Last week on “With the First Pick,” the NFL Draft podcast that I co-host with former Vikings general manager Rick Spielman, we took a break from looking ahead to the 2024 class to take a look back. Specifically, Rick and I, knowing everything we know right now, and with three months of the NFL season in the books, re-drafted the 2023 class.
Actually, we re-drafted the top half of the first round because otherwise the podcast would’ve been three hours, but with no time constraints, I’ve gone through all 31 picks below (again, knowing everything we know now, and using the actual 2023 NFL Draft order from back in April) and best tried to match player and team.
(One more caveat for our little thought experiment here: I assumed all players are healthy.)
All told, four quarterbacks go in the first seven picks, five players originally drafted in the second round go in Round 1 below, and seven players drafted in Round 3 or later (including two Day 3 picks) make their way into this re-draft. If nothing else, it’s a reminder that the draft remains more art than science.
Alright, let’s get to it.
Actual pick: QB Bryce Young
Look, there’s no guarantee anyone would be successful in this Carolina offense, which has issues at offensive line, in the run game and at the receiver positions. Don’t get it twisted: Bryce Young hasn’t played well, but I don’t know who could overcome the current Panthers offense. That said — and at the risk of angering Texans fans who are quite happy with the current reality in which we find ourselves — I’d love to see Stroud try.
Actual pick: QB…
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