The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was widely expected to be one of the most unpredictable opening rounds in recent memory, and by most accounts it lived up to the billing.
Among the many curveballs served up on Thursday night was a slew of early-round picks, plus two running backs being selected in the top 12 for just the second time in the last 13 years -- and before any wide receiver came off the board.
For the players and teams involved, it marks the very beginning of a long journey. To instantly deem any specific move or selection a decisive boon or bust will likely prove to be an exercise in futility in the long run.
But as fans of the sport, we are compelled to make snap judgements. And the process for how a team arrives at a selection given roster needs and pick value is always fair game for criticism, no matter how the players fare in the professional ranks.
With that in mind, here's a look at our initial winners and losers for Round 1.
WINNERS
Houston Texans
If fortune favors the bold, then the Texans set themselves up for success with aggressive maneuvering in this draft. Moments after selecting former Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, Houston traded up from the 12th overall pick to snag former Alabama linebacker Will Anderson at third overall.
By some accounts, the back-to-back selections give the Texans arguably the best quarterback and the second-best defensive player in the entire draft. That's an impressive haul. Of course, it's not a given that either Stroud or Anderson will be stars. But the Texans had the most draft capital in terms of total pick value coming into the first round (accumulated in part from the Deshaun Watson trade), and they chose to trade some of it in return for higher selections. That's sound, sensible strategy.
Philadelphia Eagles
The reigning NFC champions came away with arguably the best overall player in the draft in former Georgia star Jalen Carter. And they did it with the ninth overall pick. How did they pull it off? Well, Carter's off-field concerns saw him slide from potential first overall pick down to No. 9. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported that several teams had ruled out drafting Carter altogether.
Last month, Carter pled no contest to misdemeanor street racing charges in a fatal crash that cost a former teammate and a Georgia football staffer their lives. If Carter stays out of trouble with Philadelphia, the Eagles will have stolen him. If he doesn't, he will be a sunk cost, but one the Eagles can probably live with. Certainly there were terrific players taken after Carter, ones the Eagles would have been all too happy to have, but the opportunity to take a "Hall of Fame talent" at ninth overall was too good to pass up. The Eagles also took another intriguing former Georgia defender in linebacker Nolan Smith at 30th overall.
New England Patriots
The Patriots got a well-regarded prospect at a good value -- and stuck it to the division-rival Jets in the process. After trading back from No. 14 to No. 17, New England snagged Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez -- who was pegged by some draft hounds as a top 10 talent. Gonzalez addresses a need for the Patriots secondary, which is now without longtime cornerstone Devin McCourty following his retirement.
In swapping first-round picks with the Steelers, the Pats allowed Pittsburgh to leapfrog the Jets and select Georgia offensive lineman Broderick Jones, who very likely may have been the pick for Gang Green at No. 15. While Bill Belichick surely savors burning the Jets, more importantly the move may have blocked New York from bolstering its maligned offensive line.
Running Backs
Long devalued as an essentially fungible position, ballcarriers had a moment in 2023. First, the Falcons took stud Texas tailback Bijan Robinson eighth overall, in what amounted to a mild surprise. Then, the Lions came along four picks later and took Alabama dynamo Jahmyr Gibbs 12th overall, in what amounted to a shocker.
The Robinson and Gibbs selections were notably polarizing among fans and pundits, and it's still a highly debatable draft strategy on balance. But there's little doubting this night was a win for running backs in general.
Lamar Jackson
The Ravens quarterback had his name called five years ago, but this year's draft is one he won't soon forget either. First, he signed a massive contract extension that ended two-plus years of tense negotiations. Then, the Ravens drafted intriguing wide receiver prospect Zay Flowers out of Boston College, further replenishing Baltimore's pass-catching corps. The Ravens needed to restock the cupboard around Jackson this offseason, and they've done so thus far, adding Odell Beckham Jr. in addition to Flowers.
LOSERS
Will Levis
The former Penn State and Kentucky quarterback was widely projected to go in the first half of the first round, with recent whispers indicating he could jump into the top three or four picks -- maybe even first overall. Instead, he fell out of the first round altogether in a precipitous slide reminiscent of the one suffered by Aaron Rodgers back in 2005.
Of course, Rodgers went on to be become one of the best signal-callers the sport has even seen, so Levis' misfortune means nothing about his long-term prospects in the league -- and in fact could serve as motivation. But if nothing else, the tumble cost him a decent chunk of change and maybe a bruised ego.
Detroit Lions
Once again, the question of value surfaces. By all accounts, the Lions took two fine prospects in Gibbs and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell. But both felt like reaches where they were taken (12th and 18th overall, respectively), and likely to be available later in the draft. According to ESPN Analytics, Gibbs almost certainly could have been had at No. 18 -- even that might have been a reach -- and Campbell very likely would have been available in the early second round, where the Lions have the 34th overall selection.
Both Gibbs and Campbell could very well turn out to be terrific players in the professional ranks, which will take some of the sting out of reaching for them. But the Lions seemed to choose players they identified as good fits for their team and were going to take regardless of perceived value, and they may have passed up on better players in the process. Time will tell.
Miami Dolphins
This one was sealed long before anyone's name was called on Thursday night. The Dolphins appear to be a team to watch in the AFC this season, and they really could have used another elite talent -- what team couldn't? -- in their pursuit of their first Super Bowl since winning back-to-back titles in 1973 and '74. But they were made to forfeit their pick for violating the league's anti-tampering policy in relation to their pursuit of Tom Brady. The future of Hall of Famer is retired now, having never taken a snap for Miami, instead winning a Super Bowl with the state-rival Buccaneers. The Dolphins likely aren't alone in tampering, but they did it brazenly enough to get caught and hurt the team in the process. You can't blame them for courting Brady, but there's smarter ways to go about it.
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