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At long last, the NFL Draft is underway. The first round kicked off with the Carolina Panthers making Bryce Young the first Alabama quarterback to go No. 1 overall, and from there, things fell into place as teams began snatching up key building blocks.
Every general manager no doubt will declare Day 1 of the draft a success. However, it’ll take some time to learn how smart these selections really are.
At first glance, there are some seemingly obvious winners and losers after one round of action. Here’s a rundown of who fared the best or worst Thursday night.
Winners
Carolina Panthers – After moving up to No. 1 overall last month, the Panthers did the right thing by drafting Young, the highest-rated quarterback to kick off the Frank Reich era. Yes, Young is undersized. But big-time playmaker ranks among the many descriptions for the Alabama quarterback, who should thrive with a collection of great offensive minds in Reich, Jim Caldwell, Thomas Brown and Josh McCown to mentor him and tailor a scheme to his strengths.
Houston Texans – There were all kinds of rumors that Houston would pass on C.J. Stroud and take a defensive player. However, the Texans did indeed fill their need for a franchise quarterback. They also used their second first-round pick, and the 2024 first-rounder that they got from the Browns, to jump up to No. 3 where they got edge rusher Will Anderson. So new coach DeMeco Ryans kicks off his tenure by landing franchise cornerstones on both sides of the ball.
Stroud – After a week full of disparaging rumors and questions about his decision-making and processing abilities because of a low S2 test score, some speculated that Stroud could endure a draft-day slide. However, the concerns wound up being unfounded and Stroud didn’t have to wait long at all, going second overall.
Arizona Cardinals – Arizona needed more picks to help fortify their roster, which some rival talent evaluators regard as the worst in the league. The Cardinals badly wanted to trade down from third overall, and they achieved that goal by landing the Texans’ No. 12 and No. 33 overall picks in 2023, and a first-rounder and third-rounder in 2024. They then traded back up into the top 10 (giving up No. 12 and 34) and got the top offensive lineman in the draft in Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to help better protect quarterback Kyler Murray.
Indianapolis Colts – After starting three different quarterbacks in 2022 and eight different passers since Andrew Luck retired in 2019, Indy gets Anthony Richardson, a big, physically-gifted prospect that could finally end a long-running futility streak at the most important position on the field.
Justin Fields – Sacked a season-high 55 times in 2022, the Bears’ young quarterback had to have liked his team’s first-round pick in Tennessee’s Darnell Wright at No. 10.
Jalen Carter – The Georgia defensive tackle, one of the top defensive players in the draft, faced great uncertainty leading up to this week as off-field issues (he was charged with two misdemeanors in a racing incident that killed a Georgia teammate) and additional concerns about immaturity threatened his stock. However, things wound up playing favorably for Carter, who didn’t slide far after all and landed in Philadelphia where he is reunited with former Georgia teammate Jordan Davis and a defense that features a number of strong leaders. That group should help Carter grow up and reach his full potential.
The best player available in the #NFLDraft after Round 1?
Kentucky QB Will Levis
"He has starter-level traits and upside."https://t.co/PffvWFjVXo pic.twitter.com/AewobQYomF
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) April 28, 2023
Losers
Wide receivers and tight ends – It was a long wait for the top wide receivers, who didn’t start coming off of the board until No. 20 when Seattle took Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State. That started a run that included Quentin Johnston (TCU), Zay Flowers (Boston College) and Jordan Addison (USC) to the Chargers, Ravens and Vikings, respectively. Tight ends had to wait even longer, as the first (Utah’s Dalton Kincaid) didn’t come off the board until 25th to Buffalo. The lengthy wait may have been excruciating. But perhaps there’s a silver lining for these pass-catchers. All of them wind up with teams with solidified quarterback positions, which could translate into more successful careers.
Will Levis – There was a time when the Kentucky quarterback was regarded as a potential top five pick. However, NFL talent evaluators obviously felt differently and Levis instead became this year’s Brady Quinn – sitting there at draft headquarters, enduring a torturous and humiliating wait. Thursday night came and went without Levis’ phone ringing, and so he remains on the board entering Friday night when the second and third rounds take place. It’ll be interesting to see if a quarterback-needy team tries to jump up in the second round to get Levis, or if they’ll be content to let him fall to them.
Dak Prescott – The Cowboys quarterback really could have used more help at wide receiver and improved protection. But rather than drafting a player in those areas of needs, the Cowboys took Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith.
Jordan Love – In a similar situation, the Packers new starting quarterback also could have used support. Green Bay was already thin at wide receiver, and injuries have hit the offensive line hard the last few seasons. Adding a top-flight wideout or tackle would have made a lot of sense. However, the Packers instead used their top selection on Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness, who wasn’t even a full-time starter at Iowa.
Required reading
(Photo: Kirby Lee/USA Today)
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