It’s arguably unfair to give draft grades immediately, as players need time to develop and have a chance to make an impact in the league. But in what was one of the craziest first rounds in history, I really like what these teams did to begin the 2023 NFL Draft.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Jesse Pinkman meme comes to mind here, as I don’t know how the Eagles keep getting away with stealing players that should be going much higher than they are. Georgia defender Nolan Smith easily could’ve been the selection at No. 9 and people would’ve applauded the pick, and Philadelphia was able to sit at No. 30 and get him. Smith joins Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, and last night’s ninth overall pick Jarten Carter as the fourth member from Georgia’s elite defense to now be playing for what’s been termed “Georgia North”.
I will admit I am a bit concerned about the character for Jalen Carter for obvious reasons. The selection certainly carries risk. However, Carter lands in the perfect situation with his former college teammates keeping an eye on him and motivating him—as well as a strong veteran locker room that also includes Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Haason Reddick.
The selections by the Eagles over the past three years have been eerily similar to Wolf Sports’ big boards, so suffice it to say I love what they’ve been doing recently after what was mostly a dreadful draft record from Howie Roseman for several years.
And with two more Dawgs added to the mix, the awesome team chemistry the Eagles have is getting off the charts.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks hit a home run with their 2022 draft class, and their first-round haul looks to build on that with cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba being selected at No. 5 and No. 20. As was evident from the highlight tape shown when Witherspoon was selected, he’s going to bring a further edge on defense with the way he flies around and hits people to complement his coverage ability. And adding Smith-Njigba alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett is going to be a ton of fun for Geno Smith. I suspect it was disappointing for Seattle that Anthony Richardson wasn’t available at No. 5 to get a quarterback of the future that could’ve sat behind Geno, but this is a squad that continues to gear up and should be highly competitive in the NFC this season.
Buffalo Bills
We had Dalton Kincaid as a top-five prospect in the draft class, and the Bills were able to get him at No. 25 overall after jumping two spots to leap the Cowboys, who appeared set to take him. The former Utah tight end has “elite hands” as described by Bills general manager Brandon Beane, and—while the comparison is lofty considering he’s one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history—he profiles similarly to Travis Kelce, a weapon Buffalo has seen dominate the conference for years. The Bills still need some help on the offensive line, but the combination of Josh Allen and Kincaid can be extremely dangerous for many years. Kincaid’s impact should be felt most on third downs given his feel to get open and make plays.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts remained patient and sat at No. 4, coming away with who I believe was their guy (unless they had the first pick for Bryce Young) in Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. The fit with new head coach Shane Steichen, who was formerly the Eagles offensive coordinator and most recently worked with Jalen Hurts, is obvious. Indy is going to build an exciting offensive attack around Richardson, putting him in position to succeed. Richardson is extremely talented and will immediately be a playmaker, so he could be a Day 1 starter playing for a team that’s going to accentuate his skills.
Arizona Cardinals
While I’m not as high as others on the selection of offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. at No. 6 overall, I admire the way the Cardinals navigated the draft board to ultimately pick up a 2024 first-round pick from the Texans—which could easily again be in the top five. I had been calling for potential quarterback-needy teams like the Commanders and Vikings to target 2024 draft capital with an eye on the quarterbacks in next year’s draft class, but it’s interesting that Arizona was that team to pull that off. They have Kyler Murray under contract through 2027, but with their own first-round pick as well as Houston’s first-round pick, they can be in a major power position for the 2024 draft as they look to build this roster up.
Pittsburgh Steelers, Atlanta Falcons, & Detroit Lions
There are a few more teams I wanted to note, starting with the Steelers. As Pittsburgh builds around Kenny Pickett, Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones was a strong selection at No. 14 (after a trade-up with the Patriots) that should lift the offensive line and the offense overall.
And for the Falcons and Lions, they basically said, “sorry nerds”, and took running backs very high (Bijan Robinson going No. 8 to Atlanta and Jahmyr Gibbs going No. 12 to Detroit). I give both teams credit for selecting players they believe will make a huge impact, regardless of position.
Bijan joins Kyle Pitts and Drake London as top-ten skill player selections with the Falcons, and Gibbs will be another exciting weapon for offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to work with for the Lions, who also added Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell on defense. Atlanta and Detroit helped O 1.5 RB in Round 1 cash as well.