Forgotten 2023 NFL Draft Picks to Watch in 2024 Training Camps

Front offices, coaching staffs, fans and the players themselves all want to see immediate results whenever a rookie hits an NFL field. It reduces the anxiety for everyone involved that the pick won’t end up being a bust and everyone can be happy. However, it doesn’t always work out that way.

The bust label gets slapped on a player too quickly far too often when in reality they just needed to get their feet wet in the league. Here, we’ll look at five forgotten 2023 NFL draft picks to watch during training camp last month.

To qualify for the “forgotten” category, the player had to get limited playing time either via injury or being buried on the depth chart as a rookie. Each guy is worth watching as he’s projected to have a bigger role and had a profile as a prospect that suggests he’ll turn things around in year two.

Christian Gonzalez was the third cornerback and 15th-best prospect overall on B/R’s final big board, primarily due to his combination of size (6’1″ and 197 pounds), speed (4.38-second 40-yard dash) and versatility.

“Gonzalez has shown the versatility to play both press man and off man coverages, excelling in press and showing the lateral movement skills to mirror at the line of scrimmage,” defensive backs scout Cory Giddings said in Gonzalez’s scouting report.

“He does a good job of using his hands to reroute receivers and quickly gets in phase. When carrying receivers downfield, he has shown the speed to match his threats, while also getting his head around to locate and play the ball.”

The Oregon product ended up being the third corner off the board when the New England Patriots took him with the 17th pick of the draft. He played well at the beginning of the season, allowing a 67.5 passer rating when targeted and earning a 79.3 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus.

However, a torn labrum in his shoulder cut the former Duck’s rookie year short, as he participated in just four games.

Heading into 2024, Gonzalez has a great opportunity to pick up where he left off and become the No. 1 cornerback in New England this season as he received strong reviews from running mate Jonathan Jones during minicamp.

“[Gonzalez] has every attribute that you want in the corner,” Jones said on June 12, via Pats Pulpit’s Brian Hines. “He’s just continuing to build his mental game. Physically, he’s what you want in a corner, and he’s just continuing to develop. He’s going to be one of the best players in the game.”

Look for the soon-to-be 22-year-old to make a name for himself as one of the top young defensive backs in the NFL this season.

Granted, it’s pretty hard to forget Anthony Richardson. He gained notoriety during the pre-draft process last year with his rocket arm and record-setting NFL combine performance. That’s a big reason he was the No. 7 player overall on B/R’s final big board and QB2 behind C.J. Stroud.

“Athletically, nobody in this class compares to Richardson,” offensive skill positions scout Derrik Klassen said in the quarterback’s scouting report. “At 6’4” and 244 pounds, Richardson will walk into the league with top-five speed, explosiveness and contact balance for the position.

“… Not only is he quick to react to pressure and explosive enough to free himself from their clutches, but he’s got a good eye for making plays both in congested areas or outside the pocket. When all of those athletic tools are paired with Richardson’s blistering arm strength, there’s no denying he is the most talented quarterback in the class.”

Unfortunately, the Florida product didn’t get much of an opportunity to showcase his talents in the NFL as a rookie. He battled a couple of injuries early on in the season, including a sprained AC joint that sidelined him for the rest of the campaign.

Richardson will need to learn how to protect himself better moving forward, but the former Gator did show promise during his brief stint on the field as a rookie, logging seven total touchdowns (three passing, four rushing) with just two turnovers.

That provides some optimism for the quarterback’s outlook heading into this season, and the Colts have plenty of weapons offensively between Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor, among others, to set Richardson up for success in year two.

B/R’s scouting department had BJ Ojulari ranked a little higher than most as he came in at No. 24 overall on the final big board and as the fifth-best edge defender. A big reason for that is he showed a variety of ways to win as a pass-rusher.

“An underrated aspect of the LSU product’s game is that he varies his pass-rushing plan based on the opponent and has enough tools in his toolset to do so,” the edge defender’s scouting report said.

“For example, against Tennessee and Darnell Wright, Ojulari worked the edges more since Wright has a good anchor, but against Ole Miss, he relied more on turning speed to power against the Rebels’ weaker tackles.”

The Arizona Cardinals ended up taking Ojulari in the second round (41st overall), and he didn’t exactly hit the ground running. The former Tiger didn’t record any starts and only participated in about 37 percent of the Cardinals’ snaps as a rookie, per Pro Football Reference.

That being said, he was always considered more of a project, needing to improve as a run defender before earning an every-down role. Also, the 22-year-old had decent production considering the limited playing time, racking up 40 total tackles and four sacks to go along with 20 pressures on 161 opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.

Additionally, Ojulari was coming off a knee injury that caused him to miss OTAs, minicamp and the beginning of training camp last year to help explain the slow start. Now that he’s healthy and was able to participate in the team’s offseason program, look for the 2023 second-rounder to become the top pass-rusher in Arizona this fall.

It was hard to ignore JuJu Brents’ impressive length during the pre-draft process last year. At just under 6’3″ with 34-inch arms, he’s in the 96th and 98th percentiles among cornerbacks for those two categories respectively, according to MockDraftable.

Combining that with a 93rd-percentile three-cone time (6.63 seconds), a 95th-percentile vertical jump (41.5 inches) and some impressive versatility, it’s easy to see why he was the 67th prospect overall and a top-10 cornerback on B/R’s final big board.

“The Kansas State product has played from multiple alignments but mostly chooses to play from press,” defensive backs scout Cory Giddings wrote in the corner’s scouting report. “While there, he does a good job of using his hands to reroute receivers at the line of scrimmage.

“… Ultimately, Brents has a blend of rare size and good mobility for a cornerback. He can be a good role player early in his career and has the skills to develop into a starter down the road.”

The former Wildcat fit general manager Chris Ballard’s profile at the position almost to a T, and the Indianapolis Colts took him in the second round with the 44th pick. Unfortunately, he missed eight games with injuries as a rookie, but he’s in store for a breakout campaign in year two.

With a relatively young position group as a whole, Brents projects to be the Colts’ top outside cornerback this season and should benefit from playing behind a defensive line that recorded the fifth-most sacks (51) in the league a year ago.

Out of all the players featured, A.T. Perry was the lowest-drafted player by a long shot. He barely made it inside the top 200 picks as the New Orleans Saints took him in the sixth round, 195th overall.

However, Perry’s combination of size, speed and big-play ability was good enough to earn the 64th spot overall and rank as the seventh receiver on B/R’s final big board.

“A.T. Perry is a towering vertical threat with the athletic tools to blossom into a complete X receiver,” offensive skill positions scout Derrik Klassen said in the wideout’s scouting report.

“Perry will make his money down the field in the NFL. At 6’3″ and 195 pounds, he sports a long, lean frame that enables him to stride out with huge steps and blow by opposing defensive backs late in the route. It takes him a few steps to get rolling, but once he starts striding out, it’s difficult to keep up with his size and speed combination.”

The Wake Forest product clocked a 4.47-second 40-yard dash time and proved Klassen correct during his rookie season. While he only recorded 12 catches last year, the former Demon Deacon had 246 receiving yards to average 20.5 yards per catch and logged four touchdowns to make nearly every reception count.

It’s no coincidence that all of Perry’s production came in the second half of the season when Michael Thomas went on injured reserve with a knee injury. He began the year behind Thomas on the depth chart but made the most of the opportunity, and the older receiver is no longer in the picture in New Orleans.

With a bigger role heading into year two, there’s plenty of reason to believe Perry is in store for a breakout campaign to emerge as the Saints’ No. 2 or 3 wide receiver this season.