TDN100: 5 NFL Draft Prospects Ranked Too Low In February

A monthly group consensus of the top players in the 2023 NFL Draft, the TDN100 update for February is fresh on your feed. The top players in the 2023 NFL Draft class were grouped into a top-100 list, with players rising and falling after the completion of the Senior Bowl and other all-star games. 

While the rankings are a consensus and not attributed to any one scout, there are a handful of NFL draft prospects that sit too low on the board as we get closer to the NFL Scouting Combine.

Bryce Young QB, Alabama (7)

I get it, he doesn’t fit the modern-day mold of a vertically-imposing signal-caller, but the intangibles Young possesses and the success in which he enjoyed for multiple seasons in Tuscaloosa make him, at worst, a top-five player in the class. You could say I’m nit-picking here about a couple of spots here and there, but I’m comfortably placing him above C.J. Stroud, Myles Murphy, and Christian Gonzalez, all of whom are ranked above the former Heisman Trophy winner in this month’s NFL draft rankings.

Dalton Kincaid TE, Utah (36)

The name of the game is creating mismatches, and there may not be a tight end in this year’s NFL draft class better than Kincaid five years down the line. Potentially the TE1 off the board in April, his athleticism in space is too much for weary coverage linebackers, and he’s too big for smaller defensive backs. While No 36 is around where we’ll likely see his name come off the board, these rankings aren’t predictive—they are about fundamental talent. Kincaid is one of the more unique football players in the 2023 class and should be ranked higher.

Calijah Kancey IDL, Pitt (62)

I like this year’s crop of talent, but there aren’t 61 better football players than Kancey. There are obvious size and length concerns, but he has a performance ceiling as lofty as any defender in the entire class—and I think he will give offensive linemen fits from his first snaps in the league. His blend of speed and power at 280-plus pounds is electric and his skill set is rare in today’s game.

Tyrique Stevenson DB, Miami (90)

Expected to play some corner and safety on Sundays, Stevenson’s fluidity coupled with a violent brand of football is a joy to watch on tape. He’s one of the more dominant press-man corners in the 2023 NFL Draft class whose ability to re-route and disrupt timing at the line of scrimmage will serve him well at the next level. A versatile athlete, he’s recorded snaps in the box, in the slot, and on the outside during his four years split between Miami and Georgia. It’s a stacked class of corners, but watching Stevenson work for the Hurricanes this fall and seeing him live at the Senior Bowl showcased a player that bolds a ton of boxes at the roof. 

Tyjae Spears RB, Tulane (97)

The 2023 crop of RBs is an overwhelmingly deep pool of talent, and Spears sits right at the top. While many took his 2022 campaign with a grain of salt against AAC competition, microscoping his game from a projectability standpoint, watching him run for 205 yards and four touchdowns against USC in the Cotton Bowl, and passing the old eye test at the Senior Bowl has deservedly moved Spears up boards. Some may pigeonhole him as a ‘change of pace’ back due to his size and speed at 5-foot-9(v), but he will become an immediate focal point within any offense he lands in and one of the more dynamic chess pieces at the pro level. Traits, production, and projectability are the name of the game, and Spears fits the mold of someone NFL teams covet extremely high every single year.