2023 Round 1 Grades (Picks 16-31)

Welcome back to some more draft content. Today we will pick up where we left off in my last post and grade picks 16-31 in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. It is important to note that the grade given is representative of the OVERALL quality of the draft pick - this includes any potential trades that occurred, talent of the player, overall fit, and how the board was when the player was taken. Let me know if you agree or disagree with my grades in the comments section below.

16) Washington Commanders: Emmanuel Forbes (CB) = C+

Not my favorite pick. Forbes is a great cover corner with really good coverage skills but he lacks some aspects that make him a complete corner. The main things I notice are his inability to press receivers consistently and his weak run game support. These 2 issues can be attributed to one thing: his size. Forbes is a really lean corner. However, I think if he can bulk up, most of his issues of not being strong enough to press physical receivers will go away and I can see him becoming a really good corner at the next level. Another thing to consider is where he was drafted: CHRISTIAN GONZALEZ WAS STILL ON THE BOARD. To me it just seems like a reach considering Gonzalez, widely regarded as the first or second best corner prospect in this draft, was still on the board.

17) New England Patriots: Christian Gonzalez (CB) = A

Home run pick for the Patriots. Feels like that hasn’t been said in a while. Makes sense though, the Patriots have just not hit on first round picks in the past couple of years. However, this pick is different. Grabbing Gonzalez, who was projected to go in the top 10 at pick 17 is absolute steal. Pairing him with Jonathan Jones will make the Patriots secondary elite.

Update: there were recent concerns that emerged highlighting that NFL scouts had concerns with Gonzalez's character which may have contributed to his slide in the draft.

18) Detroit Lions: Jack Campbell (LB) = C+

I know the Lions have a major hole at the linebacker position but I think Campbell, who is a good linebacker prospect, was taken a little too early here. If I were the Lions I would’ve looked to trade down in order to acquire more draft capital.

19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Calijah Kancey (DT) = B-

The reason I’m giving this pick a lower grade is not because of Kancey’s talent: Kancey is a good defensive tackle prospect who can push the pocket and make QBs uncomfortable. However, I don’t think this was the most effective route the Bucs could’ve taken with this selection. Their defense has always been their strength and considering how bad their offense struggled even with having the GOAT under center, adding some talent on the offensive side of the ball would’ve been a smarter move. Even if the value for an offensive player wasn’t there, I would’ve traded down to acquire more draft capital to fill out other holes in the roster. There was also a guy by the name of Will Levis still on the board which would’ve been an interesting selection.

20) Seattle Seahawks: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) = A-

This is a super fun pick for the Seahawks. Their receiving core now consists of the following players: Njigba, Metcalf, & Lockett. That’s an absolutely crazy trio of receivers and I’m sure newly extended QB Geno Smith will have a field day with all of them on the field. I just don’t know how anyone can guard that.

21) Los Angeles Chargers: Quentin Johnston (WR) = B-

I’m gonna be honest, it's not my favorite pick. Johnston does flash as a receiver but I think that Flowers and Addison were both more complete wide receiver prospects coming out of college than Johnston who hasn’t shown much consistency throughout his college career. However, I can see Johnston becoming a Mike Williams 2.0 with his knack for catching 50-50 jump balls.

22) Baltimore Ravens: Zay Flowers (WR) = A+

Great pick for the Ravens, who have completely turned their offense around in the span of just a couple of weeks. It seems like the Ravens front office has finally taken interest in addressing the concerns of Lamar Jackson. Pairing the speedy Zay Flowers with OBJ will make this new look Ravens offense dynamic.

23) Minnesota Vikings: Jordan Addison (WR) = C+

This is a weird one. I would’ve addressed defense with this pick but the departure of Adam Theilen does leave a huge hole in the WR2 position on the Vikings offense. I think the big question with this pick comes down to how much of a difference Brian Flores will make as the Vikings’ new defensive coordinator. If the issue last year was simply the lack of talent on defense, then choosing a corner like Deonte Banks would’ve been a smart move as the Vikings secondary struggled mightily last year. However, Addison & Jefferson will be a fun duo to watch.

24) New York Giants: Deonte Banks (CB) = A

Really good pick for the Giants here. One thing that I’ve noticed about Joe Schoen is his tendency to draft players with immense swagger: last year Thibodeaux and this year Banks. Banks fills a huge void in the Giants secondary and gives the Giants a shutdown press man corner who can thrive alongside corner Adoree Jackson. The Giants secondary is starting to look scary.

25) Buffalo Bills: Dalton Kincaid (TE) = A+

I had a feeling the Bills were going to address offense in the draft, it was just a matter of whether the talent was going to be there. In all my mocks, most of the receivers and tight ends went before the Bills pick so I had them taking other positions. However, the Bills decided to jump the Cowboys in order to land the best tight end prospect in the draft. Kincaid can be the dynamic piece the Bills offense needs to go to the next level.

26) Dallas Cowboys: Mazi Smith (DT) = B

Interesting pick by the Cowboys. Ideally I would’ve liked to see them take an offensive weapon given that their offense has been the reason for their lack of success in the past couple of years. With all the top tier receivers off the board the only other position that would’ve made sense would’ve been tight end since Dalton Shultz left during free agency. However, the Bills made the smart choice of jumping the Cowboys to grab arguably the best tight end prospect in this draft. If I was the Cowboys in this situation I would’ve traded down but building their defensive line has proven successful in recent years.

27) Jacksonville Jaguars: Anton Harrison (OT) = A-

This is a good pick for the Jags. Trevor Lawrence took a huge step up last year and proved that he is a franchise QB to build around. The Jags had to improve the protection around him to take his game to the next level. Harrison is a decent all-around tackle prospect who will do well in Jacksonville.

28) Cincinnati Bengals: Myles Murphy (DE) = B+

Murphy is a good athlete who improves the Bengal’s front 7. He will help disrupt elite throwers such as Patrick Mahomes that the Bengals tend to face off against in the playoffs. In this situation I still would’ve opted with Nolan Smith who is an even better athlete.

29) New Orleans Saints: Bryan Bresee (DT) = B+

Decent pick for the Saints. Adding Bresee to the Saints defensive line will take some of the pressure off Cam Jordan. Not to mention that this selection also fills some of the void left by the departure of Marcus Davenport during free agency. Again, like the Bengals pick I would’ve still opted to take Nolan Smith in this spot though.

30) Philadelphia Eagles: Nolan Smith (DE) = A-

All the Eagles’ first round selections can be summed up in a couple of words: high risk, high reward. Nolan Smith is an OUTSTANDING athlete with all the traits to become a dominant edge rusher. However, he is still a little raw as a pass rusher which is why he was taken at the back end of the first round. This is good value for the Eagles though as they continue to address their aging defensive line through the infusion of young & fresh talent.

31) Kansas City Chiefs: Felix Anudike-Ozomah (DE) = A-

I would’ve loved to see the Chiefs move up a spot to select Nolan Smith. Pairing his athleticism with Chris Jones would’ve been a fun duo to watch for years to come. Taking Anudike-Ozomah is not a bad consolation prize though as he fills one of the few needs the Chiefs have on their roster.