These are our 2023 NFL Draft 1st Round Grades. They will be updated live.
1) Carolina Panthers (from Chicago)- Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Grade: C
This massive trade up for Bryce Young just feels…meh. Young is a decent prospect in our eyes but you gave up ridiculous for a safe pick? Except he has a slender frame that may not hold up at the next level. He should be a fine pro but we do not love it.
2) Houston Texans- CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Grade: A
The only quarterback we had that Houston Texans should draft and they do. He should start immediately and prove that he should have been the number 1 selection. We are so glad he did not fall due to the ridiculous news that came up in the last couple weeks.
3) Houston Texans (VIA Trade w/ARI)
Grade: C
Anderson is a good player, but trading up with as much as they did is a MASSIVE risk. We just do not love this move. 2 1sts, a 2nd, and a 3rd is just too much for a team that has a lot of needs
4) Indianapolis Colts- Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
Grade: A
Great pick for the Colts. They successfully pulled off the smoke screen. He joins the best possible situation for him with Steichen as his coordinator.
5) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)- Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
Grade B+/B
We actually had the Seahawks taking a CB in our latest mock, so we aren’t as surprised by this pick as others may be. Seattle is known for taking project prospects who have size/speed combination. Our first 3-4 mocks we had Seattle taking Georgia’s Kelee Ringo at Pick 20 because we loved the fit. We love Christian Gonzalez and he’s been our CB1 all offseason. Gonzalez screams Seattle, and it’s sad we aren’t going to see a Gonzalez/Woolen duo. Although, this is not a knock on Witherspoon at all, we thought Witherspoon would go high he was just never in the Seattle conversation for us. Witherspoon is a great corner who looks real lengthy, and along with Gonzalez are in a tier of their own pretty separated from everyone else. He’s arguably the best man coverage CB in the class, and a really good tackler. Witherspoon and Woolen should still team up to create one of the better young CB duos in the league.
6) Arizona Cardinals (VIA Trade w/ DET, Originally L.A. Rams)- Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Ohio State
Grade: A-
This is an extremely deep OT class. Only giving up a 2nd round pick to move up 6 picks isn’t bad; however, the Cardinals roster sucks. The Cardinals have arguably the worst roster in all the NFL right now. That 2nd round pick could’ve been a top tier prospect that fell into Day 2. However, the move is made and it’s a good one. Kyler has to be protected when he returns from his Torn ACL, and Johnson is going to do just that. Johnson may not have the ceiling of some of the other tackles in this class, but may have the best floor by far and is the safe pick.
7) Las Vegas Raiders- Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
Grade: D-
What an awful pick. They have so many needs and yet they go with one of the stronger parts of the team. Raiders downfall continues. It is hard to tell that Mayock and Gruden are not there anymore.
8) Atlanta Falcons- Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Grade: C-
This is such a weird choice. Why? Algeier was a 5th round gem last year and had 1000 rushing yards. Bijan is a great player and a great person but Atlanta has so many other needs.
9) Philadelphia Eagles (VIA Trade W/CHI)- Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
Grade: A+
Amazing pick. Love the fit and Carter should find himself right at home on an insane line with former teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. The Eagles continue their assembly of the Georgia defense at the NFL Level.
10) Chicago Bears (VIA Trade w/PHI, Originally NO)- Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
Grade: A
Chicago has done everything over the last year to help Fields succeed. They traded for Claypool and DJ Moore, as well as brought in other skill players and a couple linemen. Fields got sacked an NFL high 55 times. If this pick was anything other than offensive line it would’ve been a mistake. Although Wright was our OT4, we like this fit because Wright is athletic and moves well which will help when you have to protect Fields. Also, Wright plays RT which means that he nor Braxton Jones need to learn new footwork. Jones can stay at LT and Wright could slide in at RT.
11) Tennessee Titans- Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern
Grade:A
The Titans purged their roster to start the offseason releasing LT Taylor Lewan and C Ben Jones. Skoronski has 5 spot versatility on the line, although we don’t like the thought of Skoronski playing tackle. The Titans signed Dillard to a pretty big contract all things considered and drafted Petit-Frere last year. They can keep them at tackle while using Skoronski to secure the interior of their line at guard or center.
12) Detroit Lions (VIA Trade W/ ARI)- Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
Grade: D
Shock of the draft. Why did they do this? Yeah Swift is injury prone but you just paid David Montgomery. This is such an odd selection for a team that had been crushing it recently.
13) Green Bay Packers (from N.Y. Jets)- Lukas Van Ness, EDGE, Iowa
Grade: C+
We love Van Ness as a prospect, but Green Bay continues their brutal streak of first round drafting. They had their pick of the receivers and or an offensive tackle and said nah.
14) Steelers (VIA Trade W/NE)- Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
Grade: A+
We can’t explain it, but there’s something about the Broderick Jones and Pittsburgh match that we love so much. Jones is going to look extremely good in the black and gold. As soon as we saw Pittsburgh trade up, we knew exactly who it was for. Jones could use some development in the technical aspects of his game(becoming more consistent hitting strike point and footwork), but he is going to be a blessing for both Najee and Kenny next year. Jones is ready to play despite needing some development. They finally have their franchise LT for the first time in a while.
15) New York Jets (from Green Bay)- Will McDonald IV, EDGE, Iowa State
Grade: D+
This is a bad pick. We like McDonald as a fringe first rounder but in no way should he have been taken over other rushers like Nolan Smith. The position may have been a need, but McDonald could have been had with a trade back or trade up in the end of the first.
16) Washington Commanders- Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi St
Grade: C
Dan Snyder may have sold the organization, but they are still a poverty franchise. CB1 Christian Gonzalez fell right into your lap by some stroke of luck, and you screwed it up. We would’ve ran the Gonzalez pick to the podium so freaking fast. Look, this isn’t a “pick on Forbes” session, but his skill set is not first round worthy. He is not a complete cornerback. Forbes is arguably a Top 3 coverage CB, but that’s not enough in the NFL. You need to be able to take on blocks and make tackles and Forbes can’t. His desire to do it is inconsistent, and when he tries it’s hard to watch. If we were Washington we would have MASSIVE concerns about people trying to run right at him and about his durability at 166 lbs.
17) New England Patriots (VIA Trade W/ PIT)- Christian Gonzales, CB, Oregon
Grade: A+
For all the fans reading, the Patriots have landed their next elite CB. The fact that Gonzalez fell this far is mind blowing. NE has this weird thing where their first round CBs never pan out, but they can develop mid-late round CBs. If they can find a way to develop Gonzalez the way they did with JC Jackson, Jack Jones, etc. Gonzalez is going to be a problem. Arguably the best value of the first round so far!
18) Detroit Lions- Jack Campbell, LB, Iowa
Grade: B
We like that Detroit addressed LB, and we love that it’s Campbell. Nothing against Anzalone(who got extended this offseason), but he’s not really the type of player we think of when we hear about Mike LBs. The Lions LB core is going to look good next year. Our first thought is that Campbell takes over at Mike, Anzalone at Sam, and Rodriguez takes over Will. Here are the reasons why this grade isn’t higher:
- Our clear LB1 Drew Sanders was sitting there, he’ss roughly the same size, but much more versatile and sideline-to-sideline
- We felt the Lions could’ve landed Campbell in the 2nd round
- We have concerns about Campbell’s speed and coverage ability at the next level. Not sure if he’s going to be able to handle three downs.
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
Grade: B+
Not what we were expecting but should pair spectacularly with Vita Vea. We guess Logan Hall will move to defensive end permanently while Kancey terrorizes quarterbacks and Via was double teams.
20) Seattle Seahawks- Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Ohio State
Grade: B+
This was a luxury pick for Seattle and they took their biggest need. Their WR3 was an eye sore, but now JSN slides in as a slot. Will Seattle throw enough for him to be truly relevant? We will find out. Either way they get their guy.
21) Los Angeles Chargers- Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
Grade: B
They took the biggest position of need, but we feel a couple of others were better fits for what the Chargers are missing. Still a good pick for Los Angeles.
22) Baltimore Ravens- Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Grade: A+
He is our wide receiver one. Baltimore continues to commit to the new offense and Lamar Jackson. We love it. Should operate underneath
23) Minnesota Vikings- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
Grade: A-
Minnesota was patient and is rewarded. We have slight concerns with his weight, but he should excel as a number 2 or 2B (Depending on Osborn).
24) New York Giants (VIA Trade W/JAX)- Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
Grade:A-
25) Buffalo Bills (VIA Trade W/JAX)- Dalton Kincaid
Grade: A+
It is hard to believe Kincaid was still here. Kincaid is a great receiver with amazing upside but he is also a decent blocker as well. He should be the go to red zone option with the attention on Diggs.
26) Dallas Cowboys- Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
Grade: C
Dallas needed help against the run, but Smith is not a first round prospect. He is strong but needs a lot of refinement. They did address a need, but he could have been a second rounder.
27) Jacksonville Jaguars (VIA Trade W/BUF)- Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
Grade: A+
28) Cincinnati Bengals- Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
Grade: A-
Murphy is our EDGE 1 in this class and we love the value. But, this is such an odd fit. Cincinnati has a set defensive line. Unless they are looking to move on from one of their guys we are surprised this was not a tight end.
29) New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco through Miami and Denver)- Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
Grade: A-
Bresee has his concerns, but he also has a ton of upside and potential. We love the fit and Cam Jordan is the perfect mentor for Bresee.
30) Philadelphia Eagles- Nolan Smith, EDGE, Georgia
Grade: A+
Was this a need? Probably not. But, it was insane value and a leader to the locker room. He gets to learn from his closest comp in Haason Reddick. Howie Roseman for mayor of Philadelphia.
31) Kansas City Chiefs- Felix Anudike-Uzomah, EDGE, Kansas State
Grade: B
They definitely needed some more pass rushing help and he was a top 3 edge available. It is not a bad pick at all but we would have loved a pass catcher here as well.