With the 2023 NFL draft behind us, we break down every team’s draft picks over the 3 day event, giving player projections and opinions on team fits as we go division by division through the NFL.
Next up, the wide open NFC North
Chicago Bears:
1(10) OT Darnell Wright, Tennessee
2(53) DT Gervon Dexter, Florida
2(56) CB Tyrique Stevenson, Miami
3(64) DT Zacch Pickens, South Carolina
4(115) RB Roschon Johnson, Texas
4(133) WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati
5(148) LB Noah Sewell, Oregon
5(165) CB Terell Smith, Minnesota
7(218) DT Travis Bell, Kennesaw State
7(258) CB Kendall Williamson, Stanford
At first blush, it looked like the Bears were going to blow this draft. The Bears recognized that the team was more than one star away, and traded away the 1st overall pick, opting for a lower pick and more draft capital. They eventually selected 10th overall after another trade down, this time with the Eagles.
The Bears selected Darnell Wright, who projects to be a right tackle in the NFL, which drew the ire of fans considering they have almost nothing along their defensive line and the Eagles selected potential superstar Jalen Carter with the 9th pick. Once the draft was over though, it’s clear the Bears had a plan and stuck to it.
Wright has the potential to become a good player in the NFL, and fills another need as QB Justin Fields was constantly under siege in 2022. Wright used his size and power to overcome his sometimes spotty technique at the college level, but showed much better body control and footwork in 2022 so there’s proof that he can still improve with proper coaching. If he gets that, and is able to become a more consistent player, he should find success in the pros. But it isn’t hard to see why fans weren’t thrilled with what the Bears did on day 1.
On Day 2, the Bears began addressing the defensive side of the ball, selecting two interior defensive lineman and a cornerback.
DT Gervon Dexter was a bit of a reach with the 53rd overall pick. He was a 4 year high school basketball player, qualified for the track team in the discus throw and only played football for 2 seasons before joining the Florida Gators. Dexter will have to improve his pre snap reads, as he is often slow off the snap which has a domino effect on his hand placements and positioning. But his lack of experience in his younger years leaves him as a raw prospect with plenty of upside. He has NFL ready size, and can transition from a bull rush to a swim move with ease. He will likely be starting in week 1 for the Bears, but that’s more a testament to their lack of depth at the position than Dexter’s current skill level.
Tyrique Stevenson is an aggressive long armed CB who will also have a path to playing significant snaps in his rookie year. Coming in at 6’0” and 198 lbs, he has the frame to step right into the NFL and cover even the bigger receivers in the league. He’s patient and physical in press man, but also possesses good recovery speed when he does get beat. He’s shown a tendency to get beat in zone coverages, so it’s possible he’ll become a scheme dependent corner. He’ll need to become more consistent in helping with the run game, but his physical attributes alone has him at the lowest a starter in a press-man defense. Nice pick up for the Bears.
DT Zacch Pickens is almost the polar opposite type of tackle that Dexter is. Pickens is an athletic interior defender with a good first step that gives him advantages as both a run and pass defender. He has great hands and feet that help him elude blockers or play off them, but can be bullied around by strong drive blockers and doesn’t have much of a bull rush in his tool chest. He’ll be able to step into a rotational pass rush role right away, with the potential to become a key starter once he adds some more strength.
Day 3 began with the Bears adding some intriguing offensive weapons to help out Justin Fields. RB Roschon Johnson was behind Bijan Robinson on the depth chart in Texas, but probably could have started for 75-80% of the teams in the country. He’s a power back with a bruising frame, and at the very least will be a strong option on 3rd downs as he has the toughness and smarts to pick up blitzes in passing situations. He isn’t overly creative and lacks the quickness to hit the hole, but if a play is blocked well he can get downhill and uncork his power on the second level.
Tyler Scott is a versatile wide receiver whose game is reminiscent of TY Hilton, but needs more reps as he only has 2 years experience as a starter. It’s also likely the only reason he was still available with the 133rd pick. With more coaching and experience, his route running and ball skills are almost certain to continue to improve and not be as much of an issue going forward, although his smallish frame and lack of hand strength will continue to cap his ceiling. He lands in a perfect scenario, as the Bears won’t be pushing him this coming season as they continue to rebuild, so he can take a season to learn and develop at the NFL level. His versatility and playmaking make it easy to see him becoming a good to very good slot receiver going forward.
Noah Sewell, brother of Penei, is as tough as they come at the linebacker position. He has the old school demeanor when it comes to his physicality, but he’s a limited prospect due to his lack of speed and change of direction quickness. If he can become more anticipatory to get ahead of the plays, he certainly possesses the pedigree, strength and body to be an effective player in the NFL. But for now he will likely step in and be an effective special teamer and rotational backer.
CB Terell Smith is an ascending player that was surprisingly still available in the 5th round. He has an outstanding combination of speed, size and toughness. He’s shown good development on tape in his technique from 2021 to 2022, stays low in his backpedal and has above average footwork for a cornerback his size. He, like Stevenson, excels in press man coverage, but has experience playing in multiple schemes. He’s a willing tackler in the run game as well. He’s not a fully polished product yet, but don’t be surprised if the Bears just snagged a long term starting corner with the 165th pick.
The Bears went back to looking for defensive line depth and selected DT Travis Bell in the 7th round. Bell has good lateral quickness and power at the point of attack, but lacks the overall mass and anchor to eat up multiple blockers. His foot quickness and hands usage worked for him in college, but it’ll be difficult to replicate that skillset in the NFL. He may be used as a one on one nose tackle in a rotational role, but he’ll be fighting for a roster spot each training camp.
Kendall Williamson is a pretty solid 7th round pick. He’s a flawed defensive back, as he missed too many tackles and has a habit of taking bad angles, which diminishes his willingness to be a factor in the run game. Williamson has NFL size and tested quite well at his pro day. He has good route recognition when hovering in off-man coverages, but doesn’t quite have the range to handle expanded areas. He’ll be a project, but when the natural foundation is already there, you might as well take a chance to see what you can coach out of him.
This draft for the Bears wasn’t the sexiest, but it’s a draft that the fans will look back on in a few years and see that this is where the Bears began to properly rebuild this franchise by taking key depth players, adding competition to the defense and providing the organization with more draft picks going forward. What could have been a disaster turned into a pretty solid weekend for Chicago.
Detroit Lions:
1(12) RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama
1(18) LB Jack Campbell, Iowa
2(34) TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa
2(45) S Brian Branch, Alabama
3(68) QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
3(96) DT Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky
5(152) OT Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary
7(219) WR Antoine Green, North Carolina
The Lions are walking away from the draft as a better team. There’s no mistaking that. TE Sam Laporta will fit right in with Dan Campbell’s club, which sort of explains why they picked him over Michael Mayer, as his toughness and character are exactly what head coach Dan Campbell wants in his locker room. Jumping up 3 spots to steal S Brian Branch at 45 gives the Lions a versatile defender who can play all over the defensive backfield. Taking QB Hendon Hooker is worth the risk at 68 with Jared Goff’s contract nearing the end. Their problem was a misuse of early assets (more on that here).
For a team on the rise, having the 6th overall pick was an excellent opportunity to add a dynamic player to the roster that would help this team make a serious run in the playoffs. Instead they traded down, and then shocked everyone by picking running back Jahmyr Gibbs. Gibbs is a solid player, but could have been had much later. Moreover, if the Lions felt their biggest need was at running back, holding on to the #6 pick and selecting Bijan Robinson would have given them the best running back prospect in years.
Adding Gibbs showed the NFL world that they were moving on from D’Andre Swift, ridding them of any potential leverage that they had in a trade. Gibbs is a slasher who can stretch defenses out wide and has the wiggle to elude defenders in space. He’s extremely versatile and brings an excellent route tree and pass catching ability to the backfield, but might not be suited to be the engine of an NFL offense. He’s an exciting weapon who will no doubt find ways to rack up yards and create offensive excitement. But with the Lions looking to make a serious run at the playoffs, taking a running back who will likely have the most success in a tandem backfield with their first round pick is a miss.
Linebacker Jack Campbell was also a reach at #18, and linebacker didn’t stand out as a position of need at that spot in the draft. That being said, Campbell is a smart, athletic player who may end up being the defensive captain after a few seasons. But again the Lions lost an opportunity to add a game changer to the roster. Campbell is an inside linebacker who is built to play in the box and plays with good overall physicality. He uses his workmanlike attitude to be effective in the run game, but lacks the quickness and lateral speed that NFL teams look for. He can be effective dropping back in coverage and won’t back down while matched up against the more physical tight ends in the league. You know what you are going to get every game with Campbell, so his consistency is a nice trait, but his NFL career will be limited by his physical attributes.
TE Sam LaPorta has the physical attributes to mix and match as an inline tight end or play on the move. He can threaten zone coverages, but has only shown the ability to make basic catches. His lack of elusiveness and ball skills will prevent him from becoming a true offensive threat. He’s also shown inconsistency in run blocking, although that certainly can be easily improved. He does have the footwork and feel of defenses to possibly develop a more complicated route tree, and he is hard to tackle once he gets the ball in his hands and starts moving downhill. After trading Hockenson last season, and opting not to take the more versatile weapon in Mayer, there are questions about what the Lions are doing at the tight end position. However, we’ve seen that Dan Campbell has the ability to get the most out of his high character players, so we will give him some time with this pick.
Brian Branch is a plug and play defensive back with every ingredient necessary to become a high end starter early in his career. While he played mostly in nickel coverage at Alabama, he’s listed as a safety due to his impressive range and instincts for the play. He’s quick, fast and strong enough to match up against almost any receiver type in the NFL, from shifty slot receivers, big possession receivers and even pass-catching tight ends. There are areas he can improve in, but his overall game doesn’t have many weaknesses. This was a home run pick for the Lions.
QB Hendon Hooker was the early favourite to win the Heisman in 2022, but a torn left ACL put a premature end to his final college season. That, as well as his age (25 years), dropped him off of many teams radars, but taking him as an insurance policy in the 3rd round is a nice pick up by the Lions. Tennessee tends to scheme so that their quarterbacks only have to evaluate half the field. So having a season to get healthy and learn the game under Goff will certainly improve his prospects in the NFL going forward. Hooker plays with excellent poise and footwork as a pocket passer, and has a good habit of keeping plays on schedule. Assuming he comes back fully healthy, he also has the ability to hurt teams with his legs to help the offense outside of what he can do in the pocket. While he has some red flags, this pick might just pay out in spades for the Lions in the future.
After 2 nice selections, the Lions reached yet again, taking DT Brodric Martin in the 3rd round. Martin, who was projected to go in rounds 6-7, has an outstanding blend of size and strength, but lacks leverage and a good anchor which causes him to get washed out far too often. He’ll need to play with better bend and improve his hand work but he does have the awareness to handle 2-gapping duties. He would have been a great value pick on day 3 as a rotational lineman with some upside, but making him a day 2 pick seems a little strange.
Colby Sorsdal reportedly impressed most organizations during the interview process, and his versatility will help him carve out a role in the NFL. He mainly played tackle in college, but will likely be moving to guard in the NFL due to his lack of length. He’s athletic and has good lateral movement and will fit in nicely in a zone-scheme rushing attack, but will need to work on his power at the point of attack as well as his core strength if he wants to hold down a consistent role in the offense.
WR Antoine Green’s size and deep ball success make him an intriguing day 3 prospect, but he unfortunately doesn’t have the game tape to back that skill set up. He’s a vertical specialist that has trouble shaking defenders on intermediate routes, but has good hands and can overtake defenders with his build up speed. It will be intriguing to watch him in camp and see if he can fight for a roster spot.
Overall, this wasn’t a great weekend for the Lions. With an offense as talented as theirs, and a defense riddled with holes, they should have utilized their assets better to make themselves serious contenders going into 2023. While they did add starters and high character locker room players, the lack of elite talent added may come back to bite them in the long run.
GOOD MORNING 🤩🦁
2023 is going to be special. I feel it. It’s going to be special for the Detroit Lions, the fans, the community and the city of Detroit. I can’t wait. 🔥📈#OnePride
📸: @Lions pic.twitter.com/UaaLYmGODG
— Tony Dombrowski (@tonydombrowski) May 21, 2023
Green Bay Packers:
1(13) DE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa
2(42) TE Luke Musgrave, Oregon State
2(50) WR Jayden Reed, Michigan State
3(78) TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State
4(116) DT Colby Wooden, Auburn
5(149) QB Sean Clifford, Penn State
5(159) WR Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia
6(179) DT Karl Brooks, Bowling Green
6(207) K Anders Carlson, Auburn
7(232) CB Carrington Valentine, Kentucky
7(235) RB Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan
7(242) S Anthony Johnson Jr., Iowa State
7(256) WR Grant Dubose, Charlotte
Despite having every wide receiver and tight end still on the board, the Packers used their 1st round pick on one dimensional pass rusher Lukas Van Ness. Van Ness was never a starter in college, and while he was productive in a rotational role, he relies solely on his strength and quickness to bull rush offensive lineman, a skill that is more easily negated at the NFL level. Before he’s able to add more diversity to his pass rushing, he’ll need to improve his hand fighting to help him shed blockers that he simply can’t just run over. His frame suggests that he’s still able to add even more strength, and he possesses traits that should help him develop in the pro game, but taking him at 13th overall was a bit of a stretch.
While after day 1 Packers faithful were pulling out their hair about the team not adding offensive weapons to help Jordan Love succeed in his first year at starting quarterback, the Packers shocked everyone one day 2 by actually drafting multiple offensive pieces.
They were able to turn one of the worst tight end groups in the NFL around, snagging Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Musgrave is a big, athletic tight end who can run every route you ask of him. Between the shortened 2020 season, and an injury shortened 2022, Musgrave missed a lot of key developmental snaps at the college level, but what he has been able to put on tape is impressive. He has nimble feet and smooth hips allowing him to create good separation in and out of his breaks and shows excellent technique. He’ll need to get stronger to handle all the duties an NFL tight end is asked to perform, but has the potential to be a key weapon in the offense for years to come.
Tucker Kraft was a high school basketball star before opting to stick with football, and broke out in 2021. He’s a combination tight end who’s skill set allows him to handle pass-catching and run-blocking duties at the next level. He, like Musgrave, had an injury shortened season in 2022, and will benefit from NFL coaching to help with his hand placement and angles of entry when blocking. He’s faster than he looks, and has no problem absorbing contact to make difficult catches. While the Packers might not reap the benefits in the 2023 season as rookie tight ends tend to take a few years to develop, all of a sudden Green Bay’s bleak tight end room is filled with promise.
Jayden Reed is an underrated receiver, and is built differently than Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, giving the team more versatility at the position. He probably could have been taken way later than 50th overall, but he brings the Packers the flexibility to line him up at multiple receiver positions and offers both kick-off and punt return talent. He operates with good speed and should be able to improve his separation on his routes with additional development. His ball skills and positioning on deep throws is unquestioned, but he’ll have to improve his focus on short and intermediate throws to limit drops if he wants to stay on the field.
DT Colby Wooden should be a nice find in the 4th round. He’s steadily gained weight throughout his college career, leading him to play a variety of roles and assignments. He’s a disruptive interior attacker with a quick first step that helps him collapse the pocket. Wooden has a tendency to get bullied in the run game, but his high football character and activity level make him seem like a future starter in the league.
It’s hard to see what the Packers were thinking when they selected QB Sean Clifford in the 5th round. Clifford is older than Love and there were much better late round QB projects available. Clifford was a 4 year starter, and has the off the field leadership skills and intangibles, but he lacks passing talent. He doesn’t deliver the ball with any sense of accuracy or timing, and has poor arm strength. He brings mobility to the position, but overall this pick just doesn’t make much sense.
Dontayvion Wicks showed off his big play potential in 2021, but is coming off a disappointing 2022 season. His focus seems to wane, leading to drops, and that seemed to really affect his confidence this past season. While he needs to improve his technique as a route runner, he still has a natural ability to create separation with his instincts and athleticism, which is encouraging for NFL coaches. There’s certainly raw potential there, but he’ll have to rebuild his own confidence before he can earn the trust of his QB and coaches.
DT Karl Brooks is an interesting selection for the Packers. It’s easy to shrug off his production in college due to him not playing against the toughest competition, but his footwork, hand usage and high motor are all traits that will translate well to the NFL. He has good snap quickness and uses his instincts to counter blockers and disrupt plays in the backfield. He’ll get pushed around by stronger blockers, but with his natural skill set it wouldn’t be surprising for Brooks to become a full time NFL starter after a couple seasons.
Opting to take a kicker in the draft is always going to be criticized, and selecting Anders Carlson won’t change that narrative. He’s the brother of Raiders kicker Dan Carlson, and took over for his sibling at Auburn. He had an excellent season in 2020, but his 2021 season wasn’t as productive, and ended with a torn ACL in his non-kicking leg. He’s made big kicks in big moments, but only has a career field goal make percentage of 71.8, is highly inconsistent in his mid range kicks and has been poor on kicks 50 yards and above. He also has a slow kick operation that leads to too many blocked kicks. The Packers will be looking to add some kickers to training camp and see who wins the job for this upcoming season.
CB Carrington Valentine has the physical traits necessary to become an NFL player but his instincts and body control against quality route runners leaves a lot to be desired. He can play press, as long as he doesn’t have to stick with the receiver downfield, but gives up too much in zone schemes and fails to play aggressive enough in the run game to make him trustworthy on the field. His body size will keep him in the conversation for a roster spot, but he has a lot to improve upon before being considered anything more than a practice squad body.
Lew Nichols III can potentially become an early down back with good size and power. He has solid vision and can earn hard yards after contact, but will only be successful with good blocking as he doesn’t have the wiggle to create his own running lanes. His lack of burst and overall speed will likely limit him against NFL defenders, but he can run some routes and is reliable, giving him the potential to be a useful complementary player going forward.
Anthony Johnson Jr is a cornerback turned safety who’s athletic and physical enough to develop into a full time NFL player. He isn’t afraid to come down and make a play against the run, although his aggressiveness sometimes leads to missed tackles. Snagging a former team captain as experienced as Johnson who can play multiple positions, and still has room for growth as he learns the finer points of the game is an excellent pick up for Green Bay.
WR prospect Grant Dubose is as raw as they come with only 2 years of major college experience, but has impressive size and an expansive catch radius. He struggles against press coverage and creating separation in the early parts of his routes, but excels at jump balls and bringing in fade routes, giving him immediate potential in the red zone. He’s still in the learning phases of his route running and will likely spend at least this season on the practice squad, but there’s potential for him to make the roster down the road.
With 13 overall selections, the Packers added a ton of competition for this upcoming training camp, and DTs Colby Wooden, Karl Brooks and CB Carrington Valentine look to be key factors for the defense this season. Overall, the Packers scouting department, who probably need a month off after all the work they put in over the weekend, did a fine job adding pieces that will help improve a roster that had holes throughout.
Minnesota Vikings:
1(23) WR Jordan Addison, USC
3(102) CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC
4(134) S Jay Ward, LSU
5(141) DT Jaquelin Roy, LSU
5(164) QB Jaren Hall, BYU
7(222) RB DeWayne McBride, UAB
The Vikings wanted to find a replacement for Adam Theilen to run alongside Justin Jefferson, and the perfect fit fell to them in Jordan Addison at 23rd overall. He’s undersized and will have to prove he has the physicality to match up in the NFL, but has elite athleticism and a thorough route tree that will keep teams honest and prevent them from shifting their entire defensive backfield over to Jefferson.
While the pairing is almost perfect (on paper), the Vikings had the 31st ranked defense in 2022, are stuck in a rough salary cap predicament and only have one year left with quarterback Kirk Cousins before he hits free agency. With only 5 picks to start the draft, they threw caution to the wind with this pick, opting to try to create a more explosive offense instead of taking a top defensive prospect.
Minnesota did well to trade down to gain an extra pick but probably reached a bit when they selected promising defensive back Mekhi Blackmon at the end of the 3rd round. Blackmon will probably start the majority of the games for the Vikings due to their lack of depth at the position. He had a strong season in college but would probably benefit from some time learning at the NFL level before being thrown into the fray. He’s an aggressive man corner whose physical play brings both strong pass defense and penalties. He’ll have to keep his clutching and grabbing to within the first 5 yards, or NFL officials will be all over him play after play.
S Jay Ward is a versatile defensive back with a fearless mentality. He has good size and length to become a strong nickel corner, but will have to build on his frame if he wants to continue to be a hard hitting safety at the NFL level. He takes good angles to the ball and is willing to support the run defense, but will need to improve his route anticipation to be able to stay on the field.
DT Jaquelin Roy plays with unbridled energy and has really good upper body strength. He has limited snap experience after playing at LSU, but displays signs of a rush plan and has the athletic talent to execute it. Roy is an ascending talent who has the potential to become a starter after a few years of proper development.
QB Jaren Hall can develop into a solid NFL backup, but certainly doesn’t help solve the problem at QB going forward. He’s an undersized pocket quarterback with unimpressive arm strength, but has excellent field command which will give him a shot at making the roster. His accuracy is impressive, as he has excellent ball placement on targets on the move and throws a soft but accurate deep ball. He does a good job of getting rid of the ball while under pressure, and while his size and arm strength are concerns, there’s a possibility that if he plays in a play action heavy offense, he has a chance to succeed.
DeWayne McBride protects them at running back if the rumoured trade of Dalvin Cook ever takes place, and could end up being a steal in the 7th round. He’s a productive runner with smooth hips and a nice blend of shiftiness and power. He’s dealt with ball security issues in the past which will hurt his value going forward if they continue, as will his lack of 3rd down abilities, but his upside makes this an excellent pick in the 7th round.
The Vikings tried, but just didn’t have the draft capital to truly make a difference on a flawed roster.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
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