With the elementary nature of the first round behind us, Friday night in the 2023 NFL Draft opened the floodgates of unpredictability.
In a class where it felt like there were a few bona fide consensus studs, at a certain point, everyone else felt like they fit into a massive blob of differing opinions and debates. We know this sounds indistinguishable from most drafts, but trust us: The pendulum has already swung so much during this draft weekend, let alone the entire draft cycle.
However, Friday offered some moments of genuinely undebatable gold. The Pittsburgh Steelers tapped into a familiar name’s family to start their next defensive era. Meanwhile, a former blue-chip leader for the Alabama Crimson Tide enjoyed a fantastic moment on stage as the last person in the green room.
Oh, and Will Levis finally got drafted.
But with one day left in the draft, we thought it was time to take a breath and take stock of what’s happened so far. Here are our breakdowns of 13 of our favorite picks from the first three rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Note: This list is in chronological order. It is not a ranking.
1
Chicago Bears: Darnell Wright, OT (First round, No. 10 overall)
Wright isn’t a sexy pick, and he isn’t someone who will pop off the page or make headlines by himself. But the Bears needed a premium investment on their offensive line to keep Justin Fields standing upright. Wright is the best combination of what you seek in a right tackle: a technician and a mauler. Within a few years, when the dust finally settles on this class, he could end up with the reputation of being the top lineman drafted.
On paper, with Wright’s addition, Chicago now has one of the league’s more promising offensive lines, with four starters sitting at age 26 or younger and a developmental track established. Making an investment in an important unit affords you youth and flexibility.
By the way, here’s another fun fact about Wright: He’s the first offensive tackle the Bears have drafted in the top 10 in 40 years. It was worth the wait. — Robert Zeglinski
2
New England Patriots: Christian Gonzalez, CB (First round, No. 17 overall)
Gonzalez was the consensus CB2 overall and perhaps the CB1 in elite ball skills and tracking speed. And the Patriots got him at No. 17 overall after a trade down, pairing him with an ingenious defensive mind with an impeccable track record. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.
Between Gonzalez (a lockdown ballhawk), Jonathan Jones (a general cover man) and Kyle Dugger (an intimidator, a field general), New England now has a complete toolbox of defensive backs who all bring a unique, vital and complementary skill set to the fray. The league just let Bill Belichick add the interception printer that toys with opposing quarterbacks. It’s unreal.
Gonzalez was born to be a Patriot defensive back, and Belichick still knows how to play chess. I can’t wait to see the madness the coaching legend sows and reaps with his new prodigy. — RZ
3
Baltimore Ravens: Zay Flowers, WR (First round, No. 22 overall)
Thursday was a very good day for the Ravens. They came to terms with their 26-year-old MVP quarterback. Then they drafted him a wide receiver capable of handling anything opposing defenses throw at him.
We know Flowers can handle WR1 duties. Boston College had no other viable threats in an underwhelming offense last season, and he still managed roughly 500 more yards from scrimmage than anyone else on the team. He’s not huge or obscenely fast, but his route running, hands and ability to adjust to a ball in flight make him a tremendous asset. The man knows how to find space and gets to the ball before anyone else can.
I’m not sold on a big Odell Beckham Jr. season at age 31 and coming off a serious knee injury, but if he can play at 85 percent of his peak and Rashod Bateman can stay healthy for an entire season, the Ravens are a legit threat to the AFC. And that’s just what Jackson needs to rebuild his value as an elite quarterback. — Christian D’Andrea
4
Pittsburgh Steelers: Joey Porter Jr., CB (Second round, No. 32 overall)
Porter Jr. was by far the third-best cornerback in this draft and the last member of this spring’s elite (along with Devon Witherspoon and Gonzalez). NFL teams clearly didn’t feel the same way, but his slide down the board was exactly what the Steelers wanted to see. After bolstering their offensive line with a modest trade-up for Broderick Jones — love that, too — Porter slipped to the pick Pittsburgh received after dealing away a young wideout who no longer had a place in the team’s rotation. In return, Mike Tomlin got a top-10 prospect who fits the “big corner” mold wonderfully.
The 6-foot-2 Penn State star can be a bully in press coverage and, though he doesn’t have elite speed, has loose hips that keep him from getting tossed when his target changes direction. Porter rules, and we haven’t yet gotten to the fact his dad embodied the hard-hitting lunacy that plays so well in the Steel City. The Steelers needed a new CB1 after losing Cam Sutton in free agency. They got one their fans are gonna love. — CD
5
Seattle Seahawks: Derick Hall, EDGE (Second round, No. 37 overall)
I swear. It feels like all Pete Carroll and John Schneider do lately is get a bunch of darts and hit bullseye after bullseye on the board. Their aim is true, and their feel for the draft, especially with prospects like Hall, is even better.
As a nasty edge rusher with track-star speed, Hall joins a Seahawks defense that now boasts Bobby Wagner, Quandre Diggs, Tariq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon. Eventually, he’ll turn into the emerald of the bunch, the face of a new era of hard-hitting defense in Seattle. For now, he’s on clean-up duty, enjoying the benefits of playing in front of a stellar back-seven.
We’re talking about a guy in Hall — with Pro Bowl potential — who will largely only have to worry about rushing the passer as a specialist from the start. I’m still smiling thinking about this pick. — RZ
6
Green Bay Packers: Luke Musgrave, TE (Second round, No. 42 overall)
Musgrave was the top tight end on my board. Granted, that’s almost all thanks to his potential after playing fewer than two full games at Oregon State last season, but hooooo, this guy is gonna be a mismatch up the seam.
Now he slides to a roster whose current tight ends include Josiah Deguara (who is more of an H-back), Tyler Davis and Tucker Kraft. There’s a terrific opportunity for the former Beaver to slide into a starting role and have an immediate impact in Wisconsin. He’s a massive (6-foot-6) target with 4.61-second 40-yard dash speed and a route tree that can absolutely torture any linebacker stuck covering him. While he’s not the wideout Green Bay needs, he’s capable of splitting out to the slot and being a capital-P problem. If Deguara can handle a block-first role up front, he’ll make Jordan Love’s two-tight end sets dangerous for the Packers. — CD
7
New York Jets: Joe Tippmann, C (Second round, No. 43 overall)
The Jets didn’t need a center after extending Connor McGovern. I would venture to say that adding anyone behind a guy you just gave $11 million guaranteed is a luxury. But there’s no way New York could possibly resist drafting the next great Wisconsin offensive lineman.
There are two things Wisconsin produces better than everywhere else in the United States: Beer and beefy linemen who bully their opponents. Tippmann was the best center in this draft class and has a legitimate All-Pro ceiling. If he played a different position, I might’ve qualified him as one of the best overall players in the entire class. He is that good. He will have no trouble adjusting to the NFL.
Now, if Aaron Rodgers sticks around long enough, he might even enjoy his New York pocket never being collapsed. At least, if Tippmann has anything to say about it. — RZ
8
Detroit Lions: Brian Branch, S/CB (Second round, No. 45 overall)
That’s more like it. That’s how you redeem yourselves in Allen Park after two massive first-round reaches. You draft an intelligent and versatile nickel cornerback like Branch with the hips and fluidity to play at the next level.
I didn’t think Branch was the next Ed Reed or Troy Polamalu or anything, but I was a bit taken aback by the Alabama Crimson Tide just… sitting there in the middle of the second round. Branch is everything you want in a modern defensive back. He can match straight-up with receivers and tight ends and knows how to stick his nose well into run support. Seriously, this young man does not shy away from showing toughness or setting an example as a tone-setting leader. While he’s not a field-tilting ball hawk, Branch might have been the most complete defensive back available. Period.
And now he’s the cornerstone of the Lions’ new secondary. What a savvy way to kick off the second day of the draft for the folks in Honolulu Blue. — RZ
9
Buffalo Bills: O'Cyrus Torrence, G (Second round, No. 59 overall)
Torrence was a pick I’d mocked to the Bills back in March… in the first round. To get the 340-pound lineman 30 spots later constitutes a wild bargain at a position of need.
This is a monster who threw defensive linemen around at Louisiana, transferred to Florida, then did the same against SEC defenders. He gets downhill with efficiency and lays waste to anyone in his path on the second level. He’s going to clear room for James Cook, Nyheim Hines, Damien Harris and whichever running backs Buffalo adds before the trade deadline this fall.
His place as a pass rusher is a little less defined. That’s a work in progress, but he’s also taking root in front of a mobile quarterback capable of escaping his growing pains. This is a tremendous mix of player and team, and the Bills didn’t even need to burn a first-round pick or trade up to make it happen. — CD
10
Philadelphia Eagles: Sydney Brown, CB (Third round, No. 66 overall)
Brown’s ability to be an absolute lightning bolt from the secondary reminded me of early Brian Dawkins. How fitting, then, that he landed in Philadelphia.
Brown slid to the start of the third round because he’s only 5-foot-10, but my god, the rest of his testing numbers. A 4.4-second 40-yard dash. A 40-plus inch vertical leap. Twenty three bench reps at 225 pounds. The man is a specimen, a compact pile of muscle built to chase down and hurt speedy wideouts.
Now he goes to Philadelphia, a team that just lost C.J. Gardner-Johnson at safety and is set to turn to Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship at the position this fall. Brown has the chops to make an immediate impact there after six interceptions and seven passes defended in his final season with the Illini. He’s gonna give up size to opposing tight ends; he’s still gonna be able to wallop them and keep them from completing a catch as well. — CD
11
New York Giants: Jalin Hyatt, WR (Third round, No. 73 overall)
New York needed a wideout, but a run late in the first round kept them from adding one on Day 1. No matter! They still got a player with first-round potential early in the third after trading up for Hyatt.
The reigning Biletnikoff Trophy winner showed off the chops to absolutely take over games in 2022, torching Alabama — Alabama! — for 207 yards and five touchdowns. He’s capable of taking an inch of space and turning it into yards of separation downfield, which is exactly what Daniel Jones needs after setting a career low for average throw depth in 2022 (this was largely beneficial, but the fact remains he badly needs someone who can go out and get it).
Hyatt slid down the draft board, but the Giants were smart enough to trade up and snag him before the Cleveland Browns could pounce. That gives this offense some extra juice, particularly with John Michael Schmitz aboard to upgrade the center position and clear more space in the running game. What a great first two days for New York. — CD
12
Miami Dolphins: Devon Achane, RB (Third round, No. 84 overall)
All Devon Achane does is score touchdowns. No, seriously. All he does is score touchdowns. On 390 career touches in college, Achane scored 26 times. I know that doesn’t sound like a lot, but for a utility back weighing less than 190 pounds, it is.
In the coming weeks and months, you’ll hear many comparisons to Achane and similar diminutive spark plugs like Darren Sproles and Tarik Cohen, and justifiably so. That’s because when you’re as fast and explosive as Achane, it doesn’t matter how big you are. Time and time again, the best athletes win on the field, first and foremost. Achane will rarely see an athletic mismatch. Plus, he should find it rather easy to turn an inch of space into a 50-yard touchdown on a Dolphins offense that already necessitates extra attention around Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
I can’t make clear enough how excited I am that Mike McDaniel gets to be the coach that figures out how to use Achane in an NFL offense. The man has a real feel for playcalling and might be one of the few people at the highest level of this silly sport with the creativity to implement someone like Achana.
Achane was a Whirlyball at Texas A&M and should continue being an absolute cyclone in the open field in the pros. — RZ
13
Detroit Lions: Brodric Martin, DT (Third round, No. 96 overall)
If the Lions had one weakness that held them back from being a true contender, it was a run defense that had as many holes as a sponge. In fact, Detroit allowed an astonishing 146.5 yards per game on the ground last season. The Lions were so bad at basic run fits and setting the edge that it was almost as good of an option to run on them as it was to throw on their porous secondary.
Think about how embarrassing that sounds.
Here is where Martin enters the picture.
He’s big. Like, very big. He’s 6-foot-5, 337 pounds big. Space-eaters aren’t as coveted as they used to be, but Martin is a throwback. A player who can anchor and force the interior of an offensive line to move his girth around, freeing up someone like Jack Campbell to move downhill and make a tackle. Martin is a solid pick, a player whose name you’ll never hear out loud save for gushing analysis on any local Lions broadcasts.
And it’s better that way, provided Detroit’s run defense takes an expected massive step forward. — RZ
