Mel Kiper Jr. shares his prediction about who will go No. 1 in draft

Apr 28, 2011; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr during the 2011 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Mel Kiper Jr. has shared his prediction for who will be the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Kiper was a guest on “The Paul Finebaum Show” for an interview on Thursday. The ESPN draft analyst told Finebaum that he thinks Bryce Young will be the Carolina Panthers’ pick.

“Last week is when I got the intel, and I checked with Adam (Schefter) and [Chris Mortensen] and they said, ‘Bryce Young we’re hearing.’ The consensus among my people — my friends in the league — was Bryce Young. Wasn’t everybody, but the consensus was Young. Then when Mortensen and Adam said Young, I went with Bryce Young.

“It looks like all indications right now. I don’t know if I would write it in pen yet, but I’m close to feeling that way,” Kiper said on the show.

All the talk about this year's #NFLDraft is at the top. @MelKiperESPN walks us through why he thinks Bryce Young will be the No. 1 pick. pic.twitter.com/RDjgFOBNxJ

— Paul Finebaum (@finebaum) April 13, 2023

Kiper’s prediction is no surprise. He mentioned that he talked with his ESPN colleagues Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen about what they were hearing. Last week, Mortensen said he thought Young would be the pick.

Carolina made a big trade with the Bears in March to move up from No. 9 to the No. 1 spot. They were always expected to take a quarterback, but there were some questions about whether it would be Young, C.J. Stroud, or another player. It seems like Young will be their guy.