The 2023 NFL Draft has come and gone, and plenty of surprises transpired after the Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young first overall. The NFL landscape is going to look very different for the 2023-24 season, so the following NFL Power Rankings will help recap everything that happened this off-season.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Clearly, there was not going to be a change at the top of these NFL Power Rankings, as the Kansas City Chiefs are still riding high from their Super Bowl victory. Patrick Mahomes is still Patrick Mahomes, and even though Orlando Brown Jr. departed for Cincinnati this off-season, Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith were brought in to help shore up the offensive tackle spots and protect Mahomes.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
With Jalen Hurts freshly locked up on a new deal and both Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith helping keep the Georgia pipeline alive and well, the Philadelphia Eagles have put together one of the more sound offseasons. Losing Javon Hargreaves, Miles Sanders, and T.J. Edwards put some decent-size holes in the roster, but Howie Roseman knows how to run a well-oiled machine, and he made sure the team got better this offseason.
3. Buffalo Bills
Four of the six picks in the 2023 NFL Draft for the Buffalo Bills directly help Josh Allen – and that is what helps a good team stay good. Tight End Dalton Kincaid and guard O’Cyrus Torrence are two big-time additions to the Buffalo offense, a unit that also added guards Connor McGovern and David Edwards while losing running back Devin Singletary.
Make no mistake – this Bills team is a force to be reckoned with, and Allen’s efficiency is only going to get better, especially if the front office continues to give him help.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Adding Orlando Brown Jr. was incredibly huge for an offensive line that looks to finally be above average, a goal that the Cincinnati Bengals have been trying to accomplish for years. Losing both Jessie Bates III and Vonn Bell in free agency will make their defense weaker, but rookies DJ Turner and Jordan Battle will help add youth and some vigor to the backend of their defense.
5. Miami Dolphins
Even without having a first-round selection due to their illegal meddling with Tom Brady a few seasons back, the Miami Dolphins are a better team this off-season than when last season ended. By adding Jalen Ramsey to their team, their defensive secondary looks tough to beat and is just another part of the roster that can help take the pressure off of Tua Tagovailoa.
6. Los Angeles Chargers
In comes Kellen Moore to lead the offense for the Los Angeles Chargers, and Austin Ekeler should be ecstatic. Even though he had an off-season heavy in trade rumors and uncertainty, it looks like the Chargers are going to stick it out with their franchise RB. Adding Quentin Johnston to Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at receiver makes a dangerous offense even tougher to stop, so don’t be surprised if LAC games turn into shootouts on a weekly basis.
7. San Francisco 49ers
No early draft picks for the San Francisco 49ers, but this roster is solid, especially on defense. Stealing Javon Hargreaves away from the Eagles this off-season helps make a strong defensive line even stronger, which has always been one of the best facets of this team under Kyle Shanahan.
Their slight fall in the NFL Power Rankings is due to the looming uncertainty that is at quarterback, as Sam Darnold, Trey Lance, or Brock Purdy are all vying for that top spot. Off-season comments seem to suggest that if Purdy is healthy, then he is the team's starter, but handing over the keys to a QB that could have been just a flash in the pan could spell trouble for a lot of people in the Bay Area.
8. New York Giants
Welcome back (for sure) Daniel Jones and potentially Saquon Barkley, but he has yet to sign his franchise tag tender – are the New York Giants officially back? A strong 2023 NFL Draft class full of great value additions should make this upstart NFC East franchise even better, but they will have their work cut out for themselves yet again if they want to go back to the playoffs.
9. Seattle Seahawks
Rumors were aplenty this off-season about the interest of the Seattle Seahawks and the incoming rookie crop of QBs – but Geno Smith is one of the biggest winners from the 2023 NFL Draft because they showed that they trust him. Adding Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Zach Charbonnet to an already-potent offensive attack should help the Seahawks make the playoffs this year, something that likely would happen without much help from their defense.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars
This does not look like a flash in the pan down in Jacksonville – the Jaguars look to be the real deal. Trevor Lawrence looked incredibly comfortable in Doug Pederson’s offense last season, and they brought Evan Engram back and Calvin Ridley in – watch out for this team, because they should be dangerous (and should stay around the top 10 in these Power Rankings all year).
11. New York Jets
The winners(?!?) of the Aaron Rodgers saga look to be the New York Jets currently, as they were finally able to fix their QB position. Pairing a savvy veteran QB with a solid stable of weapons (hello Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb), new and old alike, bodes well for what the Jets want to accomplish. Let’s just hope their strong move doesn’t end up coming back and biting them.
12. Baltimore Ravens
The Lamar Jackson contract dilemma is finally in the past for the Baltimore Ravens, so they can shift their focus onto what is missing from their roster. By adding both Odell Beckham Jr. and Zay Flowers to the WR room, it shows their trust in who Jackson is as a passer – and while 6K passing yards is a bit outlandish for really any QB in the league, Jackson’s confidence is unsurpassed by anyone.
13. Dallas Cowboys
Tony Pollard is now the top running back in Dallas with the release of Ezekiel Elliott, but somehow Mike McCarthy is still hanging around. This Cowboys team feels like it is right on the precipice of the playoffs yet again, and yet, there is no confidence that they will actually be able to get back – so what will this year bring?
14. Minnesota Vikings
This upcoming season for the Minnesota Vikings is a crucial one, more for their future than for their present roster. How long will Kirk Cousins be their starter, seeing as how they just took a lottery ticket on BYU’s Jaren Hall? Will Dalvin Cook make it through the full season before he gets injured or is even released?
Taking Jordan Addison in the first round shows that this team has a look toward the future, and Addison is a great building block for that to commence. It just remains to be seen how competitive of a roster they will field for the NFC North this season.
15. Detroit Lions
The upstart Detroit Lions seem to be earning more fans every day, and it is hard to root against a team that typically is bad but actually has experienced some mild success. Even with Jameson Williams suspended for his role in an ongoing sports betting investigation, adding Jahmyr Gibbs in a questionable first-round reach may be the spark plug the Lions need to make that final step into the postseason.
16. Pittsburgh Steelers
It was a fairly ho-hum off-season for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and honestly, that feels both on par and exactly what they needed. Kenny Pickett has a lot to prove in Year 2, but if his sophomore season starts up how his freshman campaign ended, the Steelers may have just found their future franchise QB – potentially.
17. Carolina Panthers
A fresh coaching staff with a rookie QB means that the Carolina Panthers will have plenty of growing pains this season. But with a strong personnel staff, led by Frank Reich, there is optimism in Carolina, to the point where the fan base is legitimately excited about football again.
Bryce Young has one of the best setups around him to start his NFL career, and if he is able to latch on quickly and pick up the playbook easier than most rookie QBs (which is 100% possible), then these Panthers could be relevant again – which would mean this may be their floor in these Power Rankings.
18. Chicago Bears
Justin Fields this, Justin Fields that – whether you believe in the type of player Fields has been up to this point, you best understand what the type of player Fields can become this upcoming season. By giving Fields a true WR1 in DJ Moore plus adding offensive line protection in Darnell Wright, things are turning around for the Chicago Bears – and the times of being the laughing stock in the NFC North could be gone, at least for a few years.
19. Las Vegas Raiders
Out went Derek Carr and in came Jimmy Garoppolo, which looks more like a neutral move than anything. Shelling out a ton of money for Garoppolo certainly won’t be seen as a great move for the Las Vegas Raiders, but Josh McDaniels is very familiar with him dating back to their days in New England, so the move makes plenty of sense.
Fighting an uphill battle in the AFC West division makes their 2023 season a tough one to predict – with signs of struggles on the horizon, it will be interesting to see just how well the Raiders perform.
20. Green Bay Packers
Jordan Love, the heir apparent to Aaron Rodgers, now has finally been given his shot to prove the haters wrong. With Rodgers in the Big Apple, Love gets a chance to show why the Green Bay Packers made that franchise-altering trade up the draft board a few years back.
Growing pains will be plentiful for Love and his uber-young core of receivers, but the compass is aimed at a retooling period than a rebuilding period in Titletown, so don’t count this team out quite yet.
21. New England Patriots
It is weird to hear the words ‘hot seat’ and ‘Bill Belichick’ mentioned in the same sentence, but the New England Patriots have been struggling for a few too many seasons for Belichick to feel 100% comfortable. Mac Jones still is hanging onto the starting QB role (even though there doesn’t seem to be a ton of internal faith in him), and with Damien Harris jumping ship to the Bills, it is the Rhamondre Stevenson show 110% of the time.
22. Denver Broncos
If Sean Payton is able to do Sean Payton things, this will be one of the last times you see the Denver Broncos this low on the NFL Power Rankings. If Payton can help Russell Wilson re-discover his Seattle prime, keep Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy on the field AT THE SAME TIME, and create a strong offense that mirrors their already-strong defense, the Broncos could be a sneaky postseason contender – or everything could crash and burn, you really never know.
23. Atlanta Falcons
It was tough to put the Atlanta Falcons down at this point of the Power Rankings, even with their strong off-season. Desmond Ridder is one of the biggest wild cards in the NFL this year, as he seems to have been given the green light to lead this team.
Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts form one of the best young trios in the league, and playing in the downtrodden NFC South gives Atlanta a real shot at making the playoffs for the first time in ages.
24. Cleveland Browns
There are many different ways you can look at the Cleveland Browns, but these Power Rankings choose to take a glass-half-empty approach. Yes, Deshaun Watson will have his first full season at the helm, with guys like Amari Cooper, new acquiree Elijah Moore, and Nick Chubb helping steady the offense.
But on the other hand, you have a QB that put together a really dreadful partial season last year, and when you combine that with a WR that has a lengthy injury history, a young receiver still looking to find his footing, and a workhorse running back whose passing-game backup is a free agent, and you get a not-so-rosy season outlook.
25. Tennessee Titans
There are only a few things keeping the Tennessee Titans afloat at this point, seeing as how their QB position is still cloudy, their WR room is the worst in the league, and their defense needs some work. Derrick Henry is still Derrick Henry, but age, injuries, and a hefty workload are working against Henry still – even in a below-average division, there are no guarantees that the Titans will even sniff the playoffs this year, or the top half of these NFL Power Rankings.
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tom Brady is officially out of the picture, and now that picture includes a ‘battle’ between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. A failed (for now) trade request from Devin White leaves the team chemistry a bit dented, and with their cap sheet looking a little tight, there may be a few veterans that don’t make the final roster in September.
27. Washington Commanders
Come on down, Sam Howell, you get the first chance to be the starting QB for the Washington Commanders in 2023! But don’t forget, veteran backup Jacoby Brissett is waiting in the wings, good luck.
The commitment that the Commanders showed to Howell during the NFL Draft was pretty impressive, especially for a franchise that is rarely tight-lipped about anything. By only drafting one offensive skill player (RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., 6th round), their offense is 100% what you see is what you get.
28. Indianapolis Colts
Welcome to the new-look Indianapolis Colts, led by rookie QB Anthony Richardson (sorry Gardner Minshew). Pairing Richardson with Jonathan Taylor, Michael Pittman Jr., and fellow rookie Josh Downs, this Colts offense could actually be something fun to watch.
The likelihood that they end up fielding a competitive roster in 2023 is not likely, however, so their time spent near the bottom of these Power Rankings likely will be long.
29. Los Angeles Rams
Injuries decimated the Los Angeles Rams last year, but because they owed their first-round selection to the Lions from the Matthew Stafford trade, they were unable to get much younger. While they did add a few interesting mid-round pieces via the 2023 NFL Draft (Zach Evans, for example), this year could be more of the same for the Rams, especially if players like Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald are all forced to pick up the slack for the rest of the roster.
30. New Orleans Saints
Derek Carr is an intriguing fit in the New Orleans Saints offense, but the health of Michael Thomas and the legal status of Alvin Kamara are the two factors holding this team back. Adding Jamaal Williams will help give this offense a starting-caliber RB when Kamara inevitably misses time, and Chris Olave will look to complement Year 1 with a stellar Year 2.
However you want to look at the Saints, do it with an eye to 2024 – they likely won’t put up much of a fight this year, even in a year where the NFC South crown is up for grabs.
31. Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray will miss a good chunk to start the season, and a new head coach and front office will mean that the 2023-24 season for the Arizona Cardinals is likely a work in progress. A slight glimmer of hope lies within their deal with the Houston Texans during the 2023 NFL Draft – they now own HOU’s ‘24 1st, a pick that very well could be one of the top two selections in the draft.
Could that spell the end of Kyler Murray’s time in the desert?
32. Houston Texans
It is another case of usual suspects, as the Houston Texans yet again are picking up the rear for these Power Rankings. While adding both C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. helps overhaul a struggling franchise, there are far too many gaps on this roster to fix in one off-season.
The development of Stroud will be made difficult by the lack of talent at wide receiver, as Robert Woods is the WR1 in this offense, a scary thought to ponder. Maybe the Texans surprise and experience some success in DeMeco Ryan’s first year as head coach – but the odds of that happening are quite low.
Follow Us
Subscribe