Winners
Philadelphia Eagles
The jokes getting stale, but before it expires I’ll say it, IT’S THE PHILADELPHIA BULLDOGS. It’s not a bad thing, but if the University of Georgia and Kirby Smart didn’t exist, Howie Roseman would be flipping patties in a McDonald’s. That’s all besides the point that the Eagles had a killer draft. With two first round picks, Philadelphia bolstered their pass rush in a major way. Jalen Carter fell into their laps at number ten and Nolan Smith fell to them at 30. The two were dynamic players for the Bulldogs and will be great alongside Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, and Brandon Graham in the City of Brotherly Thugs.
On day two, Howie and Co. continued to make a splash. They added tackle depth with 6’5 Alabama pass protector Tyler Steen who the Eagles probably believe could take over for Lane Johnson down the line. In that same round with the very next pick, Philly landed my third highest rated safety, Sydney Brown. Brown will most likely be the Eagles starting free safety after Reed Blankenships poor play in 2022. For Illinois last season, Brown made 59 tackles, 6 interceptions, 7 pass breakups, and a sack. He’s a dynamic ball player with lots of upside.
In the fourth round they took another Georgia Bulldog with cornerback Kelee Ringo. Ringo is a big corner standing at 6’2 and had a PFF grade of 71.4% last season. While he is raw, he’ll get a great opportunity to learn under James Bradberry and Darius Slay. The Eagles other notable pick was Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee. McKee most likely won’t get any time due to Jalen Hurts being an absolute machine, but he’s good insurance. Let’s get a round of applause for Howie Roseman and the Eagles for a great draft class.
Houston Texans
While Houston did sacrifice their first round pick in 2024, they also landed two of my highest rated players of the whole draft class with quarterback CJ Stroud and outside linebacker Will Anderson Jr. Both have the potential to turn around the path of the Texans franchise. Stroud will be the Texans day one starter in 2023 and has a solid group of weapons surrounding him. Houston already had Dalton Schultz, Robert Woods, Dameon Pierce, and Nico Collins, but added more weapons to their arsenal by drafting wide receivers Tank Dell and Xavier Hutchinson.
Houston also drafted two centers who could see immediate play time on the interior of their offensive line with Penn State center Juice Scruggs and Notre Dame center Jarrett Patterson. If Stroud’s taking snaps from either of them, he’ll be in good hands. On the defensive side of the ball, in addition to taking Anderson who had 27.5 sacks over two seasons, they added an underrated Alabama linebacker with Henry To’oTo’o. To’oTo’o was a machine the past two seasons in Tuscaloosa as he combined for 205 tackles.
Not many times does a team do the draft the right way, but Houston nailed it. They addressed the holes in their roster, while also adding extremely talented players that can be cornerstone players for their franchise. I’m tipping my cap to Nick Caserio.
Pittsburgh Steelers
With a little bit of help from the Patriots, the Steelers fucked over the Jets and were big winners of the NFL Draft. In the first round, they grabbed Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones. Kenny Pickett was sacked 27 times in 2022. That’s not a huge number, but it’s not good when you want to keep your rookie quarterback healthy. Adding Broderick Jones who aided in the Bulldogs elite rushing attack last season was a great pickup.
While the addition of Jones was great, their day two actions were even more impressive. They landed cornerback Joey Porter Jr. in round two and he was a guy who I thought a top 20 pick on day one. This was a great pick on two levels. Level one is that they were in desperate need of corner help after Cam Sutton signed with Detroit. On level two, it’s great because this pick will curry favor with the Steelers fanbase as Porter Jr.’s dad played with the Steelers. A few picks later, they grab run stuffer Keeanu Benton from Wisconsin who was my fourth highest rated defensive tackle. Then in round three, they secured an athletic freak tight end. Darnell Washington stands at 6’7, 269 pounds and ran a 4.64 40 yard dash. He’s a decent pass catcher, but an elite run blocker.
On day three, Pittsburgh only had three picks and in the fourth round they got a gritty linebacker from Wisconsin. Nick Herbig had 20 sacks and 108 tackles over the past two seasons. This isn’t just a depth pick. It’s a pick that’ll turn into a late round steal. The Steelers are looking to rebuild and take over the AFC North in a hostile manner and they took a step in the right direction with draft class.
Losers
Miami Dolphins
It’s tough to have a successful draft when you don’t have a first round pick, but Miami was remarkably underwhelming this past weekend. They had only four picks in the draft with two on day two and two on day three. They did make one pick I liked grabbing South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith in the second round. Smith is a long corner that has the versatility to play in the slot, but I see it as a pick for nothing. Miami traded for Jalen Ramsey this offseason and still have Xavien Howard. Both corners are playing at the top of their game currently so drafting Smith, while being a good pick because he’s talented, doesn’t address any of their depth issues.
With their second pick on day two, the Dolphins grabbed Texas A&M running back Devon Achane. While not a terrible pick, it felt like a reach. I had a lot of other running backs valued a lot higher than Achne who were drafted after him like Tank Bigsby, Deuce Vaughn, and DeWayne McBride. They definitely needed a running back, but didn’t get a really dynamic player with Achane.
Denver Broncos
In the same vein as Miami, Denver was set up to not have a great draft by not having a first round pick. When I look at their class, I don’t hate it. The thing is they drafted players at positions that they either didn’t need or reached. Their first pick was taking Oklahoma wideout Marvin Mims over Parker Washington, Cedric Tillman, and Charlie Jones. Not a bad pick, but when those guys are on the board, this pick looks worse. In addition, Mims is the same size and has the same style as players on the Broncos roster like KJ Hamler and Jerry Jeudy. Just feels like a strange pick.
Their next two picks weren’t too bad getting linebacker Drew Sanders and cornerback Riley Moss. They fill depth on the Broncos roster which is good, but they’re not picks that blow you away. They’ll contribute a bit this season, but again, nothing that blows you away. In the sixth round, they selected safety JL Skinner from Boise State who probably won’t make the roster or see any time as he’s behind Justin Simmons, Caden Sterns, Delarrin Turner-Yell, and P.J. Locke. And with their final pick, they took Oregon center Alex Forsyth. He’s in the same boat as Skinner as a guy who most likely won’t see time.
I understand that Denver wasn’t in a great spot to succeed with no first round pick, but they had a let down of a draft class. The hinderance of not having a first round pick didn’t stop a team like Cleveland or Los Angeles from drafting quality players that could see time immediately.