2023 NFL Draft 1st-round tracker: Final updates, picks, trades, analysis

Stephen Jones trolls Philly

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Cowboys executive Stephen Jones expressed his relief that the Eagles didn't end up with Texas running back Bijan Robinson, taking a subtle shot at Philadelphia in the process.

Stephen Jones was asked if he was glad that RB Bijan Robinson didn’t wind up in Philadelphia.

“I think the world of Bijan,” Jones said. “I wouldn’t wish Philly on…”

He started laughing before finishing.

“I take that back.” pic.twitter.com/tFBYNSB9b6

— David Moore (@DavidMooreDMN) April 28, 2023

“He has an edge to him. In a good way.”

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Texans GM Nick Caserio discusses decision to draft CJ Stroud:

Nick Caserio on CJ Stroud: pic.twitter.com/7qpyroBhue

— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) April 28, 2023

Ryan Poles on Bears' decision not to draft Jalen Carter

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Bears GM Ryan Poles won't comment specifically on his team's decision not to draft Jalen Carter.

But he did add this: "Character will always be important for us."

— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 28, 2023

Raiders GM excited about Tyree Wilson-Maxx Crosby pairing

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#Raiders GM Dave Ziegler, on Tyree Wilson joining an edge rusher room already boasting Maxx Crosby and Chandler Jones: "The more the merrier. His ability to disrupt."

— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) April 28, 2023

Bryce didn't know he was No. 1 pick until last second

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Often, NFL teams with the No. 1 pick will inform their choice of their decision well before they're officially on the clock on draft night. That wasn't the case with the Carolina Panthers on Thursday. They made Alabama's Bryce Young sweat it out until the bitter end.

While speaking with Joe Person of The Athletic, Bryce Young noted that he wasn't positive he'd be the No. 1 overall pick until he “saw that Charlotte area code on my phone” when the Panthers were on the clock.

Will Levis headlines four players in green room not selected

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Kentucky quarterback Will Levis isn't the only player who traveled to Kansas City for the 2023 NFL Draft who wasn't selected in the first round.

Among the players in Kansas City in the green room not selected tonight: Will Levis, Joey Porter Jr, Brian Branch, and Keion White.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 28, 2023

Defending champion Chiefs add defensive end

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The Chiefs wrap up the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by selecting Kansas State DE Felix Anudike-Uzomah.

Lamar, OBJ pleased with Zay Flowers pick

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It's safe to say that Lamar Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. were stoked about the Baltimore Ravens drafting Boston College receiver Zay Flowers.

I’m smelling More good news🤭😅 dropping soon👀👀👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/OmTSyPNGCn

— Lamar Jackson (@Lj_era8) April 28, 2023

OUEEEEWWWWWEEEEEEEEE

— Odell Beckham Jr (@obj) April 28, 2023

Eagles get Nolan Smith

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The Philadelphia Eagles continue to add Georgia Bulldogs to their defense, selecting linebacker Nolan Smith with the No. 30 overall pick after drafting his teammate Jalen Carter at No. 9.

Saints take Clemson's Bryan Bresee

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The New Orleans Saints continue a league-wide trend in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft by bolstering their defensive line, selecting Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Bresee with the No. 29 pick.

Myles Murphy to Cincinnati

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The Cincinnati Bengals add reinforcements to their pass rush, drafting Clemson edge Myles Murphy with the No. 28 overall pick.

Jags add protection for Trevor Lawrence

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After trading back twice to acquire more picks, the Jacksonville Jaguars finally select Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison at No. 27.

Cowboys draft Mazi Smith

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Nolan Smith continues to fall, with the Dallas Cowboys passing on the Georgia linebacker to instead draft Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

Bills trade up to add weapon for Josh Allen

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The Bills move up two spots to No. 25 overall in a trade with the Jaguars, selecting stud Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid.

The Bills just got their own Travis Kelce.

— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) April 28, 2023

Giants trade up for No. 24 pick

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The Giants and Jaguars swap the No. 24 and 25 picks, with the Jaguars adding fifth and seventh-rounders (160 and 240 overall) in the deal. At No. 24, New York selects cornerback Deonte Banks.

Vikings snag Jordan Addison

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The Minnesota Vikings select USC wide receiver Jordan Addison with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Ravens team up Zay Flowers with Lamar, OBJ

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On the same day the Baltimore Ravens sign Lamar Jackson to a record-breaking $265 million contract extension, they give him a weapon by drafting Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers with the No. 22 overall pick.

Bolts get weapon for Herbert

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While Georgia's Nolan Smith seemed like a possibility for the Los Angeles Chargers, they ultimately select TCU receiver Quentin Johnston 21st overall, adding a dynamic weapon to the offense for Justin Herbert & company.

Seahawks get OSU's Jaxon

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After adding to their secondary with CB Devon Witherspoon at No. 5, the Seattle Seahawks give Geno Smith a major weapon by selecting Ohio State receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba with the 20th overall pick.

Bucs pass on Levis, draft a DT

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The Buccaneers beef up their defensive line by drafting DT Calijah Kancey from Pittsburgh with the No. 19 overall pick.

Lions add to defense

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The Detroit Lions select Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell with the No. 18 overall pick.

Patriots take corner

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The New England Patriots traded back to No. 17 and still get their man, selecting Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez.

Commanders add to secondary

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The Washington Commanders draft Mississippi State CB Emmanuel Forbes with the No. 16 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Bryce Young 2nd on Panthers' QB depth chart

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According to Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich, No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young will be the No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton, noting that Young needs to earn the starting job.

Jets add to pass rush

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The New York Jets bolster their defensive line by taking Iowa State DE Will McDonald IV with the No. 15 pick.

Texans-Cardinals Trade Grades

Matt Wadleigh

Texans

Anderson was a massive wrecking ball at Alabama during his college career, and he will immediately become the center of the pass rush in Houston from Day One. The Texans trade a second, a first, and a third to move up nine spots, but this is a home run move by the Texans. Was it costly? Yes, but if Anderson pans out as we all expect, this is absolutely worth it.

Grade: B+

Cardinals

The Cardinals have a lot of holes to fill on the roster, and new head coach Jonathan Gannon came to town. They were hit with a pick swap with the Philadelphia Eagles due to tampering, so they make up for it here.

The Cardinals then used some of that capital to move up to No. 6 and select Ohio State OL Paris Johnson, and their main priority was protecting QB Kyler Murray. Yet, the Cardinals moved down to No. 12, added picks and a first next year, then moved up. What a busy time for the Cardinals in an offseason full of question marks.

Grade: A+ 

Read the full trade breakdown here.

Steelers-Patriots strike trade

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The Pittsburgh Steelers trade up to the No. 14 pick with the New England Patriots, select Georgia OT Broderick Jones.

Packers take Iowa DE

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After moving up two spots to No. 13 in the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Green Bay Packers select Iowa's Lukas Van Ness.

Lions go RB at No. 12

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In a bit of a stunner, the Detroit Lions decide to draft a running back with the No. 12 overall pick, taking Alabama's Jahmyr Gibbs.

Titans land Peter Skoronski

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The Tennessee Titans select star Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski with the No. 11 overall pick. Previously, there was speculation the Titans could trade up in the draft to select a QB, but they end up holding and get one of the top offensive lineman in the draft.

Bears draft protection for Justin Fields

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After trading back one slot instead of drafting Jalen Carter at No. 9, the Chicago Bears bolster their offensive line by selecting Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright.

Eagles trade up to No. 9, select Jalen Carter

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After trading down from the No. 1 overall pick to 9th, the Chicago Bears trade back again… by one spot. The Philadelphia Eagles move up to No. 9 and draft Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

Falcons grab Bijan Robinson

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The Atlanta Falcons draft star Texas running back Bijan Robinson with the 8th overall pick, providing their offensive with a dynamic playmaker.

Raiders nab Tyree Wilson 7th overall

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Despite some speculation that the Las Vegas Raiders would trade up in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, they hold at No. 7 and select Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson.

Cards strike deal with Lions, draft protection for Kyler

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After trading down to No. 12, the Arizona Cardinals trade back up to the No. 6 pick with the Detroit Lions and draft tackle Paris Johnson Jr.

Seahawks don't trade down, draft CB

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After fielding a number of last-minute phone calls, the Seattle Seahawks stand pat and select Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the No. 5 pick.

Colts drafting Anthony Richardson

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The Indianapolis Colts get their franchise QB, selecting Florida's Anthony Richardson with the 4th overall pick.

Texans trade back up to No. 3, select Will Anderson Jr.

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ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the Houston Texans are trading with the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 3 overall pick, and they're selecting star Alabama defender Will Anderson Jr.

Texans take CJ Stroud at No. 2

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Despite all of the speculation that the Houston Texans wouldn't select a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, or potentially trade back, they ultimately take Ohio State's CJ Stroud with the selection.

Panthers selecting Bryce Young with No. 1 pick

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As expected, the Carolina Panthers are selecting Alabama quarterback Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Cardinals-Eagles settle tampering investigation

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A tampering investigation stemmed from the hiring process of former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon by the Arizona Cardinals as head coach. The teams settled just before the 2023 NFL Draft, with the Eagles trading the No. 94 pick in this draft along with a 2024 fifth-rounder for the Cardinals' No. 66 pick in this draft, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

CJ Stroud suddenly heavy favorite for No. 2 pick

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While there's been uncertainty about what the Houston Texans will do with the No. 2 overall pick, sportsbooks believe CJ Stroud will land with the franchise. Over the past half hour, Stroud as surged to be the heavy betting favorite for the No. 2 pick on FanDuel, going from +250 all the way to -6000.

Seahawks could draft QB

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Seattle Seahawks head coach informed the team's starting quarterback Geno Smith that it's a possibility the franchise will select a QB in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, per ESPN's Jeff Darlington.

The reason there are only 31 picks in 2023 NFL Draft's first round

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At first glance, the 2023 NFL Draft first-round order only containing 31 picks might seem like a typo. That is, until you remember that the Miami Dolphins forfeited their first-round pick back in August of 2022 after the league deemed that the franchise and owner Stephen Ross made integrity of the game violations. They also gave up a third-rounder in the 2024 draft.

Mary Jo White, a former U.S. attorney that the NFL hired to investigate the case, determined that Ross made “impermissible communications” with Tom Brady in 2019-2020 while he was still under contract with the New England Patriots, as well as in 2021 during Brady's tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

First-year head coach Mike McDaniel managed to guide Miami to the playoffs in 2022 despite losing starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to injury. The future is bright for the franchise, but they'll be sitting alongside fans watching the draft's first round, unless they trade into the top 31 picks.

Commanders sale to be final by next month, per Goodell

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During a conversation with ESPN's Mike Greenberg, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell noted that major progress has been made on the sale of the Washington Commanders, and he expects an official announcement to be made in May.

CJ Stroud brushes off cognitive test criticism

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Leading up to draft night, a rumor was released about CJ Stroud scoring poorly on his S2 cognition testing. The Ohio State quarterback was unfazed by the reports.

“I’m not a test taker. I play football. At the end of the day, I don’t have nothing to prove to nobody, so I’m not gonna sit here and explain how I process football. The people who are making the picks know what I can do. That’s all that matters to me.”

Conflicting reports on potential Titans-Cardinals trade

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ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reported that the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals were discussing a trade that would send the No. 3 pick and DeAndre Hopkins to the Titans for the No. 11 pick and more. However, according to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Hopkins hasn't been included in trade discussions between the two franchises.

While the #Titans have had conversations about a potential trade up to No. 3 — among other spots — they have not had conversations centered around star WR DeAndre Hopkins, source said.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 27, 2023