FSU football and the NFL Draft go together like peanut butter and jelly. The Noles have had an insane number of players drafted since the first players got drafted in 1951.
However, the trend of FSU players heading to the NFL has decreased over the past few years.
They have only had seve players drafted over the past four years, despite not having a recruiting class ranked outside of the top 25, and the last two players drafted came from the transfer portal.
The good news is there’s a good shot FSU football will have a double-digit number of players taken in next year’s draft.
There are 12-15 players with decent shots and several other players that could creep into the mix, depending on how the 2023 season transpires.
Here are 15 Noles who could hear their names called in next years draft.
Jeremiah Byers
Redshirt junior Jeremiah Byers comes to FSU football this spring from the transfer portal, like many of their impact players in recent years.
Byers had 30 career starts at right tackle and was first-team All-Conference USA last season. He ranked as the No. 1 offensive tackle in the transfer portal and No. 19 overall player.
He checks in at 6’4″ and 329 pounds with the ability to move extremely well for his size. He’s been working out on the interior since enrolling at FSU, and that versatility could make him attractive to NFL teams with another strong season under his belt.
He will have another season of eligibility left after 2023, which could keep him in Tallahassee for another year if he doesn’t have the year he expects to have.
FSU football hasn’t had an offensive lineman drafted since Rick Leonard in the 2018 NFL Draft.
However, that streak will likely end in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Bless Harris
Redshirt senior Bless Harris came to FSU football last summer from the transfer portal via Lamar University, where he played a couple of seasons.
Harris played primarily at left tackle at Lamar, starting five games in 2021 while dealing with an injury.
He won the right tackle job after only being on campus a short time before the 2022 season. However, he got injured in the season opener against Duquesne and missed the remainder of the season.
After rehabbing the arm injury, Harris returned to the team this spring and looked like a different player who’ll likely start at the tackle position again.
He lists at 6’5″ and 325 pounds while looking good in the spring game against FSU defensive ends who’ll be starters this fall.
Who would have thought a few years ago that FSU offensive linemen and the NFL Draft would be in the same sentence as how things looked when Mike Norvell and Alex Atkins got to Tallahassee?
Robert Scott
Wait, another offensive lineman? Redshirt junior Robert Scott started 11 games at left tackle last season, making second-team All-ACC.
Scott is a Don Powell award winner (Unsung Hero) and played much of the 2022 season banged up and still making his presence felt.
He started 11 games in 2021, including some games at right tackle. He lists at 6’5″ and 304 pounds and is the first non-transfer portal player to appear on the list. Some mock drafts projected Scott as a draftee in the 2023 draft.
However, I think those were more projections than anything. He spent the 2023 spring camp rehabbing from his injuries from last season.
It’ll be interesting to see how he looks if he’s close to 100 percent by the time the season begins.
He’s a very experienced player in Mike Norvell’s offense and understands the scheme well. He is one of the most likable players on the roster.
A strong season could see Robert Scott with his name called next year.
Casey Roddick
Redshirt senior Casey Roddick joined the program this spring from the transfer portal. He played at Colorado and was team captain previously, starting 30 games at left guard, right guard, and right tackle.
He’ll likely continue to play in the interior at FSU, most notably at the center position, if he can improve his hiking and learn the offense.
He lists at 6’4″ and 313 pounds, which is a bigger anchor than starting center Maurice Smith from last season.
However, Smith doesn’t back down from competition, so this will be a dogfight to see who the starter will be once the season starts.
Roddick’s versatility could allow him to play other positions if injuries occur on the offensive line or if he doesn’t win the center position.
Either way, he’s an athletic big man with a ton of starting experience that could help some teams.
Fentrell Cypress
We’ve finally gotten away from the big guys on the offensive line. However, we have another transfer portal addition in cornerback Fentrell Cypress.
He was the best and most proven cornerback in the transfer portal when he committed to the Noles.
Cypress was a second-team All-ACC selection at Virginia in 2022 and arrived in Tallahassee this spring. He’s expected to compete for the starting cornerback job opposite of Renardo Green. Cypress had to adjust to life outside of Charlottesville, Virginia but seems to have settled in nicely with a strong finish to spring camp.
He lists at 6’0″ and 182 pounds and led the country with an average of 1.6 pass breakups per game.
He ranked first in ACC and ninth nationally with 14 total pass breakups. He has two years of eligibility left, so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him return in 2024 unless he balls out again in 2023.
He’ll have every opportunity to do that, as FSU should face teams that need to put the ball in the air while trailing by lots of points in the second half.
Kalen DeLoach
Redshirt senior linebacker Kalen DeLoach came into his own in 2022, starting all 13 games and finishing third with 65 tackles, including 7.5 for loss with 3.0 sacks, seven pass breakups, and five quarterback hurries.
FSU’s best linebacker in coverage, DeLoach, shows the speed to go sideline-to-sideline in pursuit and has shown a steady progression over the past two seasons after becoming a starter.
He lists at 6’1″ and 211 pounds and will likely test well at the NFL Combine if invited or at FSU’s Pro Day. I suspect that progression will continue in his third season in Adam Fuller’s season.
The opportunity to make splash plays should be abundant, and I look for him to challenge for the team leader in tackles in 2023.
Akeem Dent
Redshirt senior Akeem Dent, the highest-rated recruit from the 2019 recruiting class finally began to come into his own over the last two season.
Dent, hampered by injuries and maybe a lack of focus at times, became one of FSU’s most important players while settling into the safety position opposite of Jammie Robinson.
Dent finished last season with 53 tackles, one interception, four passes defended, and .5 tackles for a loss in 13 games in 2022.
Dent lists at 6’1″ and 195 pounds and has the athletic ability to play safety in the NFL. It’s all about the details and making a play when in position.
It’s not a question of talent with Dent. It’s all about staying healthy and staying consistent.
He’s the most experienced safety FSU has on the roster, and they’ll need a big season from him with the departure of Jammie Robinson to the NFL.
Darrell Jackson Jr.
Junior Darrell Jackson Jr. first has to receive his waiver from the NCAA after transferring to FSU football from Miami.
However, most folks expect that waiver to go through, and Jackson should be one of the main guys rotating at defensive tackle for Odell Haggins in 2023.
He lists as 6’5″ and 326 pounds, with the potential to be dominant. He will have another year of eligibility remaining after the 2023 season if he chooses to return.
However, his size and ability to disrupt along the line of scrimmage are what NFL teams want at the position.
It’s also a position where injuries occur often, so he may play more snaps than we think should he maintain his health and others go down, especially if FSU flexes other defensive tackles like Braden Fiske and Dennis Briggs to defensive end.
Renardo Green
Redshirt senior Renardo Green was FSU’s best and most consistent cornerback last season. He started all 13 games and was Honorable Mention All-ACC with 58 tackles, three tackles for a loss, and five pass breakups.
He won the FSU Defense Most Improved Player award and was fourth in total tackles. Green rarely got beat and was often in a position to make plays on the ball.
The biggest difference for him in 2023 will be to actually make those plays instead of allowing tough, contested catches.
Like Fentrell Cypress, Green should have many opportunities to be in those positions, with teams likely trailing late in games with the need to put the ball in the air.
He lists at 6’0″ and 190 pounds and is a sure tackler with physicality. He also has excellent length with underrated speed.
Green also has experience playing safety, which makes him versatile.
Jordan Travis
Redshirt senior Jordan Travis would not have appeared on this list at this time last year. If we had this conversation in 2019, folks would have looked at you like you were crazy.
The progression Jordan Travis has shown over the last year and a half is unlike anything I’ve seen in college football. He is a legitimate Heisman candidate who’ll lead an FSU football offense that should be among the best in the nation once again.
Travis has become a pass-first quarterback, only scrambling when needed while keeping his eyes downfield for an opportunity for an explosive play.
He completed 64 percent of his passes last year and has an excellent touchdown to interception ratio. The biggest knock on him will be his size or lack thereof, but another full season without missing time due to injury would remedy that narrative right on up.
I don’t think he’ll be a first-round draft pick, but teams have surely drafted lesser players at quarterback in past years.
What a remarkable turnaround for one of the most beloved FSU players in recent memory.
Jaheim Bell
The redshirt junior transfer product from South Carolina, Jaheim Bell, has the potential to be one of the most dynamic tight ends in the nation in 2023.
Bell left South Carolina after feeling he didn’t get used properly in the offense that ran a slower tempo and averaged fewer than six yards per play.
In comparison, Mike Norvell has found ways to get lesser talented players the ball often over the years, especially up the seams with opportunities for yards after the catch. Bell caught 55 passes for nearly 800 yards and seven touchdowns over the past two seasons.
I look for Mike Norvell and Alex Atkins to scheme up explosive opportunities for Bell, as he’s a mismatch for linebackers and smaller defensive backs.
The top tight end in the 2023 NFL Draft, Sam LaPorta, had 58 receptions for 657 yards. I’m not sure Bell will have 58 receptions, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him approach 500 receiving yards.
He’s also a guy that will test well at the NFL Combine.
Johnny Wilson
I was one of the first vocal Johnny Wilson supporters last spring when others were questioning his production at Arizona State. Folks were quick to criticize when the guy didn’t even have 15 practices under his belt in a new offense.
Fast forward, and he’s the team’s leading receiver with 43 receptions for 897 yards and five touchdowns. Wilson is 6’7″ and deceptively fast for his size, but struggled to make the routine catches, although that got better as the season progressed last year.
He’ll come into the 2023 season as the top receiving option, with a better understanding of the offense and better rapport with Jordan Travis.
I wrote at the end of last year, I’m projecting a Kelvin Benjamin-type progression similar to the jump Benjamin made from 2012 to 2013.
Benjamin was a first-round selection, and Wilson might be a tad faster and a more consistent blocker in the run game.
A wide receiver with that size and speed doesn’t grow on trees, and he has a legitimate shot to go in the first couple of rounds with a better 2023 season.
Trey Benson
The redshirt junior running back Trey Benson returns after emerging in the second half of last season. Benson failed to reach his goal of 1,000 rushing yards by 10 yards but should garner the majority of the rushing attempts in 2023.
An improved offensive line and improved Jordan Travis will likely make things easier for Benson, who averaged 6.43 yards per rush last season with nine touchdowns.
Running backs don’t have the same value in the NFL as they did 5-10 years ago, but Benson is an explosive back who can change the numbers on the scoreboard when he gets to the second level of a defense.
He’s also capable out of the backfield in the passing game, with 13 receptions for 144 yards, with most of that production coming late in the season.
Benson is also someone who’ll test well at the NFL Combine. He lists at 6’1″ and 221 pounds, and will likely run in the 4.5 range in the 40-yard dash.
If he does that and surpasses 1,000 rushing yards in 2023? He’ll hear his name called in next year’s draft.
Fabien Lovett
Fabien Lovett was one of the big additions to Mike Norvell’s inaugural 2020 class. He has dealt with injuries the past couple of seasons, only appearing in seven games with 10 tackles to his credit.
However, when healthy, Lovett can dominate the college game and is good enough to get drafted. In fact, he likely would have entered the NFL Draft this year had he not missed so much of last season.
The good news about the upcoming season is the defensive line depth will allow them all to play with maximum effort because they’re deep enough to rotate players without suffering much of a drop-off.
That means the tape he’ll provide NFL scouts should be footage of him mauling opposing offensive linemen and creating havoc at the line of scrimmage. Lovett’s one of the quiet leaders on the team, and his return gave the defense an added boost going into 2023.
Jared Verse
The redshirt junior defensive end from FCS Albany exceeded all expectations in 2022 while playing at far less than 100 percent due to an injury suffered in the Louisville game.
However, he still achieved All-ACC honors, 17 tackles for a loss, and nine sacks. He would have gotten drafted last weekend had he decided not to return to FSU football for a second year.
He probably would have been a second-round selection but could improve his draft stock enough to go early in the first round if he continues to round out his game.
He needs to improve against the run and develop a few more pass-rush moves to compete against the better offensive tackles he’ll face this year.
Also, he only has one year of experience in Power 5 football, so another year will help him with anticipating what offenses are trying to do when he lines up at the line of scrimmage. Verse is a physical freak and will test well at the NFL Combine, and if he’s 100 percent healthy this year?
It’s gonna be ugly for opposing offenses, especially if FSU football can get up a couple of scores and force teams into predictable pass situations.
Honorable Mentions
The 15 players I mentioned earlier have the greatest potential to be drafted next season, but there are several other FSU football players who could hear their names called:
- Dennis Briggs Jr.
- Darius Washington
- Tatum Bethune
- Winston Wright Jr.
- Jarrian Jones
- Lawrance Toafili
- Patrick Payton
- Joshua Farmer
- Braden Fiske
All of these players are talented, but the question is will they stay healthy and/or get the opportunity to get enough playing time to show what they can do on the field?
These guys could have impressive 2023 seasons and find themselves on NFL rosters as UDFA if they don’t get drafted. A few could return and increase their chances of getting drafted in 2024.