2023 NFL Draft: Pick-by-pick analysis for Day 3, Rounds 6-7

Scott was a slower-footed, long corner who often was used to cover big slot weapons. His upside is questionable, but he has some interesting traits.

After playing end in college, Brooks figures to move inside in the NFL -- after some tough testing numbers at his pro day. But his production was elite, especially considering he was playing out of position for such a bulky guy. He might be a 5 technique in Green Bay.

He's small but very fast and plays with a tone-setting urgency despite his lack of mass and length. 

Hayes ran 40 times of 4.44 and 4.49 seconds at his pro day, which likely got him drafted. The former North Dakota State transfer via Virginia, where he had a lost season in 2021, best projects to the slot.

Tomlinson didn't meet the minimum size threshold for some teams at just under 5-foot-8, 180 pounds with a short wingspan. With a few college teams getting the best of him, he's almost certainly a slot-only corner, but Tomlinson was a competitive, instinctive, team-driven leader at TCU.

Denver struck gold with Justin Simmons years ago on Day 3 of the draft, and it has selected a similarly built talent here in Skinner. He's a rangy, long playmaker but might be more effective closer to the line of scrimmage than as a center fielder.

An underrated athlete, Barnes plays with a decent nose for the ball and could be a solid Day 3 pickup because of his extensive special-teams experience in his college career.

A player with similarities to Amari Rodgers and Ty Montgomery, Washington figures to play in the slot predominantly and could add some toughness as a middle-field option.

Duncan had some early-round buzz at one point but appeared to fizzle in that regard the longer the process went on. He's got good athletic traits and 39 starts at left tackle in the Big Ten but might need to be pushed to max out his talent.

The previous LSU staff viewed Boutte as a first-round pick in the making, but his first season under Brian Kelly was a roadblock for Boutte's development. Kelly publicly called Boutte out, which Bill Belichick won't be afraid to do if needed, but there's a playmaker to be groomed if Boutte buys in.

You can't find a much more stark comparison, style-wise, from the statuesque, 6-foot-6 McKee and the Eagles' franchise QB, Jalen Hurts. From that standpoint the pick is curious at best, but McKee does possess nice feel and touch as a passer and could be a Nick Foles type of backup.

A sneaky sleeper, Mathis never reached the peak he had in 2020 at TCU but still possesses enough length and intrigue to develop. He's a tad on the older side for a developmental player.

Cleveland secures another value pick here, albeit to a one-position prospect with a somewhat stubby frame. Even though we thought Wypler probably needed another year in school, he has some tangible upside as a center.

Palmer can fly, hitting a different gear when he's given a clean runway. He never produced regularly at LSU but found success at Nebraska and was worth the gamble here.

The Patriots double down on specialists in the draft, but the value is better here than with their fourth-round selection of kicker Chad Ryland. Baringer was clearly the best punter prospect this year and is experienced in poor weather. But this is not your typical Belichick punter. For one, he's right-footed. And two, he's a massive-legged boomer -- not the directional kicker New England has traditionally favored.

If Brian Robinson ever gets tired or is unavailable, Rodriguez can step right in and the physicality level won't drop off. He reminded me of Benny Snell a bit, rumbling through tackle attempts and wearing down opponents.

Coburn fits the mold of the stumpy, thick-bodied dancing-bear nose tackle the Chiefs have had over the years. He's not a playmaker but is tough and reliable enough to battle in the trenches.

One of the more surprising sliders in this draft, Perry has length and terrific production (26 TDs in his final 27 college games). But he doesn't play strong all the time and will drop eminently catchable passes.

Ramirez is a highly athletic but short-framed edge rusher who can give Tampa's pass rush a boost. He has a good track record for getting into the backfield.

Sort of a tight end in a receiver's body, Higgins moves pretty well for his size and could be a mismatch piece out of the slot. But he lacks a superpower as a prospect.

Reed is a well-built but shorter DB with safety and corner experience. He was overlooked at New Mexico but has some anticipation skills, and he might possess the versatility to make the roster.

A classic developmental project, Aumavae-Laulu has all the traits you want at tackle but lacks refinement. He won't start anytime soon but could contribute down the road.

An accomplished kick blocker, rotational D-lineman and even occasional tight end, Matlock has overcome family tragedy to make it and will do what it takes to crack the Chargers' roster.

A college center who appears to be a three-position backup on the inside, Patterson must overcome unusual dimensions and a fairly lengthy injury history but has the smarts and toughness to make it.

If you can get past his small frame, Braswell is a surprisingly explosive athlete who made a number of plays on the ball last season for Greg Schiano's team.

Burney flashed some blitzing potential as a box defender and held his own in coverage last season, when he finally cracked the Gators' starting lineup.

He's been starting in college for the past five years, offering good length and speed, and he's a very solid tackler. Bernard-Converse might have been a bit overlooked as a prospect.

Following a solid showing at the Reese's Senior Bowl, Hutchinson appeared to be more of a fourth-round prospect -- as he's similar to Jakobi Meyers in some respects -- but appears to be a solid sleeper for the Texans, who need WR help.

The Princeton track star and deep-ball threat profiles as a less-explosive version of Christian Watson. Iosivas was solid at the Reese's Senior Bowl but might have to earn a role on special teams to make it initially in Cincinnati.

Is this the end of the Mason Crosby era? It might be too soon to say yes, but Carlson has the big-kick experience to push the veteran for a job. It could come down to which player can do better on kickoffs and deep-kick tries in training camp.

Hallett ran a quality 3-cone drill time (6.84 seconds) at his pro day and has extensive slot experience. He's smaller but a quality athlete for his size.

This is the gamble-on-traits portion of the draft, and Hawkins oozes them at nearly 6-foot-2 with good foot speed and 32-inch arms.

The Patriots worked with Douglas at the East-West Shrine Game. He's quite small -- sort of a Marcus Jones-type build but on offense. There is enough quality burst in his game to give him a chance to make a dent.

A classic Colts smaller-school project, Leo is yet another ridiculous athlete who is landing in Indianapolis. His frenetic rush style and pursuit ability will make him a tough cut come August.

Before you cry nepotism -- Deuce's father, Chris, is the Cowboys' assistant scouting director -- know that Vaughn is one of the more thrilling, productive runners in recent FBS history. He's also 5-foot-5 and 180 pounds, with good but hardly elite speed. Nonetheless, it's hard not to love the tape, where Vaughn routinely clowned good defenders with his quickness and toughness.

Stills uses his gap-shooting quickness to routinely crash the backfield and make plays. He's neither big nor strong for the position but absolutely can carve out a third-down rush role inside.

Bill Belichick will never not love special teams, and that's the most likely route for Speed to crack New England's lineup; though, he's long and athletic and could be tried as a developmental corner.

Injuries and fumbles limit Evans' appeal significantly, but if you only watched his highlight plays, you might be convinced that Evans should have gone three rounds earlier. He's a boom-or-bust prospect who will have a shot in L.A.

Winters' showcase performance came in TCU's upset victory over Michigan in the College Football Playoffs, and his athleticism and instincts are above average. If he's too small to make it at linebacker, Winters' calling card could be on special-teams coverage units.

He's a methodical directional punter with good touch and experience playing in poor Midwest winters. Robbins will try to unseat Drue Chrisman, who kicked pretty well down the stretch last year.

Another player I have not yet watched college tape on, Bell reportedly had a solid pro-day performance but will need to overcome a lack of length.

Green looks more like an athlete than a polished route runner, and he'll need a crash course on NFL route trees, but he's had pretty good production and possesses good length and burst.

We felt Kuntz could go off the board a few rounds ago. There are some limitations for an older prospect who remains in the developmental phase, but there are not many 6-foot-7, 255-pounders out there running 4.5-second 40-yard-dash times.

Jones was a college corner who could be tried at safety at the next level. He's not as fast as his testing times indicate and he could be better suited not playing outside on an island.

McBride has some outrageous tape, pinballing off would-be tacklers in every game I watched. He's not yet a complete back, but McBride absolutely could be a late-round hit in a complementary role. 

Wingate last produced an NFL player who was drafted about 15 years ago (DB David Jones, a 2007 fifth-round pick), but NFL teams will turn over every rock to find quality punters. Evans is a big-framed punter and kickoff specialist who dominated at the D-II level.

Hellams was Mr. Reliable for Bama, often cleaning up mistakes by others on a talented defense. He's limited physically and can't match receivers' deep speed, but Hellams is the kind of player who finds a way to make it in this league.

The Falcons go back-to-back on SEC picks. Gwyn held his own at the Reese's Senior Bowl despite his 6-foot-2, 297-pound frame, and he'll almost certainly have to make it as a center in the NFL.

Almost exclusively a right tackle at Appalachian State, Hodges is expected to move inside in the NFL but could pinch hit outside when needed. He's smart and competitive, and had a nice showing at the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.

With their 138th pick of Day 3 -- OK, it only feels that way -- the Jaguars found a compact interior plugger who has come a long way since his days at College of Dupage.

The 6-foot-3, 212-pound Dowell put on a show at his pro day in the 40 (4.42 seconds), jumping drills (41 1/2-inch high jump, 11-foot-1 broad) and bench press (23 reps). Those are eye-popping numbers for the local product.

Vorhees' story takes a positive turn following his combine ACL tear. Scouts were inspired when the experienced Vorhees showed up the following day to rack out a stunning 38 reps on the bench. He'll sit this year in Baltimore but will bring vast experience at multiple spots.

Broeker has experience at left tackle and left guard and is a pretty nice pick at this point in the draft. The Bills keep upgrading their OL depth.

He wasn't a penetrator in college but has five years of experience at Miami and Arizona State and was a solid performer at both spots.

Often a scout's favorite for his energetic, aggressive and competitive style, Valentine has enough length and athleticism to be tried as a man corner on the outside.

Jones has unusual length and some interesting qualities as a player, but he remains a bit undeveloped in some respects and will need to flash in camp to rise above the practice squad.

The Rams have had success with Day 3 defensive backs, and Taylor -- who is not related to the Hall of Fame pass rusher -- should at the very least make his mark on special teams, in addition to being an intriguing safety prospect.

Nichols lit up the MAC in 2021 with 1,848 rush yards but fell off precipitously last season, slowed by a toe injury. He's a straightforward, between-the-tackles runner with some receiving ability, but he had too many concentration drops.

The Northern Michigan product is a wild story, starting his college career as a hoops player at Michigan Tech, sitting out his first year at Northern Michigan and then losing the next year to COVID cancellations. But his athletic traits at 6-foot-7 were enough to get him drafted.

Love something, anything, as much as the Seahawks love drafting running backs. McIntosh's lack of speed likely pushed him down this far, but he has soft hands as a receiver and has found ways to be consistently productive when he received touches, even in a timeshare at Georgia. 

A sneaky-good run blocker, Hayes nonetheless struggles when combatting quick or powerful rushers out on an island. He's got a shot to make it as a swing tackle.

Duggan's accuracy is his biggest Achilles' heel, but he has the competitive spirit, big-game experience and enough athletic qualities to latch on as a developmental QB behind Justin Herbert.

The rare edge/fullback hybrid has the quickness (6.76-second 3-cone drill), strength (27 bench press reps) and desire to make it as a lead blocker and special-teams beast.

A longer, well-built corner with surprising athleticism, Trice figured to be off the board prior to this. He had his best season in 2022 after missing nearly all of the 2021 campaign with a knee injury.

In a shallower pool of safety prospects, Johnson was a player we had pegged to go two or three rounds earlier. We wouldn't be shocked if Johnson ends up as a L'Jarius Sneed-like performer for the Packers.

Riley will turn 25 soon and bounced around in college, but his mass and strength give him a chance to make it as a nose tackle in New York. A shoulder injury prevented him from bench pressing at his pro day.

A poor 40 time (4.69) at the NFL Scouting Combine likely hurt his chances of going earlier, but Brooks had an incomplete prospect profile after missing time in 2020 and 2021 seasons. He's pretty competitive attacking the ball in the air.

A height-weight-speed prospect with monster kick-return production, Bolden has played all over the secondary and could be a matchup coverage piece if he can learn to be more disciplined in his approach.

He has a few burn marks in coverage on tape, but Ivey's length and good athletic traits make him a solid gamble at this stage.

A multi-positional blocker and receiving talent who lacks great size and athleticism, Willis lands in the perfect spot to make it. The 49ers love turning players such as this into quality contributors.

Similar in some ways to Christopher Smith, who was drafted in the fifth round, Hill makes up for his lack of size with good running ability and an aggressive style that could parlay into a special-teams role.

It's surprising that the long-limbed, athletic Ojomo would last this long in a DT-deficient draft class. It's not shocking at this point, however, that the Eagles ended his slide. We viewed him as a top-150 prospect.

The Chiefs had such success mining for DB talent in last year's draft that they've reprised the approach. Jones is thinly built but always brings energy and activity and has a knack for blocking kicks.

Interesting that he's listed at tackle. Anderson played mostly guard last season, and he actually has experience at all five OL spots in his career. It's just that he has 32-inch arms and is so-so athletically.

The Bills' cornerback depth was tested late last season, so adding a smart, fairly long outside corner with good football IQ feels like a smart move.

I've been a big Bell fans for a few years now and am surprised, even with his small frame, that he lasted so long. His feisty, competitive style, big-play knack and nice quickness should have taken him off the board a few rounds ago.

There's a frustrating inconsistency to Owens' play, especially for a four-year starter. But he makes just enough plays to keep you interested watching him, and his approach to the game will endear him to Giants coaches.

He's undersized and not terribly fast, but Graham will bring his hard hat to special-teams units and has experience in a number of roles from his time in West Lafayette.

DuBose made a number of eye-opening plays at the Reese's Senior Bowl and can develop as a perimeter threat if he catches the ball more consistently. He'll be a preseason fan favorite for his ability to win jump balls.

Forsyth was mostly a center in college but could be a three-position backup inside. He's known for elite intangibles and a gritty playing style.

A downhill, hard-hitting safety, Williamson tested well but doesn't always arrive at the ball on time. He has the traits to make a roster.

Mr. Irrelevant is the kind of player you root for, a hard-working, hard-hitting interior defender who overcomes his average physical gifts.