Winners, losers of 2023 NFL draft: Ravens’ goal was to take ‘best guy that’s there at every single pick’
During the roughly 20 or so hours the NFL draft took to complete between Thursday and Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, there was one constant: Every time a camera showed a team’ s draft room following its pick, people were celebrating. As for the Ravens, their celebrating— or sigh of relief— began a few hours before the draft even started with reaching terms with...
During the roughly 20 or so hours the NFL draft took to complete between Thursday and Saturday in Kansas City, Missouri, there was one constant: Every time a camera showed a team’s draft room following its pick, people were celebrating. Never were team officials shouting in disagreement or glum.
The same can’t be said for some fans, but the draft is mostly about hope, promise and excitement, as much as it is for those following along as it is the teams they root for.
As for the Ravens, their celebrating — or sigh of relief — began a few hours before the draft even started with reaching terms with quarterback Lamar Jackson on a five-year contract extension. There were signs that a deal was going to get done at some point, but there were also real moments of concern, particularly Jackson’s request to be traded and the fatigue that had set in on both sides over a two-years-long stalemate in negotiations.
“It’s been emotional,” said Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, who acknowledged that Jackson’s signing felt like a huge weight lifted off him. “I hope I never have to be a part of that type of negotiation again because of the time, because of the emotional aspect, because Lamar is such a special player and what that means to our club and to this city. We feel that, certainly. So, I think we’re all very, very happy.”
Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers.
Winners
Philadelphia Eagles: The rich got richer with the NFC champion Eagles landing two of the best defensive players at any position in Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick and Georgia edge rusher Nolan Smith 30th overall. Carter playing alongside defensive tackle Jordan Davis should immediately bolster a run defense that ranked 24th in yards per carry last season, while the undersized (238 pounds) but fast (4.39 40-yard dash) Smith projected in many mock drafts as a top-10 pick. They also strengthened the back end of their defense with Illinois safety Sydney Brown and another Georgia star in Kelee Ringo, who is inconsistent but freakish athletically.
Seattle Seahawks: All the Seahawks did after acing their 2022 class was hit another home run this year with Pro Football Focus’ top-rated cornerback, Devon Witherspoon out of Illinois, and top-ranked wide receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba out of Ohio State, with the fifth and 20th overall picks, the former coming as part of their haul from shipping Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos last year. Edge rusher Derick Hall out of Auburn (37th overall), meanwhile, is built like a Greek god, has long arms and plays with a high motor, according to scouting reports. He had more than 40 pressures and eight sacks in his past two years at Auburn, according to PFF, which gave him an 80-plus pass-rushing grade both years.
New York Giants: Joe Schoen is quickly proving to be one of the league’s best general managers and didn’t disappoint in this year’s draft, nabbing three of ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s top 45 prospects in the first two days. That included Maryland cornerback and Baltimore native Deonte Banks, who is fast (4.35 40-yard dash), athletic (6 feet, 197 pounds with a 42-inch vertical and 11-4 broad jump) and physical with comparisons to Ravens All-Pro corner Marlon Humphrey. John Michael Schmitz out of Minnesota was also Kiper’s and PFF’s top-rated center with a 92.4 grade last season. Then, the Giants moved up 10 spots in the third round to take Tennessee receiver Jalin Hyatt, a player many mock drafts projected to be gone by then. At 6 feet and 185 pounds with a 4.4 40-yard dash time, he should provide immediate help to quarterback Daniel Jones at a position that needed it.
Arizona Cardinals: Originally slated to pick third overall, new GM Monti Ossenfort traded with the Houston Texans for a bevy of picks — getting Nos. 12 and 33 this year and first- and third-round selections in 2024. The Cardinals drafted standout Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to protect quarterback Kyler Murray’s backside and LSU star edge rusher BJ Ojulari. Other promising picks included Syracuse’s Garrett Williams, who was one of the Atlantic Coast Conference’s top cornerbacks before missing the second half of the season with a torn ACL, and 6-2, 213-pound Stanford wideout Michael Wilson, who was the team’s leading receiver before suffering a season-ending injury in an October win over Notre Dame.
Ravens: With only five picks entering the draft — tied for the second-fewest of any team in the league with the Denver Broncos and behind only the Miami Dolphins — there was only so much the Ravens could do with their first pick at No. 22 and its next not until No. 86. They also didn’t get a lot of calls for trade possibilities to add more picks, DeCosta said.
Still, they hit a home run by all accounts with Boston College receiver Zay Flowers, who has drawn comparisons to former Raven Steve Smith Sr., and should fit nicely alongside an overhauled receiving corps that includes Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor.
Next was Clemson inside linebacker Trenton Simpson, which might’ve seemed like a curious pick given the need for a cornerback. But the Ravens will also need an inside linebacker if they decline Patrick Queen’s fifth-year option this week, making him a free agent in 2024, and in Simpson they got a player who was considered the best coverage linebacker in the draft after allowing just 406 yards on 612 coverage snaps in three years at Clemson, according to PFF. He also brings versatility in that he can play in the nickel or on the edge.
Speaking of the edge, they added Ole Miss outside linebacker-edge rusher Tavius Robinson. He’s 6-6, 257 pounds with long arms and last season led the Rebels with seven sacks and five forced fumbles. The Ravens already have one of the league’s better defensive lines, so this was a pick for the future, along with their other selections of Stanford cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, Oregon offensive lineman Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu and Southern California guard Andrew Vorhees, whom the Ravens got by trading back into the seventh round with the Cleveland Browns. Vorhees won’t play this season after suffering a torn ACL during the NFL scouting combine, but he could end up being something of a steal with Baltimore only surrendering a 2024 sixth-round pick to take a player who was the highest-rated offensive lineman in the Pac-12 the past two years.
It also shouldn’t be forgotten — as DeCosta has pointed out — that the Ravens traded their second-round pick from this year to the Chicago Bears in the deal for star linebacker Roquan Smith, who was an All-Pro last year and signed a five-year, $100 million extension in January.
“The mindset for me this year was just, ‘Try not to worry as much about the needs, and just draft the best guy that’s there at every single pick,’” DeCosta said. “And I think we did it.”
Losers
San Francisco 49ers: The 49ers’ first pick didn’t come until No. 87 overall because of trades, including the first-rounder that belonged to the Dolphins as a result of the draft-day trade that netted San Francisco quarterback Trey Lance in 2021. Its second-round pick went to the Carolina Panthers as part of last year’s trade for running back Christian McCaffrey. By the time the 49ers did pick, they went with Penn State safety Ji’Ayir Brown and Michigan kicker Jake Moody. It wasn’t a great class for safeties, and Brown, while versatile, ranked as PFF’s ninth-best at the position. Moody, meanwhile, was an All-American but many draftniks noted the lack of value with the pick with the former Wolverine the highest-drafted kicker since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took Roberto Aguayo at No. 59 in 2016. The three picks the 49ers made on the second day of the draft also were reaches relative to the players’ ranking on PFF’s big board.
New York Jets: Yes, the Jets became instant Super Bowl contenders with the addition of quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the result of a blockbuster trade with the Green Packers that was finally consummated a few days before the draft, but the deal was costly. In addition to New York swapping its 13th overall pick this year for Green Bay’s 15th and getting a fifth-round pick this year, the Jets also sent the Packers this year’s second-round pick (No. 42), sixth-round pick (No. 207) and a conditional 2024 second-round pick that becomes a first if Rodgers plays 65% of the plays this season, which will certainly happen barring injury. That’s a big haul for a 39-year-old quarterback who spoke of being focused only on this season in New York when asked about the possibility of playing there longer. After sliding back, the Jets watched the New England Patriots make a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who leapfrogged New York to take offensive tackle Broderick Jones at No. 14, a player the Jets certainly could’ve used to protect its new quarterback. Instead, they ended up with Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald IV, who joins an already deep group in New York.
Washington Commanders: The Commanders came into the draft in a strange place with disgraced owner Dan Snyder recently agreeing to sell the team. Still, they have a major quarterback question with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett their top two on the depth chart and failed to address it, passing on Will Levis and Hendon Hooker. Instead, the Commanders took Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes in Round 1 and Arkansas center Ricky Stromberg in Round 2. Forbes was a ball hawk with 14 career interceptions, returning six for touchdowns, but at 6-1 and 166 pounds is rail thin. Stromberg also seemed like a reach at 97th overall.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars twice traded down in the first round and took Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison. While he allowed just nine pressures last season on 447 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, and was the best tackle available, other players who rated higher at their respective positions were out there. This was a need pick with left tackle Cam Robinson facing a performance-enhancing-drug suspension. Penn State tight end Brenton Strange, whom the Jaguars took 61st overall, also seemed like a reach, with Strange not ranking among PFF’s top 10 tight ends in the draft, though it is a position of need. Auburn running back Tank Bigsby in Round 3 also seemed like a reach with Texas’ Roschon Johnson available.
Cleveland Browns: The Browns entered the draft with eight picks, but their first one didn’t come until the third round after they mortgaged their future for quarterback Deshaun Watson, sending first-round picks in 2022, 2023 and 2024, along with a third-round pick last year and a fourth-round pick next year, to Houston. While the Texans packaged that first-round pick this year to move up to No. 3 to select Alabama’s Will Anderson after taking Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud No. 2, the Browns took Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman with their first pick of the draft. Some teams graded Tillman better than his teammate Hyatt, according to Kiper. But many of their remaining selections project as depth picks with question marks, including UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
()