NFL Draft: Winners & Losers

 

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially in the books, and boy oh boy, was it a wild one. There were a record 43 trades during the draft, and we also saw three quarterbacks go in the top four.

Although none of us have any idea of how these players are actually going to turn out in the NFL, I am going to go ahead and give my opinions on who absolutely crushed the draft, and who, let's just say, might've missed the mark.

Here are my three winners and my three losers from the 2023 NFL Draft:

Winner: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are often (rightfully) praised for being one of the best teams in the NFL when it comes to drafting players. And it appears that this year is no different.

The Steelers selected offensive tackle Broderick Jones out of Georgia in the first-round. Jones is a stout left tackle that will immensely improve the Steelers' offensive line and help open up running lanes for running back Najee Harris along with giving second-year quarterback Kenny Pickett more time to deliver the football.

Then, with the first pick in the second-round of the draft, the Steelers took cornerback Joey Porter Jr. out of Penn State. Porter Jr. is the son of former NFL linebacker Joey Porter, who played 7 seasons with the Steelers. So not only is Porter Jr. a second-generation athlete, but he's also a great cover corner with amazing press coverage skills, filling a huge need in the Steelers' defensive backfield.

 They also got one of the biggest steals in the entire draft in the third-round when they selected tight end Darnell Washington out of Georgia. Washington, an ultra-athletic playmaker, fell all the way to the third-round due to concerns with his knee. But if he's able to stay upright, he will form a great tight end duo with 2021 second-round pick Pat Freiermuth for years to come.

All in all, an absolute masterclass by the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Draft Grade: A+

Loser: Detroit Lions

Coming into the draft, the Detroit Lions (the current odds-on favorite to win the NFC North) had a chance to solidify themselves as one of the top contenders in the NFC, as they held two first-round picks (#6 and #18). But instead of adding young, cheap players at premium positions (cornerback, edge rusher, etc), they decided to trade down to the 12th overall pick where they selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama. Then, with the 18th overall pick, they took linebacker Jack Campbell out of Iowa.

The question isn't whether Gibbs and Campbell are good players; they certainly are. But I don't know if selecting a running back (commonly referred to as the most replaceable position in American Football) and a linebacker (considering this is one of the weakest linebacker draft classes in recent memory) in the first round is a smart idea. The Lions' front office, however, seems to think differently.

I did like what the Lions did in the second-round, as they drafted talented tight end Sam LaPorta and versatile safety Brian Branch. But man, that first round is tough to overlook.

Draft Grade: C+

Winner: Houston Texans

Anytime you can land a potential franchise quarterback and a potential elite pass rusher in the draft, you're sitting pretty. And that's exactly what the Houston Texans were able to do in this year's draft.

C.J. Stroud was a top-two prospect throughout the draft process, although there were rumblings that he was going to slide further down in the draft. At last, Stroud was the second pick in the draft. He is an excellent passer (especially in the pocket) and possesses solid enough off-script prowess, great leadership, and maturity for a young quarterback.

Houston had to give up quite a ton to get Will Anderson Jr., as they traded away the 12th overall pick, a 2023 second-round pick, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2024 third-round pick to the Cardinals to draft the 21-year-old phenom out of Alabama. I have to ding the Texans' draft grade a bit as a result because if the Texans are bad this season (which most likely, they will be), that 2024 first-round pick will be very high, so there's a good chance that the Cardinals (who probably have the worst NFL team on paper) could be picking at #1 and #2 in the draft next year (which could land them Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr., which would be a very scary sight for the rest of the NFL).

The Texans also drafted wide receivers Nathaniel "Tank" Dell (third-round) and Xavier Hutchinson (sixth-round), giving Stroud a couple of solid, young pass catchers to throw to.

All things considered, Stroud and Anderson Jr. are both blue-chip players at two of the top three positions in the league (quarterback and edge rusher). That is a win for a Texans franchise that hasn't had many in the past few years.

Draft Grade: B+

Loser: Kansas City Chiefs

Because they are the defending Super Bowl champions, I wouldn't say that the Chiefs had to have a great draft. But at this juncture, it seems like they had a very underwhelming draft.

They took edge rusher Felix Anudike-Uzomah in Round One. Anudike-Uzomah is very talented, but he's also very raw. If they wanted an edge rusher, I think B.J. Ojulari out of LSU would've been the better pick.

I think the Chiefs should've picked a wide receiver in the first round. Here are the top wide receivers on the Chiefs roster:

Kadarius Toney

Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Skyy Moore

Rashee Rice

Richie James

Yes, they do have Travis Kelce, the best tight end in the league, along with Patrick Mahomes, the best quarterback in the league. Rice was one of their second-round picks, and he seems to be a solid bet to produce right away. But overall, that wide receiver room leaves a lot to be desired, and could potentially come back to bite them when the postseason arrives.

Draft Grade: C

Winner: Philadelphia Eagles

The rich get richer. Fresh off a 13-win season that culminated in narrowly losing the Super Bowl, the Eagles had an amazing draft, headlined by defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith, two former teammates on the Georgia Bulldogs (the two-time defending NCAA college football champions). 

Carter was arguably the top prospect in this year's draft, but due to character concerns, he slipped during the draft, and the Eagles were able to trade up one spot to the 9th pick in the draft and draft Carter. Meanwhile, Smith barely played during his senior season due to tearing his pectoral muscle in a late October game against Florida. But he is fully healthy now and he has drawn many comparisons to Eagles All-Pro pass rusher Haason Reddick. If Smith is anything like Reddick, I say now to the rest of the NFC East; look out!

They were also able to snag cornerback Kelee Ringo (also out of Georgia) in the fourth- round. A great athlete with good coverage skills, Ringo will help strengthen an already elite Eagles secondary that features All-Pro cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

The NFL has to stop allowing Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to get away with this insane amount of fleecing.

Draft Grade: A

Loser: New York Jets

After Aaron Rodgers was traded to the Jets, I said in my article that "With Rodgers, the Jets are now bonafide Super Bowl contenders". The Jets already had a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, all they really needed was a quarterback to help take them over the top. But in my previous article, I forgot to mention that there is one more thing that the Jets still have to address; their offensive line.

Left tackle Mekhi Becton and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker are two young, talented players on the Jets' offensive line, but both have had problems staying healthy; Becton has missed virtually each of the past two seasons with knee injuries, while Vera-Tucker suffered a torn triceps during Week 7 of last season, causing him to miss the rest of the 2022 campaign. So with that being said, one would think that the Jets would address the offensive line in the draft. But instead, they selected defensive end Will McDonald IV with their first-round pick. 

McDonald IV is a talented player who has the potential to be a great pass rusher one day, but the Jets already have a deep pass-rushing unit, including 2022 second-round pick Jermaine Johnson, and 2022 fourth-round pick Michael Clemons, Carl Lawson (7.0 sacks in 2022), and John Franklin-Myers (5.0 sacks in 2022). They did select center Joe Tippmann out of Wisconsin in the second-round and I get that the old adage is that "you can never have enough pass rushers", which I would agree with. However, it was very clear that the Jets needed to severely upgrade their offensive line, and their refusal to heavily invest in that area could easily come back to bite them during the season, especially considering that Rodgers is no spring chicken at 39 years old.

Draft Grade: C-