After four days, the 2023 NFL Expansion Series concludes with the 2023 NFL Draft! First, I wanted to sincerely thank those that have followed along and wait months for this annual series. Building an NFL expansion team would be quite the task in real life, and it’s fun to dive into this project and see how the inaugural 33rd team might look each season—and then hearing from you all wanting to know when the next yearly release will be. If you missed the first three parts of this year’s series, you can check them out via the links below:
Part I: City, Branding, Staff
Part II: The Expansion Draft
Part III: Free Agency
As a refresher, this is where the London Knights roster stands heading into the 2023 NFL Draft:
QB: Marcus Mariota // Nick Foles
RB: Dalvin Cook // Trey Sermon // Jordan Mason // Brittain Brown
WR: Julio Jones // Denzel Mims
WR: Nelson Agholor // KJ Hamler
WR: Hunter Renfrow // Isaiah McKenzie
TE: Zach Ertz // O.J. Howard
OT: Rasheed Walker // Yodny Cajuste
OG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Pat Elflein
OG: Wyatt Davis
OT: Matt Feiler // Darian Kinnard
EDGE: Leonard Floyd // Justin Houston
DL: Poona Ford // Linval Joseph
DL: Maurice Hurst // Marlon Tuipulotu
EDGE: Emmanuel Ogbah // Shaq Lawson
LB: Azeez Al-Shaair // Josh Ross
LB: Deion Jones
CB: Jeff Okudah // Michael Ojemudia
S: Eric Rowe // Jaquan Johnson
S: DeShon Elliott
CB: Cameron Dantzler // Tariq Castro-Fields
NB: Sean Murphy-Bunting
K:
P: Jake Bailey
LS:
2023 NFL Draft
We know where players were drafted during the real 2023 NFL Draft, so that makes this exercise easy. However, I mostly stuck with the Wolf Sports big board, not “cheating” the process. That said, NFL teams do gather “intel” from around the league (not sure why some franchises let things slip so easily, but that’s another story), so there are some cases of taking guys a little later to get value (Dawand Jones, for example).
Round 1, Pick 1: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
I believe that Jim Harbaugh would be tantalized by the athleticism and personality of Anthony Richardson, who I really like too. However, we cannot pass up on the magical Bryce Young as our franchise quarterback. The former Heisman Trophy winner has a rare feel for the game, touch and accuracy to all areas of the field, superb football IQ, and ability in the clutch. He should immediately be a dangerous distributor in an offense that includes a blend of reliability and explosiveness.
Round 2, Pick 33: TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
We didn’t want to get too crazy with trades, but I probably would’ve without question traded up for Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid (No. 25 pick), as we felt he was a top-five overall prospect. Nolan Smith and Joey Porter Jr. would’ve been other targets in a trade up—or perhaps even two of the three with the draft capital we have. But to begin the second round, Michael Mayer is an all-around tight end that had been seen as a first-round lock for years during his time at Notre Dame.
Round 2, Pick 52: TE Darnell Washington, Georgia
UCLA’s Zach Charbonnet—an exciting running back that transferred from Harbaugh and Michigan before starring for the Bruins—was in strong consideration here partly because we are already more than set at tight end after just taking Mayer. But Darnell Washington can be a major factor as a blocker, with untapped potential as a receiver. A tight end group of Zach Ertz, O.J. Howard, and the two rookies can lead to different personnel groupings and creativity in Year 1—with Mayer and Washington being a scary duo at the position long-term.
Round 3, Pick 67: CB Clark Phillips III, Utah
The size was the apparent concern for Clark Phillips III during the draft, but he’s a total playmaker at corner and can play on the outside or in the slot. The former Ute can be a headliner in the Knights defense as our first-ever rookie selection on defense.
Round 3, Pick 87: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
It makes sense to take a shot on the upside of Kelee Ringo here. The former Georgia product is a very big corner that can develop into a premier option on the outside. And many even feel he can (or should) slide back to safety, so there’s some potential flexibility if it doesn’t work out as a pure corner.
Round 4, Pick 108: OT Dawand Jones, Ohio State
We stop the slide for Ohio State’s Dawand Jones, and the massive offensive tackle can compete for the starting left tackle job despite primarily playing right tackle for the Buckeyes. Jones didn’t allow a sack during his senior season, and he could be a key piece on our offensive line moving forward.
Round 4, Pick 122: C Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
London hits the trenches for the second consecutive selection, getting center Olusegun Oluwatimi, who played one season for Michigan and was named a consensus All-American and won both the Outland Trophy (best interior offensive lineman) and the Rimington Trophy (best center).
Round 5, Pick 143: RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
This is one of those picks where draft intel came more heavily into play, as I thought Kenny McIntosh could’ve been a Day 2 pick—but he didn’t go until the Seahawks took him in the seventh round. McIntosh has a bit of Tony Pollard to his game, and he can impact things as both a runner and receiver.
Round 5, Pick 161: S Christopher Smith II, Georgia
Another consensus All-American, Georgia safety Christopher Smith II was a starter on the epic Bulldogs defense that won back-to-back national championships. Depending on how the summer goes, Smith can be a Year 1 starter.
Round 6, Pick 187: WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte
Grant DuBose played a small-school Charlotte, but he has good size and athleticism and can be a potential maven on in-breaking routes. DuBose will battle for a roster spot while looking to become a reliable target for his fellow rookie.
Round 6, Pick 201: CB Cory Trice Jr., Purdue
Cory Trice Jr. doesn’t have a ton of experience thanks to COVID and a torn ACL in back-to-back years, but he has upside at over six-foot-three with smooth traits and the ability to potentially drop back to safety if necessary. At such an important position, we are taking many dart throws with the opportunity to invest in and develop these players.
Round 7, Pick 229: CB Eli Ricks, Alabama
There was inconsistency and some character concern, but Eli Ricks was formerly seen as a likely first-round pick. Ricks played at both LSU and Alabama, and should be used to knowing he’ll have to battle for a role at the next level. We should have an extremely competitive cornerback group, hopefully with stellar play emerging from a competition that elevates everyone’s play.
Round 7, Pick 231: K B.T. Potter, Clemson
Michigan’s Jake Moody (third-round pick of the 49ers) went earlier than we would’ve liked, but we’ll take B.T. Potter as our rookie starting kicker. Potter had plenty of experience at Clemson, and he can excel at touchbacks on kickoffs.
Round 7, Pick 274: LS Alex Ward, UCF
Alex Ward was the lone long snapper to be invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. The Knights needed to add someone at his position at some point, and we’ll do it to conclude the 2023 NFL Draft.
Recap
1.1: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
2.33: TE Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
2.52: TE Darnell Washington, Georgia
3.67: CB Clark Phillips III, Utah
3.87: CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia
4.108: OT Dawand Jones, Ohio State
4.122: C Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan
5.143: RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia
5.161: S Christopher Smith II, Georgia
6.187: WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte
6.201: CB Cory Trice Jr., Purdue
7.221: CB Eli Ricks, Alabama
7.231: K B.T. Potter, Clemson
7.274: LS Alex Ward, UCF
Final Roster
I feel better about the offensive line’s upside after adding Dawand Jones in the fourth round, and we can potentially have him at left tackle next to Isaac Seumalo manning the left side—or we can keep him at right tackle and slide Matt Feiler over to right guard. The key for the offensive line and the entire team is that competition will be a big part of our culture. Since we’ve been doing this series, I believe that the 2023 version is the deepest expansion team yet.
The draft was unique and netted two tight ends in a deep class at the position. The Knights didn’t trade up, but hopefully Michael Mayer and Darnell Washington combined prove to be as dangerous on offense as I think Dalton Kincaid will be. The 2023 NFL Draft was also extremely deep at cornerback, and we added four of them.
Salary cap: $224,800,000
Total payroll: $211,527,627
Cap space: $13,272,373
QB: Bryce Young // Marcus Mariota // Nick Foles
RB: Dalvin Cook // Trey Sermon // Kenny McIntosh // Jordan Mason // Brittain Brown
WR: Julio Jones // Denzel Mims // Grant DuBose
WR: Nelson Agholor // KJ Hamler
WR: Hunter Renfrow // Isaiah McKenzie
TE: Zach Ertz // Michael Mayer // O.J. Howard // Darnell Washington
OT: Dawand Jones // Rasheed Walker // Yodny Cajuste
OG: Isaac Seumalo
C: Pat Elflein // Olusegun Oluwatimi
OG: Wyatt Davis
OT: Matt Feiler // Darian Kinnard
EDGE: Leonard Floyd // Justin Houston
DL: Poona Ford // Linval Joseph
DL: Maurice Hurst // Marlon Tuipulotu
EDGE: Emmanuel Ogbah // Shaq Lawson
LB: Azeez Al-Shaair // Josh Ross
LB: Deion Jones
CB: Jeff Okudah // Kelee Ringo // Cory Trice Jr.
S: Eric Rowe // Jaquan Johnson
S: DeShon Elliott // Christopher Smith II
CB: Cameron Dantzler // Michael Ojemudia // Tariq Castro-Fields
NB: Sean Murphy-Bunting // Clark Phillips III // Eli Ricks
K: B.T. Potter
P: Jake Bailey
LS: Alex Ward
Summary/Expectations
London is in a comfortable spot cap wise, as we have plenty of salary that can come off the books in 2024 to remain flexible. We will probably need to balance out the roster throughout the summer, including adding more to the front seven on defense.
Looking ahead, we must solidify the offensive line and draft well to be in a good spot when younger players must take over for veterans. But we have our franchise quarterback and a capable roster around him. At this stage, we can also be aggressive in the next couple of years in targeting potential trades—keeping an eye on disgruntled superstars in today’s movement-filled league. With a top head coach in Jim Harbaugh, who should bring a clear identify for the squad, the Knights can be highly competitive during the inaugural season and beyond.