Draft Dreams: Round 1 Rewind

04/28/2023 Draft Dreams: Round 1 Rewind

By: Jeff Yoder

Panthers Select Alabama QB Bryce Young No. 1 Overall; Plus Winners & Losers From the 1st Round

A night 31 players will never forget! The opening round of the NFL Draft took over Kansas City for a league-altering evening of selections. There was drama, trades, surprises, steals, and slides. Three quarterbacks went in the first four picks, including the Panthers selecting Alabama QB Bryce Young No. 1 overall. The Texans took over with picks No. 2 and 3 by maneuvering their draft capital. They got Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. before the Colts took the high-upside Florida QB Anthony Richardson. After that, chaos commenced. The Lions took some head-scratchers. The Eagles became Georgia North. And Kentucky QB Will Levis is still on the board heading into Round 2. Here’s how the first round shook out:

 

2023 NFL Draft

1. Panthers: QB Bryce Young (Alabama)

2. Texans: QB C.J. Stroud (Ohio State)

3. Texans: OLB Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama)

4. Colts: QB Anthony Richardson (Florida)

5. Seahawks: CB Devon Witherspoon (Illinois)

6. Cardinals: OT Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State)

7. Raiders: DE Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech)

8. Falcons: RB Bijan Robinson (Texas)

9. Eagles: DT Jalen Carter (Georgia)

10. Bears: OT Darnell Wright (Tennessee)

 

1-10 Analysis: The top-10 played out with a few twists, including the Texans trading back up from No. 12 to No. 3 to select OLB Will Anderson Jr. after using the No. 2 pick on QB C.J. Stroud. The Cardinals — who moved out of the third pick — moved back up to No. 6 (from Lions) to get the top offensive lineman in Paris Johnson Jr. The Falcons found their feature back of the future with Bijan Robinson before the Eagles traded up one spot with the Bears to nab DT Jalen Carter, arguably the best prospect with the most questions off the field.

 

Picks 11-20

11. Titans: OT Peter Skoronski (Northwestern)

12. Lions: RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama)

13. Packers: DE Lukas Van Ness (Iowa)

14. Steelers: OT Broderick Jones (Georgia)

15. Jets: OLB Will McDonald IV (Iowa State)

16. Commanders: CB Emmanuel Forbes (Miss. State)

17. Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez (Oregon)

18. Lions: LB Jack Campbell (Iowa)

19. Buccaneers: DT Calijah Kancey (Pittsburgh)

20. Seahawks: WR Jaxson Smith-Njigba (Ohio State)

 

11-20 Analysis: The teens started as expected with the Titans taking the talented Skoronski to shore up the offensive line, but then things got weird. The Lions shocked the draft with the selection of RB Jahmyr Gibbs way earlier than expected before the Steelers moved up to nab OT Broderick Jones. The Lions then added another head-scratcher with LB Jack Campbell — a projected 2nd-round pick — before the Seahawks kickstarted a run of four-straight receivers (see below).

 

Picks 21-31

21. Chargers: WR Quentin Johnston (TCU)

22. Ravens: WR Zay Flowers (Boston College)

23. Vikings: WR Jordan Addison (USC)

24. Giants: CB Deonte Banks (Maryland)

25. Bills: TE Dalton Kincaid (Utah)

26. Cowboys: DT Mazi Smith (Michigan)

27. Jaguars: OT Anton Harrison (Oklahoma)

28. Bengals: DE Myles Murphy (Clemson)

29. Saints: DT Bryan Bresee (Clemson)

30. Eagles: OLB Nolan Smith (Georgia)

31. Chiefs: DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Kansas State)

 

21-31 Analysis: The receiver run went four straight from 20-23, but it was the Ravens with WR Zay Flowers — another piece for QB Lamar Jackson — who might’ve made the biggest splash. Multiple teams traded picks in the back of Round 1. The Bills took the first and only tight end of the first round before a pair of Clemson defensive linemen. And the Eagles — one of the biggest winners of Round 1 — stole another Georgia star at No. 30.

 

Image via Giphy