2023 NFL Draft Breakdown
American Football never sleeps! Although the 2022-2023 NFL post-season has just recently come to a close (congratulations, Chiefs!), the NFL Scouting Combine opens in just over a week, and coaches, managers, players, and fans everywhere are preparing for the 88th annual NFL Entry Draft, scheduled to be held from April 27-29 in Kansas City. With many talented prospects, hungry franchises, and an interesting pick lineup, this Draft is ensured to be different from any previous one.
The first 18 picks of any NFL draft are determined by the regular season records and strength of schedule for each unique team. The other 18 picks of round one are normally decided by the results of the postseason games. However, the most controversial thing about the 2023 NFL Draft is that the Miami Dolphins will not receive a first-round pick as punishment for violating league policies concerning tampering.
That means there will be 31 selections in the first round instead of 32, leaving the Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, and San Francisco 49ers as the other teams without a day-one pick. The current first five picks belong to the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, and Seattle Seahawks (via the Denver Broncos). Note that this is as of February 19th, 2023, before any other trades have been finalized or announced.
Regarding the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine, 319 college players have been invited to Indianapolis for this year's physical and mental analyses that will be taking place between February 28th and March 6th. The University of Tennessee had the most invitees with seven players (Hendon Hooker QB, Jalin Hyatt R, Cedric Tillman R, Jeremy Banks LB, Darnell Wright LB, Byron Young DL, and Paxton Brooks P).
As far as the year's most sought-after prospects, it's safe to say the top quarterbacks are Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud. Young holds the record for most passing yards in a single game by an Alabama quarterback and received the Heisman in 2021. He is, across the board, predicted as the #1 pick by networks such as Fox Sports and PFF.
Levis and Stroud are also both established players who are expected to be selected early on in the Draft. Other notable players who are expected to be taken in the top ten spots are edge Will Anderson from Alabama, defensive tackle Jalen Carter from Georgia, edge Tyree Wilson from Texas Tech, defensive tackle Bryan Bresee from Clemson, and offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. from Ohio State.
This draft year is definitely star-studded and filled with talented, NFL-ready prospects that franchises hope will carry them to the 2023-2024 Super Bowl. We’ll all have to wait until April to watch some young stars' dreams come to life as they hear their name called by a real NFL team.