Rankings are taken from Mock Draft Database for now. My personal rankings will be posted sometime in February.
Average # of QBs, RBs, WRs, TEs drafted per Year:
2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 7yr AVG | |
QBs | 9 | 10 | 13 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 11.57 |
RBs | 22 | 18 | 19 | 25 | 20 | 26 | 20 | 21.43 |
WRs | 28 | 36 | 34 | 28 | 33 | 32 | 33 | 32.00 |
TEs | 18 | 11 | 12 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 9 | 13.43 |
Based on the 7yr Avg. numbers, it’s safe to project that 12 QBs, 22 RBs, 32 WRs & 14 TEs will be drafted in 2023. I don’t think you need to know every single prospect, most of them won’t matter, but I think it’s a good idea to get familiar with the top half of these numbers for your fantasy drafts, so roughly 6 QBs, 11 RBs, 16 WRs & 7 TEs.
We can boil it down even further by looking at the average number of positions drafted by round:
RD. 1 | RD. 2 | RD. 3 | RD. 4 | RD. 5 | RD. 6 | RD. 7 | Total | |
QB | 3.83 | 0.83 | 1.33 | 1.67 | 1.00 | 1.83 | 1.50 | 12.00 |
RB | 1.67 | 2.33 | 3.00 | 4.50 | 2.67 | 3.17 | 4.00 | 21.33 |
WR | 3.67 | 5.17 | 3.83 | 4.67 | 4.50 | 6.00 | 4.83 | 32.67 |
TE | 1.17 | 1.50 | 2.67 | 2.50 | 2.00 | 1.33 | 1.50 | 12.67 |
There are roughly 30 prospects drafted in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. This reflects the drop-off in the mid 3rd round of your 12 team rookie drafts. With these numbers, it’s a good idea to research the Top 6 QBs, 7 RBs, 13 WRs and 5 TEs.
The Top 32:
Rank | Position | Player | School | Draft Projection |
1 | RB1 | Bijan Robinson | Texas | 14 |
2 | WR1 | Quentin Johnson | TCU | 9 |
3 | RB2 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Alabama | 30 |
4 | QB1 | Bryce Young | Alabama | 2 |
5 | QB2 | CJ Stroud | Ohio State | 4 |
6 | WR2 | Jordan Addison | USC | 15 |
7 | WR3 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State | 20 |
8 | WR4 | Josh Downs | UNC | 34 |
9 | WR5 | Jalin Hyatt | Tennessee | 35 |
10 | WR6 | Zay Flowers | Boston College | 36 |
11 | TE1 | Michael Mayer | Notre Dame | 16 |
12 | QB3 | Will Levis | Kentucky | 6 |
13 | QB4 | Anthony Richardson | Florida | 21 |
14 | RB3 | Zach Charbonnet | UCLA | 63 |
15 | WR7 | Kayshon Boutte | LSU | 43 |
16 | WR8 | Rashee Rice | SMU | 52 |
17 | RB4 | Devon Achane | Texas A&M | 74 |
18 | RB5 | Zach Evans | Mississippi | 81 |
19 | RB6 | Tank Bigsby | Auburn | 94 |
20 | TE2 | Darnell Washington | Georgia | 40 |
21 | TE3 | Dalton Kincaid | Utah | 45 |
22 | WR9 | Cedric Tillman | Tennessee | 69 |
23 | WR10 | Marvin Mims | Oklahoma | 79 |
24 | WR11 | Xavier Hutchinson | Iowa State | 88 |
25 | WR12 | Parker Washington | Penn State | 90 |
26 | RB7 | Deuce Vaughn | Kansas State | 99 |
27 | RB8 | Chase Brown | Illinois | 100 |
28 | TE4 | Luke Musgrave | Oregon State | 54 |
29 | QB5 | Hendon Hooker | Tennessee | 66 |
30 | QB6 | Tanner McKee | Stanford | 68 |
31 | TE5 | Tucker Kraft | South Dakota State | 75 |
32 | WR13 | Nathaniel Dell | Houston | 96 |
Check out the list of biggest Risers and Fallers here!
Quarterback:
Pos. | Player | School | 1/16/23 | 1/27/23 | Change |
QB1 | Bryce Young | Alabama | 3 | 2 | 1 |
QB2 | CJ Stroud | Ohio State | 4 | 4 | 0 |
QB3 | Will Levis | Kentucky | 6 | 6 | 0 |
QB4 | Anthony Richardson | Florida | 20 | 21 | -1 |
QB5 | Hendon Hooker | Tennessee | 62 | 66 | -4 |
QB6 | Tanner McKee | Stanford | 47 | 68 | -21 |
QB7 | Jaren Hall | BYU | 76 | 78 | -2 |
QB8 | Max Duggan | TCU | 222 | 187 | 35 |
QB9 | Clayton Tune | Houston | 136 | 188 | -52 |
QB10 | Jake Haener | Fresno State | 183 | 195 | -12 |
QB11 | Tyson Bagent | Shepherd | 251 | 233 | 18 |
QB12 | Aidan O’Connell | Purdue | 354 | 243 | 111 |
QB13 | Dorian Thompson-Robinson | UCLA | 328 | 272 | 56 |
QB14 | Stetson Bennett IV | Georgia | 241 | 316 | -75 |
QB15 | Lindsey Scott Jr. | Incarnate Word | 324 | -324 |
Running Back:
Pos. | Player | School | 1/16/23 | 1/27/23 | Change |
RB1 | Bijan Robinson | Texas | 12 | 14 | -2 |
RB2 | Jahmyr Gibbs | Alabama | 30 | 30 | 0 |
RB3 | Zach Charbonnet | UCLA | 54 | 63 | -9 |
RB4 | Devon Achane | Texas A&M | 65 | 74 | -9 |
RB5 | Zach Evans | Mississippi | 77 | 81 | -4 |
RB6 | Tank Bigsby | Auburn | 130 | 94 | 36 |
RB7 | Deuce Vaughn | Kansas State | 106 | 99 | 7 |
RB8 | Chase Brown | Illinois | 108 | 100 | 8 |
RB9 | Kenny McIntosh | Georgia | 105 | 103 | 2 |
RB10 | Roschon Johnson | Texas | 153 | 108 | 45 |
RB11 | Sean Tucker | Syracuse | 98 | 125 | -27 |
RB12 | DeWayne McBride | UAB | 115 | 129 | -14 |
RB13 | Kendre Miller | TCU | 182 | 136 | 46 |
RB14 | Mohamed Ibrahim | Minnesota | 146 | 153 | -7 |
RB15 | Israel Abanikanda | Pittsburgh | 116 | 154 | -38 |
RB16 | Eric Gray | Oklahoma | 139 | 159 | -20 |
RB17 | Tyjae Spears | Tulane | 160 | 164 | -4 |
RB18 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. | Kentucky | 211 | 168 | 43 |
RB19 | Hunter Luepke | North Dakota State | 162 | 185 | -23 |
RB20 | Camerun Peoples | Appalachian State | 300 | 196 | 104 |
RB21 | Evan Hull | Northwestern | 287 | 208 | 79 |
RB22 | Keaton Mitchell | Eastern Carolina | 235 | -235 | |
RB23 | Lew Nichols III | Central Michigan | 260 | -260 | |
RB24 | Trelon Smith | UTSA | 279 | ||
RB25 | Tavion Thomas | Utah | 268 | 285 | -17 |
RB26 | Travis Dye | USC | 289 | ||
RB27 | Tiyon Evans | Louisville | 293 | ||
RB28 | Xazavian Valladay | Arizona State | 288 | 344 | -56 |
RB29 | Khalan Laborn | Marshall | 314 | 350 | -36 |
RB30 | Rasheen Ali | Marshall | 277 | 277 |
Wide Receiver:
Pos. | Player | School | 1/16/23 | 1/27/23 | Change |
WR1 | Quentin Johnson | TCU | 10 | 9 | 1 |
WR2 | Jordan Addison | USC | 13 | 15 | -2 |
WR3 | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | Ohio State | 19 | 20 | -1 |
WR4 | Josh Downs | UNC | 35 | 34 | 1 |
WR5 | Jalin Hyatt | Tennessee | 33 | 35 | -2 |
WR6 | Zay Flowers | Boston College | 41 | 36 | 5 |
WR7 | Kayshon Boutte | LSU | 45 | 43 | 2 |
WR8 | Rashee Rice | SMU | 53 | 52 | 1 |
WR9 | Cedric Tillman | Tennessee | 81 | 69 | 12 |
WR10 | Marvin Mims | Oklahoma | 101 | 79 | 22 |
WR11 | Xavier Hutchinson | Iowa State | 112 | 88 | 24 |
WR12 | Parker Washington | Penn State | 88 | 90 | -2 |
WR13 | Nathaniel Dell | Houston | 96 | 96 | 0 |
WR14 | Rakim Jarrett | Maryland | 147 | 102 | 45 |
WR15 | Dontayvion Wicks | Virginia | 107 | 117 | -10 |
WR16 | AT Perry | Wake Forest | 118 | 124 | -6 |
WR17 | Dontay Demus Jr. | Maryland | 126 | 150 | -24 |
WR18 | Andrei Iosivas | Princeton | 173 | 152 | 21 |
WR19 | Puka Nacua | BYU | 219 | 155 | 64 |
WR20 | Jayden Reed | MSU | 151 | 160 | -9 |
WR21 | Trey Palmer | Nebraska | 181 | 172 | 9 |
WR22 | Charlie Jones | Purdue | 141 | 173 | -32 |
WR23 | Ronnie Bell | Michigan | 163 | 174 | -11 |
WR24 | Elijah Higgins | Stanford | 196 | 177 | 19 |
WR25 | Jonathan Mingo | Mississippi | 170 | 197 | -27 |
WR26 | Tyler Scott | Cincinnati | 227 | 206 | 21 |
WR27 | Keytaon Thompson | Virginia | 274 | 225 | 49 |
WR28 | Joseph Ngata | Clemson | 234 | -234 | |
WR29 | Frank Ladson Jr. | Miami | 261 | 238 | 23 |
WR30 | Demario Douglas | Liberty | 262 | 239 | 23 |
WR31 | Jake Bobo | UCLA | 269 | 241 | 28 |
WR32 | Jalen Cropper | Fresno State | 203 | 242 | -39 |
WR33 | Michael Wilson | Stanford | 252 | ||
WR34 | Mitchell Tinsley | Penn State | 254 | ||
WR35 | Je’Quan Burton | Florida Atlantic | 255 | ||
WR36 | Jadon Haselwood | Arkansas | 266 | 263 | 3 |
Tight End:
Pos. | Player | School | 1/16/23 | 1/27/23 | Change |
TE1 | Michael Mayer | Notre Dame | 18 | 16 | 2 |
TE2 | Darnell Washington | Georgia | 49 | 40 | 9 |
TE3 | Dalton Kincaid | Utah | 50 | 45 | 5 |
TE4 | Luke Musgrave | Oregon State | 51 | 54 | -3 |
TE5 | Tucker Kraft | South Dakota State | 131 | 75 | 56 |
TE6 | Sam LaPorta | Iowa | 78 | 82 | -4 |
TE7 | Cameron Latu | Alabama | 125 | 141 | -16 |
TE8 | Josh Whyle | Cincinnati | 178 | 144 | 34 |
TE9 | Luke Schoonmaker | Michigan | 140 | 162 | -22 |
TE10 | Will Mallory | Miami | 220 | ||
TE11 | Brenton Strange | Penn State | 221 | ||
TE12 | Davis Allen | Clemson | 216 | 226 | -10 |
TE13 | Zack Kuntz | Old Dominion | 200 | 231 | -31 |
TE14 | Jahleel Billingsley | Texas | 287 |