(AP Photo/John McCoy)
No. 46 Sam LaPorta, TE, Iowa
(AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
No. 45 Cody Mauch, OT, North Dakota State
(AP Photo/Chris Coduto)
No. 44 Zach Charbonnet, RB, UCLA
(AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
No. 43 Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
No. 42 Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
No. 41 Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
(AP Photo/Mark Stockwell)
No. 40 Kelee Ringo, CB, Georgia
(AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
No. 39 BJ Ojulari, DE, LSU
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
No. 38 Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
No. 37 O'Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
(AP Photo/Gary McCullough)
No. 36 Steve Avila, G, TCU
(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
No. 35 Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State
(AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
No. 34 Quentin Johnson, WR, TCU
(AP Photo/Sam Hodde)
No. 33 Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
(AP Photo/Michael Woods)
No. 32 Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
(AP Photo/John Amis)
No. 31 Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
(AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
No. 30 Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
No. 29 Will McDonald IV, DE, Iowa State
(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
No. 28 Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
(AP Photo/Butch Dill)
No. 27 Joe Tippmann, C, Wisconsin
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
No. 26 Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
(AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
No. 25 Brian Branch, CB, Alabama
(AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
No. 24 Derick Hall, EDGE, Auburn
(AP Photo/Stew Milne)
No. 23 Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
(AP Photo/Wade Payne)
No. 22 Lukas Van Ness, DL, Iowa
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
No. 21 Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
No. 20 Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon
(AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
No. 19 Nolan Smith, OLB, Georgia
(AP Photo/Brett Davis)
No. 18 Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
(AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)
No. 17 Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
No. 16 Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
(AP Photo/Barry Reeger)
No. 15 Broderick Jones, OT Georgia
(AP Photo/John Amis)
No. 14 Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
No. 13 Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
No. 12 Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
(AP Photo/Michael Clubb)
No. 11 C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
(AP Photo/Nick Wass)
No. 10 Jordan Addison, WR, USC
(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
No. 9 Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
(AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
No. 8 Keion White, DL, Georgia Tech
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
No. 7 Tyree Wilson, OLB, Texas Tech
(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
No. 6 Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
(AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)
No. 5 Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
No. 4 Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
(AP Photo/Stephen Spillman)
No. 3 Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
No. 2 Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama
(AP Photo/Vasha Hunt)
No. 1 Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
2023 Season Tickets Now Available
