After months of intrigue and subterfuge, the first round of the 2023 NFL draft is over. Which fan bases should be thrilled? Which should be scratching their heads? And which are just ... confused? Let me fill you in on the best and worst of what I saw from the top 31 picks.
There were six trades in a frenzied Round 1, and my second-ranked quarterback, Will Levis, is still on the board. I'm shocked by that. I really think he's going to make a team happy early on Day 2.
Below are the picks I liked and didn't like from Round 1. There were a few I loved, a few that surprised me and a few where I would have gone a different direction. My thoughts are based on my Big Board rankings and my grades for each prospect, along with whether teams got value with their selections. The worst thing a team can do is reach for a prospect who would have been available later down the board. I'm also going to scrutinize trades -- both up and down -- to see which teams gave up too much and which picked up valuable capital, in this draft and in 2024.
OK, let's get into it. As usual, come back late Saturday night for my post-draft grades for all 32 teams. That's where I'll hit as many of the 259 picks as I can. We'll be back for Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App). Let's get into my take on Round 1.
Here are my best available prospects heading into Friday's Round 2: QB Will Levis (No. 4 overall), CB Joey Porter Jr. (20), DE Keion White (31), TE Michael Mayer (32), S Brian Branch (34).
coverage:
Kiper's final Big Board
Draft experts debate Round 1
Consensus position rankings
