The 2023 NFL Draft was even more bonkers than expected.
Multiple trades to maneuver only one draft spot.
A quarterback prospect who took perhaps the biggest free fall in draft history.
A historic run on wide receivers.
A little bit of everything.
Doesn’t make this not fun to do for any of us sportzz writing folks.
Bryce Young is so soft-spoken, too.
I have a hard time believing he’d fire up an NFL locker room.
Seems like a trivial thing, right?
I don’t think it is.
I don’t know!!
Two EDGE defenders in the first round who are below 240 pounds?
That’s quite the outlier size-wise at that position.
How about Emmanuel Forbes 16th overall?
Forbes is working to gain weight and already has…but yeah.
That’s what he checked into the Combine at.
He was always the consensus QB4.
The odds for the No.
1 overall pick reflected that.
HOWEVER, all kinds of rumors about teams in the top five loving on Levis started flying about.
Then a wildin' Reddit user claimed Levis was telling friends and family he’d be the No.
Reags was going through it for his ex-Kentucky QB.
Where does Will Levis even go now?
His offensive coordinator at Kentucky from 2021 (when he had his most success) was Liam Coen.
They’re still tight.
Coen has served on Sean McVay’s Rams staff multiple times.
Could the Rams take a swing with the 36th pick?
Other potential Levis landing spots…?
Then Jaxon Smith-Njigba at No.
Now you’re showing off, John Schneider and Pete Carroll.
I mentioned how awful their drafts of the recent past had been.
Don’t know what the fuck got into the water in Seattle before last year’s draft till now.
Loser: Wide receivers in general
As you slide in the draft, youlosemore and more money.
JSN coming off the board at 20 started a run of four straight wideouts.
NFL Draft history was made.
Three of those four teams made the playoffs.
This wasn’t a loaded wide receiver class to begin with.
Silver lining for these guys?
A chance to hit the ground running with solid-to-elite quarterbacks.
And my goodness, how about the fashionable fits on Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison?
That’d be a pair of bonus/hidden-in-the-loser-section massive WINS in the eyes of most.
Not quite up to par with the En Eff El Draft Show hosts' red blazers, of course!
Winner: Houston, for growing a pair AND THEN SOME
NICK CASERIO.
YOU WHEELING DEALING DEVIL, YOU!
I’m thrilled to have been so wrong!
Everyone credits NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah for putting the Texans' massive balls move to pick at Nos.
It’s just..I called it sooner.
Or ratherimplored the Texans to do it.
Personal win here, too.
Read it all and weep.
Loser: Lions high on their own supply
Had major hopes for the Lions.
Love what the Campbell-Holmes HC-GM partnership is building.
Unfortunately, I think they got a little too cute on Thursday night.
Might’ve cost them an NFC North title this year.
Using a first-round pick at that position is generally frowned upon.
Holmes didn’t give a fuck.
He took Gibbs anyway.
I was hoping he’d fall to the Bengals at 28!
Got him at +120 as the first at his position drafted over Arkansas' Drew Sanders.
I reserve the right to change my mind on the Lions being huge losers.
Everyone’s calling for their heads.
They still have six more rounds of draft to go, with two second-round picks on Friday.
Detroit can fill out more obvious roster holes then.
That has to be thinking.
For now, though, I’m like damn near everyone else who follows the NFL.
Richardson was my favorite prospect of the entire 2023 draft.
I’m glad he went to John’s team.
An even crazier development?
CHRIS BALLARD FINALLY GOT THE RIGHT QUARTERBACK.
I have been as critical of Ballard as any NFL executive maybe ever.
Nothing has been more mismanaged by Ballard than quarterbacks.
But then Thursday night happened and…
There’s no way in my mind Ballard was going to take anyone other than Will Levis at No.
Seemed like a stone-cold lock with all the aforementioned Levis buzz afoot.
Loser: Packers gonna Packer
To quote Hubbs from this blog, “Death.
The Packers not taking a WR/TE in the first round.”
Hey, at least Van Ness' family put on a winning performance.
That said, it can only mean the Iowa product is one of the evening’s losers.
Had an off night.
No but even as a prospect, Van Ness confuses me.
All he can do is bull rush.
He’s kind of a tweener who played more snaps on the interior in college.
Now, he’s hitting the NFL and expected to play on the edge.
Dalton Kincaid and every single wide receiver on the board.
Even with Jordan Love in need of a viable WR3 of any sort.
I’m jumping around sections.
I think this is the fifth one.
I’m getting really tired.
you could see most of that graphic, right?
Then they double-dip in Round 1 from the national championship-winning Bulldogs with Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.
Pretty simple when you just say, “Huh.
Not quite sure what to do here guess I’ll take another Georgia dude!”
Winner: THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
An intentionally cryptic title for a deliberately cryptic coach/GM.
Sheev Palpatine in the world of football.
Emperor/Supreme Chancellor Papa Palps vibes did one of his patented trade-back maneuvers and punted on drafting a wide receiver.
Instead, Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez fell right into Belichick’s lap.
Didn’t take long at all forthatpick to be announced.
Those betting lines don’t exist, to be clear.
At least as far as I’m aware.
Hope they don’t.
But let’s not dwell on the negatives to end this thing.
Right now, everyone is 0-0.
Aaaaand we still have six more rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft to go.
I will be on the edge of my seat for most of it.
I have a problem.
But there is seriously nothing quite like draft SZN.
