2023 NFL Draft

The 2023 NFL Draft took place from Thursday, April 27 to Saturday, April 29. The 1st round was on Thursday night, followed by the 2nd and 3rd rounds on Friday and rounds 4 through 7 on Friday. The draft took place in Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

ROUND 1 HIGHLIGHTS

The 1st pick in the draft initially belonged to the Chicago Bears, but they traded down with the Carolina Panthers to gain another first round pick, two second round picks, and a star wide receiver in D. J. Moore. With the 1st pick in the draft, the Panthers selected quarterback Bryce Young from Alabama. Young had won the Heisman Trophy (for the best college football player in the nation) and the college national championship in 2021.

The Houston Texans had the 2nd pick in the draft, and they took Ohio State quarterback C. J. Stroud, who had nearly taken Ohio State to the 2023 national championship. Houston also traded up with the Arizona Cardinals for the 3rd overall pick, which they used to select Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. 

The Indianapolis Colts took yet another quarterback, drafting Anthony Richardson (Florida) 4th overall. The best running back in the draft, Bijan Robinson (Texas), went at number 8 to the Atlanta Falcons, while the Philadelphia Eagles took Jalen Carter (Georgia), the best defensive tackle in the class, at number 9. At number 17, the New England Patriots took one of the best cornerbacks in the draft, Christian Gonzalez (from Oregon). (The Patriots originally had pick number 15 but traded back with the Steelers to pick up an extra 4th round pick.) The best wide receiver in the draft, Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State, went to the Seattle Seahawks at number 20. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, who was expected to go at number 4 to the Indianapolis Colts, fell out of the first round entirely. (Levis would be selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 2nd round with the 33rd pick of the draft.)

The first round had 31 selections instead of the usual 32, as Miami forfeited their pick as a result of tampering to try to get Tom Brady and coach Sean Payton. All drafted players are signed to four-year contracts, but teams have the option to extend first round draft picks for an extra fifth year (although they would be paying the player a premier salary for that fifth year).

THE PATRIOTS’ DRAFT

As aforementioned, the Patriots took Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 17th pick in the draft. In the second round (No. 45), they took Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White. Marte Mapu was drafted in the third round (No. 76); the safety from Sacramento State could also play as a linebacker. The Patriots shored up their offensive line in the draft, selecting center Jake Andrews (Troy – No. 107) and guard Sidy Sow (Eastern Michigan – No. 117) in the 4th round and guard Atonio Mafi (UCLA – No. 144) in the 5th. They also took two wide receivers, Kayshon Boutte (LSU – No. 187) and Demario Douglas (Liberty – No. 210), in the sixth round and two cornerbacks, Ameer Speed (Michigan State – No. 214) and Isaiah Bolden (Jackson State – No. 245), in the last two rounds. Interestingly, the Patriots took a kicker and a punter in the same draft; they traded up to select kicker Chad Ryland (Maryland – No. 112) in the fourth round and took punter Bryce Baringer (Michigan State – No. 192) in the sixth. (Don’t worry: the Patriots weren’t the first team to take a kicker — the San Francisco 49ers took one in the third round!)

THE NEW PATRIOTS:

1-17: Christian Gonzalez, CB, Oregon

2-45: Keion White, DE, Georgia Tech

3-76: Marte Mapu, S/LB, Sacramento State

4-107: Jake Andrews, C/OG, Troy

4-112: Chad Ryland, K, Maryland

4-117; Sidy Sow, OG, Eastern Michigan

5-144: Atonio Mark, OG, UCLA

6-187: Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU

6-192: Bryce Baringer, P, Michigan State

6-210: Demario Douglas, WR/PR, Liberty

6-214: Ameer Speed, CB, Michigan State

7-245: Isaiah Bolden, CB/KR, Jackson State

1. IRRELEVANT

The last pick in the NFL Draft is referred to with the nickname “Mr. Irrelevant.” Last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, quarterback Brock Purdy, actually ended up leading the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game after winning his first 7 games as a starter. This year’s Mr. Irrelevant — Desjaun Johnson, a defensive end from Toledo — was taken by the Los Angeles Rams with the 259th pick of the draft.