Table of Contents
Carr is in N’awlins, Smith stayed in Seattle, and the Panthers hold the #1 overall. Time for a re-draft!
1. Carolina Panthers (from Chicago) – OSU QB C.J. Stroud – The Panthers sit tight and select the next face of their franchise and the most NFL-ready QB in the draft.
2. Houston Texans – ALB QB Bryce Young – The Texans ignore the last-minute phone calls and take the ideal mobile QB to move their offense forward in the AFC South.
3. Arizona Cardinals – ALB EDGE Will Anderson Jr. – The Cardinal’s truly awful defense of 2022 yields them legitimately the best edge rusher in the 2023 draft.
4. Indianapolis Colts – FLA QB Anthony Richardson – The Colts were as shocked as anyone when Richardson blew up the combine in Indy. Won’t you be when they draft him?
5. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) – ORE CB Christian Gonzalez – The Seahawks move to shore up their defense with the ideal size/speed prospect from Oregon.
6. Detroit Lions (from Los Angeles Rams) – ILL CB Devon Witherspoon – The Lions ignore calls for this pick and take the highest-rated CB prospect to strengthen a porous secondary.
7. Las Vegas Raiders – KTY QB Will Levis – The Raiders surprise no one and get their guy. Levis looks good throwing deep right to Davante; short and to the left is another matter.
8. Atlanta Falcons – GEO DL Jalen Carter – The Falcons produced very little interior pressure in ‘22, and as a result, forced very few turnovers. Carter adds an instant threat up the middle.
9. Chicago Bears (from Carolina) – TXT EDGE Tyree Wilson – The Bears have met with Wilson twice in the lead-up to the draft. They’re not discussing deep-dish pizza.
10. Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans) – ALB DB Brian Branch – The Eagles backfill their DB room with the best safety in the draft and a guy who can slide in to cover the slot
11. Tennessee Titans – TEN QB Hendon Hooker – The Titans try to trade down but end up selecting Hooker to develop a couple of years under a veteran FA QB they go and sign.
12. Houston Texans (from Cleveland) – GEO OT Broderick Jones – The Texans use their second pick of the first round to select Bryce Young’s big, bad insurance policy.
13. New York Jets – TE Michael Mayer – The Jets know what’s what with Aaron Rodgers; they give him a welcome-to-town gift in the form of a big, sure-handed target.
14. New England Patriots – TEN RB Bijan Robinson – The Patriots RB by committee approach transforms to RB by Robinson. Bill Belichick smirks like that was the plan the whole time.
15. Green Bay Packers – BC WR Zay Flowers – The Packers are thrilled as their choice of #1 WR drops to them. They pick the best Slot in the draft to help out Jordan Love.
16. Washington Commanders – TCU WR Quentin Johnson – The Commanders add to a thin WR corps with the top-rated prospect on the outside.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers – NWU OL Peter Skoronski – The Steelers go OL with the top two CBs off the board. Skoronski goes on to have a long career anchoring their line.
18. Detroit Lions – CLEM DT Bryan Bresee – The Lions go D again with their second pick, this time adding strength up the middle with the fastest-rising DL on the draft board.
19. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – UCLA RB Zach Charbonnet – The Buccaneers stretch a bit to add this ideally sized, dual-threat running back to their backfield.
20. Seattle Seahawks – PIT DL Calijah Cancey – The Seahawks start the overhaul of their DL by selecting the athletic, high-motor interior lineman from Pittsburgh.
21. Los Angeles Chargers – TEN WR Jalin Hyatt – The Chargers look to reload their depleting receiving corps by drafting the speedy and reliable Vols product.
22. Baltimore Ravens – FLA OL O’Cyrus Torrence – The Ravens do the smart thing and select the future Pro Bowl interior offensive lineman from Florida.
23. Minnesota Vikings – MAR CB Deonte Banks – The Vikings can’t pass up the CB position’s combine star, waiting until day 2 or 3 to find a WR complement for Justin Jefferson.
24. Jacksonville Jaguars – OSU OL Paris Johnson Jr. – The Jaguars fell short of their goals in ‘22. Johnson Jr. immediately upgrades an O that’s already on the rise.
25. New York Giants – NDSU OL Cody Mauch – The Giants go trench with Jones and Saquon handled for 2023. Mauch starts right away, adding much-needed toughness to the line.
26. Dallas Cowboys – PSU CB Joey Porter Jr. – The Cowboys take the solid, NFL-pedigreed Porter Jr. to shore up their suspect defensive secondary.
27. Buffalo Bills – USC WR Jordan Addison – The Bills get Josh Allen another quality receiver to add to a potent corps. With a couple seasons to develop, he becomes a 1,000-yard guy.
28. Cincinnati Bengals – BYU OL Blake Freeland – The Bengals forego CB in this round to add greater size and athleticism to the O-line.
29. New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco 49ers) – ALB RB Jahmyr Gibbs – The Saints, with Carr in the fold and Alvin Kamara staring down a suspension, select RB of the future Gibbs at #29.
30. Philadelphia Eagles – CLE EDGE Myles Murphy – The Eagles’ run of good fortune continues as one of the drafts’ most dangerous edge rushers falls to them at the end of the first.
31. Kansas City Chiefs – AUB EDGE Derick Hall – The Chiefs are happy to see the Auburn product still on the board at the end of day 1 to help replace Frank Clark.
