NFL Draft rumors 2023: Cowboys crush, Texans panicking and Eagles luxury pick

NFL Draft rumors are heating up with the 2023 draft just over a week away with the Cowboys’ big target, the Texans scrambling at No. 2 and the Eagles’ luxury pick.

On Thursday, April 27, the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft will get underway in Kansas City. But for the next 10 days, it’s full-blown NFL Draft rumors season. Happy holidays to all who celebrate.

Whether it’s been Jalen Carter potentially being a Steelers target, Stetson Bennett IV having no stock at all, or much more, we’ve already heard plenty of rumblings about the 2023 draft that have our ears perked up.

But this time of year is a constant churn of big-time NFL Draft rumors that we have to, at minimum, pay attention to and then parse through the validity of. Whether that’s who the Dallas Cowboys can’t pass up in the first round, where the Philadelphia Eagles could flex on the rest of the league, or how the Houston Texans are reacting to Bryce Young trends, it’s all worthwhile.

We’re diving into those exact rumors here with just over a week until the start of the draft.

NFL Draft rumors: Latest Bryce Young update has Texans scrambling

After weeks on weeks of questions about which quarterback the Carolina Panthers ultimately traded up to the No. 1 pick for, it seems like we have our answer. Bryce Young became the favorite to be selected first overall last week, but now the Alabama quarterback is the runaway favorite according to oddsmakers to be the No. 1 pick.

Furthering that thought is that Young has now canceled his remaining pre-draft visits, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

That settles that for the Panthers — but what do the Houston Texans do now?

Recent reports about Young being the pick for Carolina have been accompanied by rumblings that the Texans have only had eyes for the Bama quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick and that they could be open to options of the non-QB variety if that was the case. In fact, with the reports regarding Young on Monday, NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein noted in Twitter replies that the Texans are now exploring trading down.

https://twitter.com/BillyM_91/status/1648028679971254272

It’s becoming clear that, though the early thought was Bryce Young might fall to the second pick and the Texans with the Panthers taking C.J. Stroud, Houston is panicking a bit now. There are also reports that they are doing their homework on edge rushers such as Will Anderson Jr. or even Tyree Wilson in addition to being open to the idea of a trade.

Whatever the case, Houston is clearly scrambling and could very well — albeit not without some shock factor — walk out of the first round without a new quarterback.

NFL Draft rumors: Could Eagles use No. 10 pick on Bijan Robinson?

Fresh off making their Super Bowl run this past season, the Philadelphia Eagles are riding quite the high. Not only did they ink quarterback Jalen Hurts to a monster new contract, but the reigning NFC champions now have two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, the first of which will be at the back of the Top 10, the 10th overall selection to be exact.

The question, however, is what the Eagles will do with that pick.

For a while, it seemed like cornerback was an obvious need. However, with James Bradberry and Darius Slay both returning to Philly, this is a team that isn’t necessarily facing any pressing needs on the roster. They are in a position to make a luxury pick and one NFL insider may have dropped a subtle hint that’s what the Eagles are planning.

Discussing the viability of using a first-round pick on Texas running back Bijan Robinson, MMQB insider Peter King first threw out the Eagles as an example, talking about how special the running back could be behind Philadelphia’s elite offensive line on a modest salary. And given King’s connections, it’s hard to believe that was entirely by accident.

Robinson has quietly been connected to Philadelphia on multiple occasions throughout the industry and, with Miles Sanders departing in free agency, there is a relative need for an upgrade over Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. Robinson would undoubtedly be that as a true three-down back that can win all over the field.

It’s worth noting that King also threw out the Detroit Lions (No. 18 pick) as another salary example for Robinson, but that’s another rumored potential destination for the Texas star as well.

Maybe it’s nothing but, with two first-rounders and no glaring holes, the Eagles being connected to Bijan Robinson at the No. 10 pick by someone like Peter King feels a bit more than a coincidental.

NFL Draft rumors: ‘Can’t see’ Cowboys ‘passing’ on Michael Mayer in first round

From the moment it became clear that the Dallas Cowboys weren’t going to keep tight end Dalton Schultz after he played the 2022 season on the franchise tag, it’s been speculated upon heavily that they would target a tight end in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, which happens to be at the No. 26 pick.

The names of who they could be targeting, however, have been revolving over the past several weeks. We’ve heard Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid, Georgia tight end Darnell Washington and many others. But apparently the answer might be the most obvious one and not a galaxy-brain solution.

The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler compiled a full 7-round mock draft for all 259 picks (subscription required) and has the Cowboys selecting Notre Dame tight end Michael Mayer. More importantly, a source told Brugler, “I just can’t see Dallas passing” on Mayer if he fell to the 26th pick.

Mayer would make the most sense for Dallas among the tight end prospects in the 2023 draft. Kincaid is more a slot receiver than true tight end while Washington is on the other end of the spectrum as a blocker that teams would be hoping could further develop as a pass-catcher. With Mayer, though, the Cowboys would get a player who is a highly capable receiver but has more chops as a blocker than others, including his would-be predecessor in Schultz.

The big question will be if the Notre Dame star will fall to No. 26 but, if he does, you can probably book the Cowboys making that call.