This year’s NFL draft was unlike any other in history, as no analyst was totally sure what player would get drafted first. Bryce Young was a favorite after his stand out career at Alabama, however C.J. Stroud from Ohio State also had some buzz to go first overall. The third option to go 1st would have been Will Levis out of Kentucky, as any sports fan or analyst would not be surprised with him going first.

Will Levis, shockingly, dropped until day two, despite having a 96% chance of getting drafted within the first 10 picks. This was by far the most embarrassing and odd defying moment in NFL draft history. The Tennessee Titans traded up with the Arizona Cardinals for the number 33 pick in the draft to get Levis, filling their void in the quarterback position.

Now, for some of my favorite draft classes per team:

Starting with the Green Bay Packers, their draft included a whopping 13 picks throughout the 3 days. Out of South Dakota State, Tucker Kraft is by far my favorite pick out of them, being an absolute athlete who is seen as a problem from both inline and the slot. He’s a great blocker, but will surprise many with his hands. Though he battled injuries in 2022, I see a huge upside out of him with a new and young offense. Another key pick out of Green Bay is obviously Lukas Van Ness. The Linebacker out of Iowa had 6 sacks and 66 tackles this year and is a huge problem on defense. Another huge pick was Jayden Reed out of Michigan State. He’s an elite receiver who had 55 receptions for 636 yards. Getting him in the second round was a great-value pick. With Jordan Love likely starting at QB, and their 13 draft picks this year, Green Bay will have a young team next year, but I would not be surprised if they come out and have a playoff run this year.

Another team I see with great potential after the 2023 draft would have to be the Indianapolis Colts. They landed Anthony RIchardson, one of the most promising QB prospects who some would say is the most NFL ready. Many compare him to Cam Newton out of college. His tremendous size and speed will help him a lot, but it is also important to mention Shane Steichen now coaching over in Indianapolis. If Steichen can get out of Richardsomn what he got out of Jalen Hurts, the Colts offense will be scary. Some other notable picks include Josh Downs, wide receiver out of North Carolina who just had a great season as well as Blake Feeland, Offensive Tackle out of BYU. The best valued pick for me had to have been Darius Rush out of South Carolina.. Snagging him early in the 5th round, this defensive back runs a 4.36 40 and is 6’2. He’s mentioned to be a high-character player who will excel on special teams from Day 1 with a chance to be a serious steal at cornerback as he gets more experienced.

Third, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a huge draft. Currently in their rebuild phase from last season, the Steelers picked up star offensive tackle from the reigning champions Georgia, Broderick Jones. This player dishes out pancakes and is a problem on both the pass and run blocking. The Steelers also took Cornerback Joey Porter, Cornerback out of Penn State. One of the best cornerbacks in the draft, Porter will for sure play many downs if not start for Pittsburgh this season. He’s a lock down player. My favorite pick is Nick Herbig, linebacker from Wisconsin. He may be a little undersized, however he is extremely physical and an overall high motor player who is always near the ball. Although it clearly doesn’t mean anything in today’s draft, Herbig was expected to go in the second, not the fourth. With a strong defense headed into the 23-24 season, if Pittsburgh’s offense can turn it around after last season, they will easily be a playoff team and could surprise some people. Again, it’s just going to be a matter of Najee Harris coming back stronger this season, as well as the quarterback position figured out.