2023-04-28 07:00:00
The first round of the NFL draft in Kansas City will be remembered by many fans for a long time.
As expected, quarterback Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers in first position, but followingwards there were quite a few surprises – starting with the Houston Texans’ show.
Contrary to expectations, they chose quarterback CJ Stroud and not one of the defensive players they were considering.
But that’s not all: The Texans moved up from draft position 12 and traded for the third pick from the Arizona Cardinals, who received a second-round pick this year and a first- and third-round pick next year.
The Texans, who also received a fourth-round pick from the Cardinals, then got the expected top defensive player in edge rusher Will Anderson. (NFL Knowledge: The Positions in Football)
Cardinals surprise with Trade
With the next pick, the Indianapolis Colts secured quarterback Anthony Richardson, who drew attention to himself with his athleticism in the combine, in fourth place.
While the Seattle Seahawks then brought in one of the best pass defenders in cornerback Devin Witherspoon, the Cardinals provided the next cracker.
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They traded the Detroit Lions’ pick and used it for offensive tackle Paris Johnson – a protector for QB Kyler Murray, who had championed Johnson.
The Cardinals sacrificed a second and fifth round pick for this – in return they received a third round pick – but the deal is pretty cheap from their point of view.
Patriots and Eagles strike
According to many experts, the Philadelphia Eagles were among the winners of the evening. They moved up a spot from tenth place to draft Jalen Carter. A real reinforcement for the Super Bowl finalist with the new record earner Jalen Hurts – who, however, brings personal ballast of a tragic kind.
Defensive Tackle Carter, considered the brightest prospect of the class, was involved in a fatal accident earlier in the year that killed collegiate teammate Devin Willock and a team member. Carter apparently had a street race with the car, he was arrested and given a quickly negotiated suspended sentence.
Because the Eagles were able to get Nolan Smith with their second first-round pick in the penultimate place – he is also considered a top prospect – they may be the big winner of the evening.
The New England Patriots also received a lot of applause. First, the Pats went down three spots from 14th place and still got one of the best players of the draft in Christian Gonzalez. However, it came as a surprise that the cornerback was still available so late.
Criticism of the Lions – Levis waits in vain
The Detroit Lions caused a lot of astonishment. The team of German-American NFL star Amon-Ra St. Brown went into the evening with two first-round picks and decided on running back Jahmyr Gibbs in 12th position and linebacker Jack Campbell in 18th position.
Both talents play in positions that are usually undervalued in the current NFL to justify such a high pick. For many experts, they were only on the list as players for the second day.
The evening was really bitter for the fourth big quarterback name in this year’s draft, Will Levis.
In the predictions it was quite clear that he would be picked in the top ten. Instead, he sat backstage in Kansas City and watched as the other players were gradually selected by an NFL team.
He himself waited in vain for his name and will hope once more tomorrow that his NFL dream will come true. A big surprise. The reason for the young playmaker’s fall might be a toe injury, which apparently worried some potential buyers.
NFL Draft 2023 – the picks of the 1st round at a glance
Pick
Team
Player (position, college)
1
Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young (Quarterback, Alabama)
2
Houston Texans
C.J. Stroud (Quarterback, Ohio State)
3
Houston Texans
Will Anderson Jr. (Defensive End, Alabama)
4
Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson (Quarterback, Florida)
5
Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon (Cornerback, Illinois)
6
Arizona Cardinals
Paris Johnson Jr. (Offensive Tackle, Ohio State)
7
Las Vegas Raiders
Tyree Wilson (Edge, Texas Tech)
8
Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson (Running Back, Texas)
9
Philadelphia Eagles
Jalen Carter (Defensive Tackle, Georgia)
10
Chicago Bears
Darnell Wright (Offensive Tackle, Tennessee)
11
Tennessee Titans
Peter Skoronski (Offensive Tackle, Northwestern)
12
Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs (Running Back, Alabama)
13
Green Bay Packers
Lukas Van Ness (Defensive End, Iowa)
14
Pittsburgh Steelers
Broderick Jones (Offensive Tackle, Georgia)
15
New York Jets
Will McDonald IV (Edge, Iowa St.)
16
Washington Commanders
Emmanuel Forbes (Cornerback, Mississippi St.)
17
New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez (Cornerback, Oregon)
18
Detroit Lions
Jack Campbell (Linebacker, Iowa)
19
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Calijah Kancey (Defensive Tackle, Pittsburgh)
20
Seattle Seahawks
Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Wide Receiver, Ohio St.)
21
Los Angeles Chargers
Quentin Johnston (Wide Receiver, TCU)
22
Baltimore Ravens
Zay Flowers (Wide Receiver, Boston College)
23
Minnesota Vikings
Jordan Addison (Wide Receiver, USC)
24
New York Giants
Deonte Banks (Cornerback, Maryland)
25
Buffalo Bills
Dalton Kincaid (Tight End, Utah)
26
Dallas Cowboys
Mazi Smith (Defensive Tackle, Michigan)
27
Jacksonville Jaguars
Anton Harrison (Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma)
28
Cincinnati Bengals
Myles Murphy (Defensive End, Clemson)
29
New Orleans Saints
Bryan Bresee (Defensive Tackle, Clemson)
30
Philadelphia Eagles
Nolan Smith (Defensive End, Georgia)
31
Kansas City Chiefs
Felix Anudike-Uzomah (Defensive End, Kansas City)
Jets fan provides a highlight
One of the highlights of the evening was the reading of the pick from the New York Jets, quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ new team.
Young Kyle Stickles took the stage with Commissioner Roger Goodell. Through a fan campaign, the youngster had the great honor of reading out his favorite team’s pick.
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Before that, he heated up the crowd and let the fans know that his team had chosen defensive end Will McDonald IV with a “JETS, Jets, Jets, Jets” chant.
That leaves Rodgers waiting to get a first-round wide receiver on one of his teams. This has never (!) happened since his draft in 2004.
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