NFL Post Draft Recap: Surprises and Trades Abound During 2023 NFL Draft

Two Running Backs Come Off The Board Early in the 2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft is now in the books. There were plenty of surprises through the seven rounds. There were also trades galore as 11 of the first 17 draft picks changed hands.

Bryce Young became the first Alabama player chosen first overall in the NFL Draft and three of the top four picks were quarterbacks. Those are just some of the headlines in the NFL Post Draft recap.

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis fell out of the first round while the San Francisco 49ers opened a few eyes by picking Michigan kicker Jake Moody 99th overall.

Following the draft, the Kansas City Chiefs (+650) are favored to win the Super Bowl yet again followed by the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles at +800 with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers coming in at +900, according to the NFL spreads.

Bulldogs, Crimson Tide Lead the Way

When the final pick was made, it was hardly a surprise that SEC rivals Alabama and Georgia led the way with 10 players drafted each. The NFL Post Draft recap saw the SEC superpowers dominate once again.

However, SEC fell short of the 11.5 number for first-round selections with nine players going in the opening round.

The fall of Kentucky quarterback Will Levis and Alabama defensive back Brian Branch played a role in the SEC failing to have at least 10 first-round picks for the first time since 2019.

The price was set at -200 that fewer than 11.5 SEC players would go in the opening round, according to the 2023 NFL Draft odds.

The SEC still led the way with 62 players being drafted.

Loyalty Rewarded

It might never happen again with the way that the transfer portal has changed the landscape in the college football world, but all of the top 10 selections played at just one college. It is hard to overlook at tidbit when it comes to the NFL Post Draft recap.

The first player selected who changed schools was Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs, who began his collegiate career at Georgia Tech, was selected by the Detroit Lions with the 12th overall pick.

It was also not the best draft for non-Football Bowl Subdivision products.

Each of the first 47 selections came from FBS programs before North Dakota State’s Cody Mauch was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with pick No. 48.

How About Those Bulldogs?

The Philadelphia Eagles know a good thing when they see it and in the last two drafts, they selected five of the top 15 tacklers off the 2021 Georgia defense that was considered to be one of the most dominant defenses in recent college football history.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter went ninth overall after the Eagles traded up from No. 10. They doubled up on Georgia players by selecting linebacker Nolan Smith with the 30th overall selection and came back to select cornerback Kelee Ringo early in the fourth round.

In 2022, defensive tackle Jordan Davis was picked 13th overall and linebacker Nakobe Dean was the 83rd overall selection.

Return of the Running Back?

In the 2019-2022 drafts, no running back went in the top 15 picks in the NFL Draft.

That all changed this year when Bijan Robinson, out of Texas, went to Atlanta with the eighth overall selection and the Detroit Lions took Gibbs at No. 12.

Taking a look at recent drafts, the last time a team used a top-15 pick on a running back came in 2018 when the New York Giants selected Saquon Barkley second overall out of Penn State.

Josh Jacobs went 24th overall to the Raiders in 2019, Clyde Edwards-Helaire was the final pick in the first round by Kansas City in 2020 while Najee Harris and Travis Etienne were picked 24th and 25th in 2021 by Pittsburgh and Jacksonville.

In 2022, Iowa State’s Breece Hall was the first running back off the board when the Jets took him 36th overall.

Living Up to the Hype

Bryce Young was ranked as the No. 1 player in Class of 2020 according to the 247sports.com recruiting database and now he is the No. 1 pick as well.

Defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, who was the No. 3 rated national recruit coming out of high school, went 29th overall. Edge rusher Will Anderson went from being the No. 5 overall recruit to being the third selection in the draft.
No. 2 selection C.J. Stroud was 42nd in his class coming out of high school, No. 4 pick Anthony Richardson was rated 209th in the Class of 2020.

Good luck finding No. 5 pick Devon Witherspoon, the first defensive back selected in this year’s draft, in the recruiting database while seventh-overall selection Tyree Wilson was the 68th-rated player in the state of Texas and No. 471 nationally.

Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter was the 53rd overall selection after being ranked sixth in his recruiting class. Offensive tackle Paris Johnson and interior defensive lineman Jalen Carter were eighth and ninth in the Class of 2020 before going sixth and ninth in the draft. Defensive end Myles Murphy, receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Robinson are other top 25 recruits who landed in the first round.

A Look Ahead

USC quarterback Caleb Williams (-600) is the overwhelming favorite to be the top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft followed by North Carolina QB Drake Maye (+500).

There is quite a fall after the top two. Ohio State receiver Marvin Harrison (+1800), Penn State offensive tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu (+2200) and Notre Dame offensive tackle (+2200) round out the top five when it comes to the top 2024 draft prospects.

Carolina, Cleveland and Houston have already traded away their first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Carolina’s pick was part of the package that ended up with Young coming to the Panthers with the No. 1 overall selection. The Texans shipped their pick to Arizona to move up to No. 3 to pick Anderson and the Browns pick belongs to Houston as a result of the Deshaun Watson trade.

Can’t get enough? Here’s more!

• NFL Draft Odds: Richardson Soars, Levis Plummets in Wild First Round of 2023 NFL Draft
• NFL Draft Odds: Plenty of Movement Among Landing Spots, Top 10 NFL Draft
• Derek Carr Stats Resurgence: Steering the Saints to Win
• 2023 NFL Draft Round One Live Updates and Odds Analysis
• NFL Post Draft Analysis: Unders Cash in Conference Wagering