CW21's 2023 NFL Draft Grades (Top 14 Up!)

[CWood21]

I'll do my best to get all the grades up throughout the process.  Can't promise that I won't get derailed at some point though.  Grades will be affected by trade ups or downs.

1.) Carolina Panthers (from Chicago) - Bryce Young [QB; Alabama]
Leading up to the weeks before the draft, the Panthers gave up a haul to find their QBOTF and while most thought there were multiple QBs in play but ultimately they opted for Bryce Young.  If Bryce Young had more prototypical NFL frame for a QB, I think we'd be looking at a consensus for the top QB but the on-the-field performances were the most impressive of all the QBs in this year's draft with his ability to elevate the players around him.  Outside of Jahmyr Gibbs, the Crimson Tide' skill position players are probably the weakest they've been in years and Alabama was in the mix for the playoffs.  He's probably the most complete QB prospect in this year's draft, but his slight frame and his less than ideal arm strength (although more than enough to play in the NFL) are docking his draft status.
Grade: B

2.) Houston Texans - CJ Stroud [QB; Ohio State]
After all the misdirection, the Texans opted to take their QB and they took the other QB who was my current QB1.  I think he's got a higher ceiling than Bryce Young, but his floor is substantially lower than Bryce Young's and they'll always be linked together.  CJ Stroud has the prototypical QB frame that Bryce Young doesn't have, but he doesn't quite have the feel that Young does.  Unfortunately, Stroud has to battle the stigma of Buckeye QBs which hasn't really produced much in the way of productivity.  I felt that Houston might bypass a QB this year, and opt for a QB next year.  Ultimately, it's hard to fault a team for going after their QB and Houston did exactly that this year.  Time will tell dictate if the decision was correct.
Grade: B

3.) Houston Texans (from Arizona) - Will Anderson [EDGE; Alabama]
I LOVE me some Will Anderson as he was my #1 ranked player in the draft this year, but I'm not sure he's ever going to be an elite pass rusher.  He was one of the few blue chip prospects in the draft, but Houston gave up a HAUL to get him.  They gave up the QB premium to move up the board on a non-QB.  If Houston was a bit further along on the rebuild, I thought this would be the kind of deal to make but this feels like a year away move for Houston but it's hard to hate the gamble on the Texans, but this will magnify CJ Stroud if he struggles next year given that they gave up their own FRP as opposed to Cleveland's.  I thought Houston had the interest in moving back up the board, but I didn't think they'd make the trade up the board for an EDGE.
Grade: C+

4.) Indianapolis Colts - Anthony Richardson [QB; Florida]
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Anthony Richardson and thought he was the riskiest of all the QB prospects in this year's draft.  I think he's either a top 10 QB In few years, or the Colts are going to be looking for a new GM in a couple of years.  I just don't see a middle ground with this prospect.  He's got a tremendous athletic profile as he's one of the most athletic QBs to come out of college ever, and the sheer upside is going to keep him in the NFL.  He's only a 1 year starter in college, so his best days are likely ahead of him.  He wasn't very accurate in college completing less than 55% of his passes, and his TD/INT ratio was a good indicator that his decision making needs to improve.  Ultimately though, there's no QB with the upside in this year's draft and Anthony Richardson was pretty clearly QB3 for me in this year's draft.  I don't hate Indianapolis for making this gamble, but there's a LOT of risk involved with this pick.
Grade: C

5.) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver) - Devon Witherspoon [CB; Illinois]
Personally, I expected Witherspoon to come off the board one pick later, so the value seems about right.  Figured that as long as the character concerns didn't scare Pete Carroll off, that they'd go with Jalen Carter here.  Ultimately, the Seahawks got one of the best CB prospects in the draft and was 1B for me with Christian Gonzalez.  I think ultimately the decision comes down to what you want/need at CB, and scheme.  Witherspoon is the more physical of the two corners, while I think Gonzalez is more of a pure cover guy.  After getting Tariq Woolen last year, the Seahawks potentially have a couple of shutdown corners and start rebuilding their secondary back to the Legion of Boom Days.
Grade: B+

6.) Arizona Cardinals (from Detroit) - Paris Johnson [OT; Ohio State]
Arizona nailed the trade down and back up the board.  Absolutely nailed it.  And it clearly looks like a different regime in place.  If Houston's offer never came in, I do think they ultimately would have taken Paris Johnson at 3, so they effectively moved from 3 to 6 for what is Houston's '24 FRP.  To me, that gamble was HUGE for Arizona because I'm not a big believer in Houston's chances of not handing over a top 10 pick.  Paris Johnson was my top ranked OT in the draft, and even though I felt like his value was more in that 8-12 range grabbing him at 6 isn't bad value by any means and ensured they get a franchise LT to protect Kyler Murray.  Ultimately, moving down and grabbing Houston's (and not Cleveland's) FRP plus getting their guy is a huge win for them.
Grade: A-

7.) Las Vegas Raiders - Tyree Wilson [EDGE; Texas Tech]
Assuming the medicals on the foot check out, this is a really good pick for the Raiders.  But without access to those medicals, it's kinda hard to evaluate that pick.  There were teams who felt that Tyree Wilson was the best pass rusher in this year's class and the upside is tremendous.  Outside of Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas needs to rebuild their defense and with a pair of bookend pass rushers in Crosby and Wilson they can rebuild this defense.  It'll be interesting to see if the theme continues with the Raiders on Day 2, or if they go and look to add more offensive pieces to the puzzle.
Grade: B

8.) Atlanta Falcons - Bijan Robinson [RB; Texas]
I HATE the idea of taking non-premium positions early in the draft if they're not HoF-caliber players, and even then they better be the clear BPA at that point.  While I do think Bijan Robinson can be that RB, the Falcons have spent their top 10 picks the last 3 years on a TE, WR, and a RB opting to build up from the outside in.  Bijan to Atlanta was one of the worst kept secrets in the draft, so them taking him at 8 wasn't surprising.  I would have liked to see them trade down from 8 even if just a little bit to extract more value, but they probably didn't want to risk missing out on him.
Grade: C

9.) Philadelphia Eagles (from Chicago via Carolina) - Jalen Carter [DT; Georgia]
ASSUMING the character concerns aren't there for you, Jalen Carter is a clear top 3 prospect in the draft alongside Will Anderson and Bijan Robinson.  But if those character concerns are legit, his drop in the draft makes sense.  The Eagles love their lineman and they love their Bulldogs, so the Eagles being the team that takes Jalen Carter isn't surprising.  He'll have a strong supporting cast in place, but the chance to draft a top 3 prospect isn't going to happen very often as long as the Eagles remain competitive under Jalen Hurts.
Grade: A

10.) Chicago Bears (from Carolina via New Orleans) - Darnell Wright [OT; Tennessee]
Chicago needed to address the OL, and the Bears had their choice of any of the OL aside from Paris Johnson at 9 and were able to extract a little more value and moved back to 10.  Ultimately, they opted for the OT with the most helium in the draft process.  I had him as a Day 2 prospect initially, but he moved into the clear Day 1 territory a while ago.  I think they could have opted for a safer OL like Peter Skoronski, but they went and gambled some of that floor with upside and I don't hate the pick.  Personally, I probably would have taken Skoronski because I think he's ultimately a Zach Martin-level of player but Wright has more upside and a better chance of sticking at tackle.
Grade: B-

11.) Tennessee Titans - Peter Skoronski [OT/OG; Northwestern]
Skoronski was my #1 ranked IOL, and would have been #2 OT if you are comfortable with his arm length and pass protection.  Tennessee is rebuilding and after releasing Taylor Lewan they need to rebuild their OL.  Peter Skoronski is a plug 'n play OL, and while I do think he's a better guard than tackle I think he's a perfectly passable tackle.  I'd be surprised if he had anything other than a Zach Martin or Brandon Schereff type of career in Tennessee.  I'll be interested to see how Tennessee attacks the rest of the draft if they continue the rebuilding theme or if they mix and match the BPA.
Grade: B+

12.) Detroit Lions (from Arizona via Houston via Cleveland) - Jahmyr Gibbs [RB; Alabama]
Let me start by saying, I LOVED what Jahmyr Gibbs brings to the table.  But I hate the value here.  I thought his value was late Day 1, early Day 2 and they took him at 12.  I'm sure they probably had intel that another team in that 13-18 range would take him, but I don't see the difference between Gibbs and the next tier of RBs as being worth taking a RB this high that isn't a generational talent.  Especially when you had glaring needs on the defensive side of the ball, and a clear top 10 talent in Christian Gonzalez was still on the board.  They also had their choice of pretty much most of the pass rushers available as well.  It was just an odd selection and it wasn't like they got great value in the trade down with Arizona. 
Grade: D

13.) Green Bay Packers (from NY Jets) - Lukas Van Ness [EDGE; Iowa]
This was a Packers' pick through and through, and makes last year's draft look like an anomaly.  The Packers like their players young for their draft and on the more athletic side, and LVN is exactly that.  The Packers didn't necessarily have a need at EDGE, but they continue to load up the defense with plenty of talent in the post-Rodgers era.  There was some belief that Green Bay would possibly take a WR in the first round since Javon Walker and despite having their choice of WRs.  I would have liked to see Green Bay make a small move back, but I don't think LVN would have been available at that point.
Grade: B+

14.) Pittsburgh Steelers (from New England) - Broderick Jones [OT; Georgia]
A 4th round pick is a small price to pay to ensure you get up to get the guy that almost certainly is going to go one pick later, and the Steelers needed to add to their OL to make sure Kenny Pickett succeeds.  I'm not a huge fan of Jones, but he was arguably the third best OL in the draft and the upside is tremendous.  I think he relies a little too much on his athletic tools, and needs to work on his technique but he's got the upside to be a top OL in the NFL.
Grade: B

[CWood21]

Day 2

[CWood21]

AFC Grades

[CWood21]

NFC grades

[FalconFan13]

Im fully expecting a lower or bad grade for the Falcons even though 90% of the mocks had him to us and the Falcon fans argued against it at times but still liked the dude lol.  Great player but position value is always a tough sell.

[CWood21]

Top 14 grades are up.

[RaidersAreOne]

Very fair evaluation of Tyree Wilson at #7.

[43M]

Completely agree with the Broderick Jones assessment.  

[THE DUKE]

13 hours ago, FalconFan13 said:

Im fully expecting a lower or bad grade for the Falcons even though 90% of the mocks had him to us and the Falcon fans argued against it at times but still liked the dude lol.  Great player but position value is always a tough sell.

The problem is that despite getting a dude, they are still augmenting arguably their greatest strength, which seems a bit odd for a team with a lot of holes.  They have spent a pretty penny in FA on that defense though.

[FalconFan13]

Just now, THE DUKE said:

The problem is that despite getting a dude, they are still augmenting arguably their greatest strength, which seems a bit odd for a team with a lot of holes.  They have spent a pretty penny in FA on that defense though.

I will say i don't think people realize how many holes we actually filled.  We really don't have to many holes anymore Fontenot said he wanted to go into this draft to pick BPA and fill holes and needs in FA.  I think he did a pretty good job of doing that honestly more than people know.   Like Edge and DT have a ton of people on it now lol.  CB probably could use 1 more good one to replace Heyward.   Safety might could use 1 for depth  but no Safety even close to value at 8. 

LG we could for sure use 1, WR we can use 1,  Thats really about it for main needs that i can think of.   I'll show you the depth chart chart  you tell me what position you see as a main need i might be missing.

Offense - Needs i see mainly are LG, OT depth, and WR depth Maybe TE if we stay with Pitts mostly as a WR

QB - Ridder, Heinicke, Woodside, Frank
RB - Bijan, Allgeier, Patterson, Huntley <-- 1st round pick Bijan
WR1 - London, Hodge,
WR2 - Hollins, Darby   <-- Pitts 75% of the time
WR3 - Miller, Bernhardt
TE - Pitts, Jonnu, Hesse <--- Pitts 25% of the time
LT - Matthews, Miles
LG - Mayfield, Hennesy, Greenidge
C - Dalman, Hennessy
RG - Lindstrom, Hinton
RT - Mcgary, Ifedi, Vrabel

Defense - Needs i see  Safety depth, LB, and CB

LDE - Campbell, Dupree, Ogundeji
DT - Grady, Ta'quon Graham, Gaziano
DT - Onyemata, Goldman, Dalton
RDE - Ebeketie, Malone
SLB - Kaden Ellis, Lorenzo Carter
MLB - Troy Anderson, Nate Landman
WLB - Mykal Walker, Dorian Etheridge
CB1 - AJ, Hughes, Alford
CB2 - Okudah, Hall,
FS - Bates, Hawkins
SS - Grant, Abernathy

The only 3 positions i could see as starter needs would be CB2, WR2 or 3, and maybe a LB?  Would like some outside view on it to see if you think the roster is alot deeper than ppl think after FA and sorta allows us to go BPA without reaching for needs a bit.

[THE DUKE]

9 minutes ago, FalconFan13 said:

I will say i don't think people realize how many holes we actually filled.  We really don't have to many holes anymore Fontenot said he wanted to go into this draft to pick BPA and fill holes and needs in FA.  I think he did a pretty good job of doing that honestly more than people know.   Like Edge and DT have a ton of people on it now lol.  CB probably could use 1 more good one to replace Heyward.   Safety might could use 1 for depth  but no Safety even close to value at 8. 

LG we could for sure use 1, WR we can use 1,  Thats really about it for main needs that i can think of.   I'll show you the depth chart chart  you tell me what position you see as a main need i might be missing.

Offense - Needs i see mainly are LG, OT depth, and WR depth Maybe TE if we stay with Pitts mostly as a WR

QB - Ridder, Heinicke, Woodside, Frank
RB - Bijan, Allgeier, Patterson, Huntley <-- 1st round pick Bijan
WR1 - London, Hodge,
WR2 - Hollins, Darby   <-- Pitts 75% of the time
WR3 - Miller, Bernhardt
TE - Pitts, Jonnu, Hesse <--- Pitts 25% of the time
LT - Matthews, Miles
LG - Mayfield, Hennesy, Greenidge
C - Dalman, Hennessy
RG - Lindstrom, Hinton
RT - Mcgary, Ifedi, Vrabel

Defense - Needs i see  Safety depth, LB, and CB

LDE - Campbell, Dupree, Ogundeji
DT - Grady, Ta'quon Graham, Gaziano
DT - Onyemata, Goldman, Dalton
RDE - Ebeketie, Malone
SLB - Kaden Ellis, Lorenzo Carter
MLB - Troy Anderson, Nate Landman
WLB - Mykal Walker, Dorian Etheridge
CB1 - AJ, Hughes, Alford
CB2 - Okudah, Hall,
FS - Bates, Hawkins
SS - Grant, Abernathy

The only 3 positions i could see as starter needs would be CB2, WR2 or 3, and maybe a LB?  Would like some outside view on it to see if you think the roster is alot deeper than ppl think after FA and sorta allows us to go BPA without reaching for needs a bit.

For starters, Christian Gonzalez was right there, and the Falcons still have a great rushing attack and now they aren't relying on oft injured and under performing Jeff Okudah (and this description coming from an Okudah fan, lol).

[FalconFan13]

32 minutes ago, THE DUKE said:

For starters, Christian Gonzalez was right there, and the Falcons still have a great rushing attack and now they aren't relying on oft injured and under performing Jeff Okudah (and this description coming from an Okudah fan, lol).

To be fair i was and still am a Gonzo fan you can tell by how many mocks i asked for him the last few months.  Now with that said my guy did fall and Forbes went before him.  Maybe he wasn't considered that high on peoples boards like we all thought although i still liked him.   Can still grab a guy like Porter JR, Cam Smith or Brian Branch in round 2 or a few solid guys in the 3rd as well at CB. 

Plus we still have 15 mil in cap space to sign a good CB or LG as well in FA after the draft too.  Can't count that out at all their might be some good ones cut.

Edited April 28, 2023 by FalconFan13