College Football: Replacements for every first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft

4. Florida football replacement for Anthony Richardson (Colts): Graham Mertz

The question of replacing Anthony Richardson at Florida is a fascinating one, but not because the answer is uncertain. Graham Mertz, despite some concerns coming out of the spring, transferred in after four seasons at Wisconsin and should take over at QB1 in Gainesville, which is intriguing given that he had a high recruiting pedigree but was often limited by the Badgers offense.

What’s interesting, though, is that Florida is not coming off an all-world season with Richardson at the helm of the offense. The Gators are losing a truly elite and unique talent at quarterback, but they are also losing a player who was drafted No. 4 overall as a developmental player who didn’t necessarily star consistently in college.

Now that Billy Napier has Mertz’s experience, even in a new system, perhaps that could stabilize the Gators offense in a meaningful capacity.

5. Illinois football replacement for Devon Witherspoon (Seahawks): Tahveon Nicholson

Limited to only 10 games last season due to a wrist injury, Tahveon Nicholson is all but Sharpied into being the top cornerback for the Illinois defense in the 2023 season now that Devon Witherspoon is gone.

Nicholson was quite good as the CB2 for the Fighting Illini last season, registering a pick and six pass defenses but, more importantly, allowing quarterbacks to complete just 47.5% of passes against him when targeted. That’s a good number that will be the cornerstone for him to build on as he comes more into focus.

There’s a good chance that Nicholson won’t be as dominant as Witherspoon and, more importantly, the depth at the position will be tested. But overall, Bret Bielema has done a good job of replacing a top-five draft pick, something that would’ve sounded far-fetched out of Illinois not long ago.