NFL Draft 2023’s Winners and Losers from first round
The first round of the 2023 NFL Draft had it all. Plenty of picks we did expect, and a couple we definitely did not. Lorenzo Reyes gives his winners and losers.
Sports Pulse
The 2023 NFL draft resumes Friday night with the second and third rounds. (It concludes Saturday with the final four rounds.)
Plenty of excitement Thursday from Kansas City, Missouri, with Round 1 providing its fair share of trades and surprises, notably the Houston Texans not only taking Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick but then vaulting back up to No. 3 for Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson. Expect Houston to continue to be a major player with 10 more overall selections at GM Nick Caserio’s disposal.
USA TODAY Sports will have the latest news, while analyzing each pick as it’s made once the 88th annual “Player Selection Meeting” resumes:
NFL DRAFT PICKS 2023: Analysis of every team’s first-round selections
2023 NFL draft tracker: Second-round picks
With the pick acquired from last year’s trade of WR Chase Claypool comes just the proper overlap of talent, need and serendipity required to bring the son of former Steelers OLB Joey Porter back to the Steel City. Porter Jr. dropped Thursday, failing to become the inaugural first-round defensive back in Nittany Lions history. But the All-Big Ten star is big (6-3, 193) and physical and should be a long-term solution to a secondary that lost CB Cam Sutton in free agency and is counting on soon-to-be 33-year-old Patrick Peterson. Rarely tested in 2022, Porter didn’t allow a TD pass last season.
After falling out of Round 1, he doesn’t stick around Friday as the Titans deal up for the Wildcats star. Tennessee QB Ryan Tannehill has one year left on his contract, and 2022 third-rounder Malik Willis didn’t earn the confidence of the coaches and was passed over as the starter late last season when Tannehill was hurt. Levis is a cannon-armed, athletic, tough, 6-3, 229-pounder with experience in a pro-style offense. He will have to improve his consistency and footwork while recovering from the physical beating he endured in 2022. In 2021, Levis passed for 24 TDs and ran for nine more.
The Lions effectively replace T.J. Hockenson, whom they traded last season, with another from the Hawkeyes’ tight end factory. All-Big Ten last year, the 6-3, 245-pound LaPorta doesn’t score much but had at least 50 receptions for at least 600 yards each of the past two seasons. Decent enough blocker.
The Silver and Black bump up three slots, coach Josh McDaniels perhaps seeking his next iteration of Rob Gronkowski. Mayer’s size (6-5, 249 pounds) and blocking should be welcomed by 2022 rushing champ Josh Jacobs while giving QB Jimmy Garoppolo a red-zone threat alternative to WR Davante Adams. Mayer, a 2022 All-American, had 138 receptions for 1,649 yards and 16 TDs over past two seasons.
Coming off a historically poor Super Bowl defense, the Rams begin replenishing their interior O-line with a 6-4, 332-pound All-American. Avila could plug in at guard or center and will fortify the blocking in front of QB Matthew Stafford, who didn’t finish last season, regardless.
37. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver Broncos) –
38. Colts (from Raiders) –
39. Carolina Panthers –
40. New Orleans Saints –
41. Cardinals (from Titans) –
42. Green Bay Packers (from Cleveland Browns via New York Jets) –
43. Jets –
44. Atlanta Falcons –
45. Packers –
46. New England Patriots –
47. Washington Commanders –
48. Lions –
49. Steelers –
50. Tampa Bay Buccaneers –
51. Miami Dolphins –
52. Seahawks –
53. Bears (from Baltimore Ravens) –
54. Los Angeles Chargers
55. Lions (from Minnesota Vikings) –
56. Jacksonville Jaguars –
57. New York Giants –
58. Dallas Cowboys –
59. Buffalo Bills –
60. Cincinnati Bengals
61. Bears (from San Francisco 49ers via Panthers) –
62. Philadelphia Eagles –
63. Kansas City Chiefs –
2023 NFL draft tracker: Third-round picks
64. Bears –
65. Texans –
66. Eagles (from Cardinals) –
67. Broncos (from Colts) –
68. Broncos –
69. Rams –
70. Raiders –
71. Saints –
72. Cardinals (from Titans) –
73. Texans (from Browns) –
74. Browns (from Jets) –
75. Falcons
76. Patriots (from Panthers) –
77. Rams (from Patriots via Dolphins) –
78. Packers –
79. Colts (from Commanders) –
80. Steelers –
81. Titans (from Lions via Cardinals) –
82. Buccaneers –
83. Seahawks –
84. Dolphins –
85. Chargers –
86. Ravens –
87. Vikings –
88. Jaguars –
89. Giants –
90. Cowboys –
91. Bills –
92. Bengals –
93. Panthers (from 49ers) –
94. Cardinals (from Eagles) –
95. Chiefs –
x-96. Cardinals –
x-97. Commanders –
x-98. Browns –
x-99. 49ers –
x-100. Raiders (from Chiefs via Giants) –
x-101. 49ers –
x-102. 49ers –
x-compensatory selection
The Cleveland Browns (Deshaun Watson trade), Denver Broncos (Russell Wilson trade), Los Angeles Rams (Matthew Stafford trade), Miami Dolphins (forfeiture) and San Francisco 49ers (2021 trade for No. 3 pick used on Trey Lance) did not pick in the first round but are all scheduled to do so Friday. – Nate Davis
The Kentucky quarterback endured an extended slide all the way out of the first round, creating an awkward wait for a player who was on hand in Kansas City, Missouri, and surely expected to be celebrating by now. Instead, Levis looks bound to have his professional football fate determined Friday as a Day 2 pick. Here are eight teams that could be candidates to take Levis:
It was a big night for contenders and pretenders alike. And another banner evening for Southeastern Conference powers. And, per usual, the show was stolen early on by quarterbacks … but as the night progressed, others wound up being no-shows. It’s early yet – and the next six rounds can very much alter the complexion of each team’s overall haul. But Thursday provided a snapshot – a big and vivid one – of where this holistic draft evaluation is headed. – Nate Davis
A few marquee names always slide into Day 2, and this year was no exception. When the action resumes Friday, there should be several potentially high-impact starters up for the taking. Several could be scooped up quickly, though others could see their waits extended further. Here are the best players still available. – Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz
It didn’t take long for the unexpected moves to start rolling in Thursday. But while some certainly had a surprise factor to them, it wasn’t until later in the order that other decisions truly provoked puzzlement from many. While it’s certainly too early to call definitively label any pick bad, these selections stand out as the most questionable of the first round. – Mike Middlehurst-Schwartz
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Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis.
