Top 5 most surprising selections in Round 1 of the NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft's first round is finally over. The most anticipated night in the NFL off-season has come and gone and 31 players have joined new teams (the Miami Dolphins' pick was forfeited due to tampering).
There were a lot of expected picks, such as Bryce Young going first overall to the Carolina Panthers and Will Anderson Jr. being the first defender off the board.
Some picks were rather surprising, though. The draft is notoriously difficult to predict and no mock draft ever comes close to landing all the selections. Still, some of the names called to certain teams tonight were a bit surprising.
Here are the biggest surprises from round 1.
#5 Arizona Cardinals trading up for Paris Johnson Jr.
Offensive linemen are key to a rebuild, especially for the Arizona Cardinals who just saw Kyler Murray suffer a torn ACL.
However, they traded back with the Houston Texans to 12th overall and there's a chance Paris Johnson Jr. would have been there anyway. If he hadn't been, Broderick Jones, Darnell Wright and Peter Skoronski likely would have.
#4 Peter Skoronski to the Tennessee Titans
While this would ordinarily be a good pick, it seems as if the Tennessee Titans have no direction. They selected Peter Skoronski to protect who?
They were reportedly not pleased with Malik Willis last season and mulled trading up for Anthony Richardson. With Will Levis still available at No. 11 and not having to trade up for a quarterback, this feels like a strange choice.
#3 Bijan Robinson to the Atlanta Falcons
The modern movement suggests that selecting a running back in round one is generally a mistake. Bijan Robinson was considered the outlier to that, though. Nevertheless, the Atlanta Falcons taking him at eighth overall is a shock.
They have Cordarrelle Patterson and Tyler Allgeier to buoy the run game and using a top-10 selection on a running back is quite surprising.
#2 Houston Texans trading up for Will Anderson Jr.
The Houston Texans picked second and defied many reports by not only selecting a quarterback, but by selecting C.J. Stroud. They were heavily linked to Will Anderson Jr. and many felt that he'd be their pick at two overall.
He wasn't, but he still joined the team. The Texans shockingly traded back up from 12th overall to pick consecutively and took Anderson Jr. after all.
#1 Jahmyr Gibbs to the Detroit Lions
At 12th overall in Round 1, a running back (second in the class no less) should never be the pick, but that's what the Detroit Lions did. They selected Jahmyr Gibbs, which had to be the biggest surprise of the night.
Not only is it poor form to take a running back in this manner, but it isn't remotely an area of need. They have David Montgomery and D'Andre Swift and need receivers and a lot of help on defense. This made no sense.