2023 NFL Draft Takes: Top Five DBs

These short posts over the course of the week leading up to Thursday night will detail my personal opinions on how the NFL should approach this draft class. I'll try to give some hard-core analysis for some guys, but a lot of this is going to be gut-instinct, armchair-quarterback musings. All correct opinions come directly from me and me alone. All incorrect opinions may be roasted appropriately at a later date.

DB1: Christian Gonzalez, Oregon

I value high-end athleticism at this position, and Gonzalez is best combination of top-tier film/production and freaky athletic testing. He's not #1 by much, but he earned it with his combine performance. He reminds me of Marshon Lattimore, which is a pretty good person to be compared to at this postion.

DB2: Deonte Banks, Maryland

This is me sticking to my mantra of valuing top-tier athleticism with production. Banks mirrored Gonzalez in setting the combine on fire with elite numbers all over the board, but his film from 2022-23 showed excellent skills that suggest that he's not just a workout warrior. He's got crazy upside, and that's why I have him here.

DB3: Devon Witherspoon, Illinois

He was so good on the field last year for the Illini, which makes it hard for me to slot him this low (especially when he's #1 or #2 on almost every public figure's board). Something about him just makes me think he had a sensational one-off season that benefited from playing the Big Ten West, and that he's not quite at the level he showed last year. He's a very, very different player, but Iowa's Josh Jackson had a similar rise, and I get some of the same vibes from Witherspoon. He's still a stud, and that's why I have him top-3 in a loaded CB class.

DB4: Joey Porter Jr., Penn State

He's long and showed good things this past year on the field. I just don't see the movement skills that make an elite corner prospect. He has elite pedigree, though, and I wouldn't be shocked if he turns out to be an impactful, lengthy corner in the mold of a Charvarius Ward or Jaycee Horn.

DB5: Brian Branch, Alabama

I'm not as high on Branch as many are, but I still think he's the best safety prospect in this class (by far) and he has flexibility to mix in at both slot corner (in a pinch) and at the line of scrimmage in the run game. That versatility has significant value in the modern NFL, but I still have apprehension about his overall underwhelming athletic testing. He's like the Michael Mayer of defensive backs: Good at a lot of things, but not really projecting to be excellent at anything.