NFL Draft

Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt declared for the 2023 NFL draft Wednesday and announced he will not play in the Volunteers' Orange Bowl matchup against Clemson.

Hyatt recorded 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and 15 touchdowns during the 2022 season on his way to winning the Biletnikoff Award.

Fellow Vols receiver Cedric Tillman previously announced his intention to enter the draft. Tillman is currently ESPN's sixth-ranked receiver and No. 40 overall prospect, while Hyatt is the seventh-ranked receiver and comes in at No. 44 overall. It's likely both players will find themselves hearing their names called on the second day of April's draft.

Hyatt, Tillman and quarterback Hendon Hooker helped spearhead Tennessee's explosive offense, leading the Vols to a 10-2 regular-season record. It's likely the only thing that prevented Tennessee from making the College Football Playoff was a shocking blowout loss to South Carolina last month.

Hooker suffered a torn ACL in the loss to the Gamecocks. He turns 25 in January and is currently the fifth-ranked quarterback in ESPN's draft rankings behind Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, Will Levis and Anthony Richardson.

The Vols led FBS in yards per game (538.1) and were third behind only Washington and Western Kentucky among the sport's most prolific passing offenses.

Clemson defensive end Myles Murphy will leave college early and jump to the pros.

The junior told ESPN's Pete Thamel he will skip the Orange Bowl, forgo his final year of eligibility and declare for the NFL draft. B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranks Murphy as the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2023 class.

In 2022, Murphy racked up 40 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks for a Tigers team that went 11-2. The native of Marietta, Georgia, ends his career at Clemson with 116 tackles, 36 tackles for loss, 18.5 sacks, six forced fumbles and five pass deflections.

B/R's NFL Scouting Department named him as the most versatile edge-rusher in this year's class. Thamel noted, "Murphy is an end who is best suited for a 4-3 scheme, and he's expected to bring elite speed to that position." Murphy expressed confidence that his unique combination of skills will translate to the next level.

"There's that speed combined with very good strength in my long arm move," he said. "Just those two things, being able to be a very fast defensive end and a speed rusher that's very powerful at the same time. Having offensive linemen thinking about those two things that are polar opposites."

In his latest mock draft, ESPN draft expert Todd McShay predicted Murphy would be selected 14th overall by the Green Bay Packers. Murphy told Thamel that whichever team lands him will get "really just a very elite player, honestly. The sky is the limit. The harder I work, the better player I know I can be."

Murphy will be the latest in a long line of Clemson defensive linemen to be drafted in the first round, joining the likes of Clelin Ferrell, Christian Wilkins and Dexter Lawrence.

Will Anderson Jr. remains the top prospect in the 2023 NFL draft, according to ESPN's Todd McShay.

The Alabama pass-rusher made the Associated Press All-America First Team for the second straight year after tallying 10 sacks this season, and he should hear his name called early in the upcoming draft.

Crimson Tide teammate Bryce Young is also a contender to go No. 1 overall as McShay's top quarterback available.

Here is the top of McShay's big board heading into bowl season.

1. Will Anderson Jr., OLB, Alabama

2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

3. Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia

4. Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech

5. C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State

6. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

7. Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern

8. Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson

9. Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson

10. Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State

Quarterback rankings will see significant debate leading up to the draft, but McShay sees Young as the top player at the position and the second-best player in the class.

The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner's numbers declined this season, although he remained productive with 3,007 passing yards and 27 touchdowns with only five interceptions.

He stays ahead of Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, who dropped two spots in McShay's overall rankings.

Stroud has 37 touchdowns with only six interceptions this year, but he struggled in his last game against Michigan's elite defense with two picks in a 45-23 loss. The pressure is on him to improve his play in the College Football Playoff against Georgia.

Kentucky's Will Levis remains the third quarterback on the board (13th overall) while Florida's Anthony Richardson is fourth (32nd overall). Neither player had a great year by the numbers, but both display traits that impress NFL scouts.

McShay's rankings differ significantly from those of ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr., who lists Levis as the top quarterback in the class and No. 3 overall.

Bleacher Report's Scouting Department ranks Levis fourth among quarterbacks behind Young, Stroud and Richardson.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson also rose on McShay's big board, climbing from eighth to sixth overall. Though teams might not prioritize running backs in the draft, Robinson is hard to ignore after totaling 1,580 rushing yards, 314 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.

Based on the current order for the 2023 NFL draft, ESPN's Todd McShay is projecting three of the first six picks will be quarterbacks.

In his latest mock draft released Tuesday, McShay has Alabama's Bryce Young going No. 1 overall to the Houston Texans. He projects the Detroit Lions will use the No. 4 pick on Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, with Kentucky's Will Levis going to the Atlanta Falcons at No. 6.

Young's size has become a talking point as we get closer to the draft, but McShay cited several other areas in which the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner excels that make him an elite NFL prospect.

"Scouts will knock Young's frame (he's listed at 6-foot), but there is no debating his high-level processing ability, excellent ball placement to all three levels of the field and mobility when forced to go off schedule," McShay wrote. "He has regularly lifted a lackluster offensive supporting cast in Alabama this season, and he can do it again with the Texans."

The Texans' roster is in such dire straits they could almost go in any direction, and it would make sense. But having the No. 1 pick in a year when it looks like there are multiple quarterbacks worth taking at that spot should make their decision easier.

The Lions face a potentially interesting dilemma. They have put themselves into playoff contention with five wins in their last six games. Jared Goff is playing at a high level with 3,352 passing yards and 22 touchdowns and is surrounded by a wealth of talent on offense.

If the Lions want to ride with Goff, who has two years remaining on his contract, they could look to add help to a defense that is allowing the second-most points per game (26.7).

But the Lions are also playing with house money right now because the No. 4 pick they have is from the Los Angeles Rams as part of the Matthew Stafford trade. They also have their own pick, which is currently at No. 16 overall.

If Stroud is the second-best quarterback in the class and is on the board when the Lions make their first pick, why not take the shot? He will be walking into a situation with a great offensive line to protect him and wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams on the outside.

Levis and the Falcons are an interesting pairing because we're still waiting to see what Desmond Ridder can do in head coach Arthur Smith's offense.

Ridder was the second quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL draft at No. 74 overall. He is set to take over as Atlanta's starter in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints.

Even though it will only be a four-game trial run for Ridder, the team could alter its draft plans if he shows the talent that made him the top-ranked quarterback in the 2022 class for some draft analysts.

McShay noted Levis "still needs some developing, especially when it comes to decision-making, but the traits are outstanding."

It seems unlikely Levis will make it out of the top 10 at this point. Despite a lackluster senior season with 2,406 passing yards, 19 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, his skill set is proving to be tantalizing for NFL teams.

North Carolina wide receiver Josh Downs confirmed to ESPN's Pete Thamel he's entering the 2023 NFL draft.

Downs caught 202 passes for 2,483 yards and 22 touchdowns in three years with the Tar Heels. He was a first-team All-ACC honoree in 2021 and 2022.

The 5'10", 175-pound wideout is the No. 60 overall player on Bleacher Report's 2023 big board. He's also the seventh-best receiver with an overall grade of 7.4 out of 10.

Downs told Thamel he believes he's the "best wide receiver in the draft."

"I just feel like when you turn on the tape, I consistently win over and over and make plays with the ball when it comes my way," he said.

Perhaps Downs could've improved his draft stock for 2024 by returning to North Carolina for one more year, but that was no guarantee.

Although starting quarterback Drake Maye announced his intention to return, the Tar Heels are losing their offensive coordinator. Phil Longo, the architect behind their prolific offense, is leaving to join Luke Fickell's staff at Wisconsin. Having to learn a new offense is never ideal for a college star hoping to impress NFL scouts.

Downs will have plenty of competition to be one of the first few receivers off the board this spring.

Ohio State's Jaxon Smith-Njigba didn't feature much this season because of a hamstring injury, but that did little to change how he's viewed as an NFL prospect. USC's Jordan Addison was the 2021 Biletnikoff Award winner, though his production (59 receptions, 875 yards and eight touchdowns) failed to match last year's.

Downs and his fellow pass-catchers did get a bit of a boost when LSU star Kayshon Boutte confirmed he will return to the Tigers for one more season. Boutte ranked sixth at the position on B/R's big board.