Breaking down Stanford’s 2023 NFL Draft prospects
The 2023 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27th and I thought it would be good to provide a breakdown of which players from Stanford are hoping to hear their name called. Let’s dive in!
QB Tanner McKee: Tanner McKee played three years on The Farm, leaving after his junior season. At 6’6”, 230 pounds, McKee has good size and knows how make NFL-level throws. His accuracy and arm strength is really good and when given enough time in the pocket, he can really carve up a secondary. He’s a really smart player and has a good feel for the quarterback position, so his IQ is something that should serve him well in the NFL.
His biggest weakness is his mobility. He doesn’t do a great job of evading pressure in the pocket and too easily gets sacked. When he is able to evade pressure and run downfield, he’s able to scramble for a first down and can get going a bit, so it’s really the lateral quickness that is a bigger issue than his vertical speed.
As far as his draft projection is concerned, I think we’re looking at a guy who is going to go as high as the 3rd round and as low as the 5th round. There are some who think he could go as high as the 2nd round, but in my opinion, I don’t see him going that high. At the same time, it would surprise me if he fell into the 6th or 7th rounds. Given his pure quarterbacking talent, someone is certainly going to take him and ensure he doesn’t fall too far.
CB Kyu Blu Kelly: Kyu Blu Kelly played four years on The Farm, deciding to come back for his senior season. He has ideal size for a cornerback at 6’1”, 188 pounds and has NFL bloodlines thanks to his dad Brian, who played 11 years in the NFL. You can tell that Kelly has been around the game for a long time and that he really has a high football IQ.
Kelly is used to going up against the best receivers in the country, always taking on the top receiver on opposing teams during his time at Stanford. He never shies away from a good challenge and really enjoys pushing himself against the best receivers that he can face. He has a great mentality and does a good job of moving on to the next play if he makes a mistake. He has a short memory and doesn’t let anything rattle him.
His biggest weaknesses are interceptions and a tendency to sometimes get beat deep. In four years at Stanford, Kelly had only three interceptions. While a lot of that is due to him not getting many good looks since teams tried to avoid throwing his way, he could have picked off more balls than just three during those four years. Also, after having 13 pass deflections as a junior, he had less than half of that as a senior with six. His ball-hawking skills certainly could improve, though the 13 pass deflections as a junior showed the potential is certainly there.
And then quickly on getting beat deep, there were some moments where he got beat for a big gain and it seemed to happen more often than it should have for a corner of his status. David Shaw defended Kelly when asked about this saying all the great players get beat every now and then and that for the most part, Kelly locks down his assignment just fine. While I’ll accept that as a defense, it still seemed to me at least like Kelly gave up more deep balls than he should have.
In regard to his draft projection, I think we’re looking at a guy who could go as high as the 4th round and as low as the 6th round. Given his physical tools and NFL bloodlines, somebody is going to want to give him a chance.
WR Elijah Higgins: Elijah Higgins played four years on The Farm and during his entire time was one of the top offensive weapons on the entire team. At 6’3”, 234 pounds, Higgins has really good size for an NFL wide receiver and actually is getting looked at to play some tight end. When you watch him play, he definitely passes the eye test.
Higgins has good hands, runs routes well, and can absorb contact. He’s not an easy guy to bring down and can really make plays in the open field while also making tough catches in traffic. His ability to play both wide receiver and tight end make him a really intriguing prospect.
As far as weaknesses go, due to his size, I think there could be some concerns about his top-end speed. There’s going to be faster players in the draft, though many of them don’t have the same body frame that he does. Also, he had just two touchdown receptions as a senior after having four touchdowns as a junior. He’s going to have to prove that is capable of being a reliable target in the red zone and that he can find the end zone with the right offensive system. A lot of his end zone struggles he can pin on playing for a team that honestly wasn’t very good.
Looking at his draft projection, I think we’re looking at a 5th to 7th round selection. His physical tools and ability to make catches in traffic/through contact will make someone draft him. I just think his lack of production last year will hurt his stock. He’s definitely a guy who could end up being a real steal of this draft due to his overall upside.
WR Michael Wilson: Michael Wilson played five years on The Farm, coming back for an extra year in 2022. At 6’2”, 209 pounds, Wilson has solid size for a wide receiver. He is an exceptional route runner who really prides himself on his technique. He’s very meticulous about his craft and really focuses on the details.
When he was healthy, Wilson brought a real calmness and collectiveness to the Stanford offense. There’s reason he was voted a team captain. He’s just a guy who his teammates really respected because of how hard he worked and how he led by example. Former wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy said Wilson was one of those guys who he would tell other guys to be like. If they didn’t know how to do something, he’d tell them to watch Michael Wilson and learn from him. Wilson is just one of those kind of guys.
The two biggest weaknesses Wilson has are his health and hands. He was hurt for much of his time at Stanford, playing in the final four games of the 2021 season and playing in six games of the 2022 season. He’s going to have convince NFL teams that he isn’t too fragile and that his body can handle the pounding of an NFL season.
In terms of his hands, Wilson dropped too many balls in his Stanford career. It’s something he is very well aware of and I’m sure has worked on a lot during the offseason. If he can shore that part up of his game and stay healthy, he could be a real steal of this draft.
In terms of his draft projection, from what I’ve been reading, it looks like his stock has risen as a result of his combine and pro day experiences. I’m going to put Wilson in the 5th to 7th round range. Seems like odds are good he’ll get drafted, it’s just a question of where.
WR Brycen Tremayne: Brycen Tremayne played five years on The Farm and came back from a nasty broken leg suffered in his senior year to have a rather productive 5th season. At 6’4”, 212 pounds, Tremayne has really good size, athleticism, and also appears to have good speed for someone of his size as well. He has a really good nose for the ball and has an ability to make some really difficult catches. There was one catch he made at Notre Dame last season that made my jaw drop to the floor.
In addition to having a good nose for the ball, Tremayne also has a good nose for the end zone and is very comfortable hauling in passes for touchdowns. His footwork in the end zone and on sidelines in general is excellent. He’s great at making toe tapping receptions.
Tremayne’s biggest weakness is his agility. I think his raw speed is fine and touching more on the athleticism part, his ability to jump up for balls and bring them in is really good. It’s the agility part that I think is the biggest question. Can he juke guys for first downs in the NFL and be shifty enough is the big question for him.
Looking at his draft projection, I’m going to put Tremayne in the 6th round to undrafted range. He very well may get picked in the final two rounds or he may be looking for a team as an undrafted free agent after the draft. There are upsides to being an undrafted free agent. You can pick your team more easily and given that he started as a walk-on, he’s used to being overlooked. Going undrafted wouldn’t faze him at all.
S Kendall Williamson: Kendall Williamson played five years at Stanford and is a really physical safety, listed at 6’0”, 203 pounds. He’s very aggressive and was one of the better hitters if not the best hitter on Stanford’s defense last season. He knows how to put the hurt on opposing players and plays with the right mentality. He has a good feel for the game.
Despite playing for a defense that really struggled, Williamson found ways to still make plays last season and that speaks well of him. He did a good job of doing his assignment and doing all that was asked of him. There weren’t any games where you felt like the defense struggled because of Williamson. He was always a bright spot for the defense.
In regard to weaknesses, there’s a lot of safeties that are his size and if anything, he might be on the slightly smaller side of the safety spectrum. And while he did a good job of fulfilling his assignments and making the right reads, he wasn’t an explosive defensive player, either. He didn’t get a lot of takeaways or make a lot of big-time plays. He was sound and steady in his role, which isn’t bad. He just didn’t seem to have that top-end playmaking ability that other safeties have had.
Regarding his draft projection, I’m putting Williamson in the 6th round to undrafted range. Maybe somebody takes a flyer on him in one of those final two rounds. And if doesn’t get selected, someone is likely to sign him to a training camp deal and see what he can bring.
CB Ethan Bonner: Ethan Bonner played five years on The Farm and is known for his speed. That’s something that should give him a chance to make an NFL roster. Speed is so important. On top of having great speed, Bonner has good size 6’1”, 190 pounds.
During his time at Stanford, Bonner got better with each season he played with his fifth season being his best: Five pass deflections and 29 total tackles. He has a really good work ethic and keeps finding ways to improve his game.
The biggest weakness of Bonner is definitely health. He played in only five games in his senior year and has just had a lot of questions surrounding his durability. If teams can be convinced that he’s able to be durable in the NFL, he could have a career in the league because he has the size and speed to interest a lot of teams.
Regarding his draft projection, I’m putting Bonner in the 6th round to undrafted range. Anything can happen in those final two rounds, so it’s certainly possible some team selects him. Otherwise, someone is likely to give him a training camp invite and see what he can do there.
S Patrick Fields: Patrick Fields came to Stanford as a grad transfer from Oklahoma and was the Alamo Bowl MVP before coming to Stanford. At 6’0”, 203 pounds, Fields has the same size as Williamson, which puts him on the smaller side for the safety position, but not too small.
Fields was perhaps the best pure tackler on the team last season and played with more fire than anyone on the defense. Fields is a natural leader on the field that commands the respect of his teammates and is a born winner. He has all the intangibles to succeed and find a home in the NFL. I think the biggest question with him is just whether or not he has the physical tools to make it work in the league.
While his draft projection is 7th round to undrafted, I still feel like Fields is worth mentioning as a prospect. He’s one of those guys whose intangibles and mentality will make him worth at least looking at if you are an NFL team. It’ll be interesting to see if anyone will give him a look and if they do, what he does with the opportunity.
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