NFL Draft 1st-Round Grades: Does Bryce Young Make the Cut?

The NFL Draft is always exciting for football fans as teams try to bolster their rosters with young talent. However, only some players selected in the draft are considered to have a first-round grade. In fact, according to sources, there are typically only 12 to 15 players each year who are viewed as true first-round talents.

While there are 31 picks in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, that doesn’t mean every player selected in the opening stanza is of the highest caliber.

Teams are often forced to choose a player when they’re on the clock, even if that player doesn’t have a first-round grade. For instance, if a team picks 16th and can’t trade out of the spot, they’ll have to select someone, even if that player isn’t considered a first-round talent.

Only two quarterbacks, Bryce Young, and CJ Stroud, are reportedly viewed as having first-round grades. Bijan Robinson, the running back from Texas, and Jaxson Smith-Njigba, the receiver from Ohio State, are also considered first-round talents.

On the offensive line, Peter Skoronski, who played left tackle at Northwestern but is expected to play guard in the NFL, has a first-round grade.

Several pass rushers, including Will Anderson (Alabama), Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech), Lukas Van Ness (Iowa), Nolan Smith (Georgia), and Myles Murphy (Clemson), are also viewed as first-round talents.

And two cornerbacks, Devon Witherspoon of Illinois and Christian Gonzalez of Oregon, are reportedly expected to be selected in the top 10.

According to sources who have spoken with teams, only 13 players are said to have true first-round grades. UGA defensive tackle Jalen Carter also cracks the list.

This means most players – at least 18 – selected in the first round won’t have first-round grades, according to many teams. And several will not be as talented as those taken later in the draft.

Remembering that the draft is an inexact science, only some highly-touted prospects pan out professionally. However, teams will do their best to identify and select players with the highest potential, even if they don’t all have first-round grades.