The well-worn lines surface every April: What an unpredictable draft! There's no consensus! Good luck with those mocks set in sand! But really ... the 2023 NFL draft seemed impossible to predict.
Just hours before the draft, quarterback Bryce Young at No. 1 overall to Carolina felt like the only certainty. General managers were calling to move up or (mostly) down with little hint as to why. Many teams had 14 or 15 players graded as first-rounders, leaving a wide variance as to how each stacked the latter half of the first round.
Subterfuge is part of the drafting game, as much as selections and hugs from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, but this year seemed to elevate the shock value. For example, several league execs were predicting Houston would take a defensive player at No. 2 overall. Instead, GM Nick Caserio called an end-around -- selecting quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick, only to move up nine spots to get pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr., the player many thought was atop his board, at No. 3.
The draft featured three on-the-clock trades in the top 10 and three more later in Round 1 (not counting the deals that were worked out before the draft). The only thing missing on Day 1 was a blockbuster deal involving a veteran player, though the Eagles tried to satisfy that need two days later by acquiring running back D'Andre Swift from the Lions.
What was predictable: Nothing reveals a team's big-picture plans quite like the draft, and this year was no different. Instead of reacting to the week's results on short notice, we let the draft breathe. Then we made calls to bring you post-draft nuggets on all 32 teams, including intel from on-the-clock decisions, background on key picks, Day 1 strategy, stats and trends, sleepers and pick reactions from league execs and scouts.
Jump to:
ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR | CHI | CIN
CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND
JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN
NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF
SEA | TB | TEN | WSH
NFC EAST
Dallas Cowboys
The Dan Quinn effect is a real thing in Dallas. The Cowboys have one of the NFL's deepest defenses yet still spent their first- and third-round picks on defensive help. When their defensive coordinator has a vision for a player, the Cowboys typically see that through by selecting him if available. That was the case with Michigan defensive tackle Mazi Smith and Texas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.
The Cowboys were closely watching Mississippi State corner Emmanuel Forbes, who went No. 16 overall to Washington. At 26, with tight end Dalton Kincaid off the board, Dallas was deciding between Smith and Syracuse offensive tackle Matt Bergeron. It opted for defense, believing an interior run defender with the ability to push the pocket could be a missing piece. And don't sleep on Overshown's ability to play early. He's a well-known hitter, but Dallas thinks he can develop into an all-down linebacker because of his speed.
