Biggest Winners of the 2023 NFL Draft
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Kansas City, Missouri (PSF) - With the 2023 NFL Draft now officially over, here are the biggest winners from this year’s draft.
Indianapolis Colts
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There is one thing that the Indianapolis Colts had to walk out of this year’s draft with, a quarterback, and that’s exactly what they did walk away with Florida’s Anthony Richardson. During the pre-draft process it seemed like the Colts loved Kentucky’s Will Levis and that he was going to be their pick at number four overall. Instead, they kept their lips sealed on Richardson and drafted him over Levis who fell to the second round. Richardson is a freak athlete and unicorn like prospect with the highest upside in this year’s quarterback class who is also the perfect fit for new head coach Shane Steichen’s offense. The Colts did not have to trade up for Richardson either, which is another plus as he looks to be the face of the franchise and quarterback of the future.
Arizona Cardinals
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Going into the draft, the Cardinals were far and away had the worst roster in football. Over the course of the weekend the roster improved which started with the first pick of the Monti Ossenfort and Jonathan Gannon era in Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. Johnson Jr. was the consensus number one tackle in this year’s draft class and someone quarterback Kyler Murray advocated for drafting. Not only did Arizona draft their left tackle of the future, which was a huge need for them, but they also showed that they are all in on Murray even though he is currently recovering from an ACL injury. Additionally, throughout the draft Arizona was able to stockpile 11 picks for next year’s draft which will serve them well in a more talented and deeper class.
Philadelphia Eagles
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Folks, Howie Roseman has done it again. The best teams and organizations in the sport let the draft board fall to them, and that’s exactly what the Eagles did this weekend. The Eagles were able to trade back one pick with the Bears in the first round and land arguably the best player and prospect in this draft in defensive tackle Jalen Carter who fell all the way to ten with the pre-draft character concerns. The Eagles are certainly willing to take this risk with Carter’s upside and ceiling as he will be surrounded by many of his Georgia teammates and in a Super Bowl contending environment. Not only this, but Philadelphia was also able to snag Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith who fell to the 30th pick. The Eagles filled needs, added depth, and found great value. You may as well start calling them the Philadelphia Bulldogs with the number of Georgia players they drafted. Yet another grand slam draft for General Manager Howie Roseman as the rich get richer.
Pittsburgh Steelers
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) (Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press)
First year General Manager Omar Khan could not have had a better first draft for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Like the Philadelphia Eagles, Khan let the board fall to him and when the Steelers were on the clock, they took the best player available. Something about Pennsylvania teams drafting very well this year. The Steelers filled their need at left tackle after selecting Georgia’s Broderick Jones and CB1 after taking Penn State’s Joey Porter Jr. who surprisingly fell to the second round when he was projected to get drafted in the middle to late first round. Additionally, Khan had a steal in the third round when he decided to draft Georgia tight end Darnell Washington who should have not even been in the third round to begin with. Washington will be a very nice complement to Pat Freiermuth as a sixth offensive lineman who can also make explosive plays down the field. Not to mention being able to draft Purdue cornerback Cory Trice in the seventh round who should have been taken way before then who is a very underrated cornerback prospect. Well done, Steelers.
New England Patriots
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Just when you thought the Patriots were left for dead, they come back with one if, if not the best draft class in the league. In round one, the Patriots traded down from 14 to 17 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and were still able to land arguably the best cornerback in the class considered by many in Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez. Gonzalez very well could end up as being the steal of the draft as he was projected to go in the top 10 and somehow slid into New England’s lap at 17 even with a trade back. Not only this, but Gonzalez’s size and playstyle are prototypical for a Bill Belichick cornerback as his defenses are built from the outside in. Gonzalez will be a high impact player from day one as he will mirror opposing wide receivers on an island where the Patriots will confidently put him on. The Patriots went defensive heavy with their first three picks while adding quality offensive lineman and special teams players mixed in between. A classic Belichick draft where he addresses the three sides of the game. The only critique I have is not adding enough offensive firepower early, but if there’s anything we’ve learned from the Patriots in the last two decades, it’s to not question the main man in charge.
