Opinion: 2023 NFL Draft Winners and Losers

Winners:

Texans: The Texans had one of the most aggressive first rounds I have ever seen. After all the smoke about Houston not wanting to take a quarterback, they took the dynamic C.J. Stroud 2nd overall out of Ohio State. And just minutes later we saw the Texans logo back on our screens as they pulled off a trade with the Cardinals to get back to 3rd overall, and selected the most promising defensive player in the draft, Will Anderson Jr. Adding the likes of Stroud and Anderson makes them winners coming out of the draft.

Eagles: The Philadelphia Eagles have done it again. General Manager Howie Roseman has shown a penchant for taking Georgia defenders in the past two drafts, getting a haul of Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo. Any reasonable GM should be keeping an eye out for the athletes that have been a part of the championship Georgia defenses from the past few seasons. Other than the Georgia players, the Eagles selected great value with Tyler Steen, Sydney Brown, Tanner McKee, and Moro Ojomo. The Eagles further solidify themselves as the class of the NFC.

Colts: While the Texans and Eagles caught all of the headlines, I believe that the Colts had the best draft class in 2023. Anthony Richardson is an incredibly polarizing prospect, some experts believe he will flop, and others are predicting he may be the best quarterback in the league in five years. I personally believe in the latter, if the Colts develop him correctly. However, AR should under no circumstances play a snap this season, he is not yet ready. That is why the Colts selecting him was surprising, the media believed that Levis was the surefire pick for the Colts, but to win the Quarterback lottery, one must buy a ticket. Additionally, Julius Brents, Josh Downs, Adetomiwa Adeboware, and Darius Rush are all incredible and likely instant starters for the Colts. An incredible haul for the Colts.

Seahawks: The past two draft classes for Pete Carroll and John Schnieder have reflected a shift to the best player available philosophy. While fans were clamoring for defensive line help in the first round, the way the board fell, the Seahawks made great selections. Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are soon-to-be starters and contributors. While many decried the selection of running back Zach Charbonnet out of UCLA in the second round, he is a fantastic player. They further bolstered their running back room with Kenny McIntosh in the 7th round. The other theme of the Seahawks draft class is character. Derrick Hall was Auburn’s captain that kept the team together through a tumultuous 2022, Olusegun Oluwatimi was the leader of the potent Michigan running game. Kirby Smart called Kenny McIntosh a BAMF. With Russell Wilson having been gone for a full season now, the Seattle Seahawks have continued to lay the foundation for the team’s future.

Losers:

Lions: Sometimes teams are able to take advantage of the draft board, while others get taken advantage of by the draft board. After Devon Witherspoon was selected one pick before the Lions, they were forced to trade down for a low return. Jahmyr Gibbs is an incredible player and will be a fantastic pro, but in a deep running back class, it is hard to sell selecting one with the 12th overall pick after having already signed David Montgomery. Jack Campbell is a stiff off-ball linebacker, otherwise known as a dying breed in the modern NFL. Hendon Hooker is coming off an ACL injury and is 25 years old. That is 3 years younger than Jared Goff! The Lions came into this draft with a great deal of capital and a chance to expand on their 2022 season. The Detroit Lions meowed rather than roared.

49ers: The 49ers were once again unable to escape the NFC Championship. With another year of their core getting older and more expensive, the 49ers need to maximize their limited draft capital. They did the opposite. The 49ers took a kicker in the 3rd round. Ji'Ayir Brown is a stud safety, but other than that, their draft class screams “Just Another Guy”. The 49ers lost their starting right tackle and they did not select an offensive lineman. The quest for six will not be completed with a draft class like this.

Will Levis: Day 1 of the NFL draft had to be the worst night of Will Levis’ life. After long being projected to the Colts at 4th overall, he fell out of the first round. Everyone got this one wrong. His reactions throughout the night with the ESPN and NFL Network cameras pointing at him were painful to watch. What one insider said was that when a player unexpectedly falls as Levis did, teams start second-guessing their evaluations and convince themselves not to take him. I am certain 20+ teams had a first-round grade on Levis. But his fall became a self-perpetuating cycle. While the media got his draft projection wrong, they did not get his talent wrong. Will Levis will be a good NFL quarterback in Tennessee.

Reach reporter Robert Jokinen at robbyjokinen@msn.com. Twitter: @westcoastdraft.