The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft came and went last night, and storylines aren’t hard to find. After a first round with unexpected trades, reaches, and drops, here are our biggest winners and losers.Winners:
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Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles were the consensus winners in the first round by a wide margin, which is incredible coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Howie Roseman isn’t just the best general manager in the NFL but has a case as the best executive in professional sports at this point. First, having the tenth overall pick as the reigning NFC Champions is a fleece in its own right, but moving up to pick Jalen Carter, arguably the best talent in the draft, is something else.
Then, with their 30th pick, the Eagles swiped Nolan Smith, another Georgia Bulldog, who the Eagles were reportedly strongly considering taking at No. 10 overall. Not to mention, the Eagles also moved up roughly 30 spots in the third round as a result of a settlement with the Arizona Cardinals regarding the hiring of Jonathan Gannon. What a night for the Eagles; the rich got richer.
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Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals were reportedly targeting Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson Jr. all along. Kyler Murray vouched for him, but many considered No. 3 overall too high to pick him. They traded back with the desperate Houston Texans to No. 12 for a haul of picks but then went back up to No. 6 to ensure they still got their guy. All in all, Arizona got who they wanted and nabbed the Texans’ first-round pick for next year, which could end up as a top-ten pick. It was a great night for new general manager Monti Ossenfort.
Losers:-
Detroit Lions
Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell are excellent players, but coming into the night with picks No. 6 and 18, I expected more with those assets. Trading back from six to 12 was smart to net a high second-rounder this year, but spending that 12th pick on Gibbs after signing David Montgomery and having D’Andre Swift? C’mon now. If you wanted Gibbs, you likely could have had him in the late 20s or even the early second round. Campbell would have probably been there too. In a draft where the Lions needed to use their resources to find difference-makers, it feels like they just got two “guys.”
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Houston Texans
I like the CJ Stroud pick a ton, given their need for a quarterback, but going back up to get Will Anderson Jr. at No. 3 felt foolish. Listen, Anderson Jr. will be a great NFL player, but given the capital they used to get him, he’ll be surrounded by nobodies. The Texans are horrible. They are thin at most positions, and their No. 3 overall pick last year, Derek Stingley Jr., already looks unimpressive. Nick Caserio needs every pick he can get, so making what felt like a win-now move didn’t make sense for a roster far away from contention. Caserio seemed more interested in saving his job than building for the Texans’ future.
