Welcome to Friday's edition of the With the First Pick newsletter. With six trades and four consecutive receiver picks among many other fascinating developments -- like two running backs in the Top 12! -- the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft was flat-out tremendous. But we're just getting started. Day 2 is here. It's time to lock in. The best teams are built after the first round.
Now that we have some actual picks to argue over, I, CBS Sports NFL Draft analyst Chris Trapasso, will be with you for the next two days as we triumphantly journey through 200-plus picks. This daily newsletter's sole purpose of existence is to track everything transpiring in the NFL and spin it into a draft angle.
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Join us for live 2023 NFL Draft analysis from CBS Sports and an updating NFL Draft tracker. Also check out Pete Prisco's NFL Draft grades for every first-round pick and subscribe to the "With the First Pick" podcast for nightly recaps, winners and losers and more from Kansas City.
Round 1 grades ✍️: Pete Prisco analyzes every pick
You're going to want to live in this draft tracker from now through Mr. Irrelevant. It provides instant, real-time analysis and grades for every single pick. Pete was on first-round duty as always, and he, of course, didn't hold back when he loved or hated a selection. Because he does his film-watching homework and is connected around the league, Pete shouldn't hold back.
After a slew of "B" grades to begin the draft, the Raiders got an "A" from Pete for their Tyree Wilson selection at No. 7 overall, right before Detroit was given a "D" for the Bijan Robinson pick. Here was Pete's rationale for the low mark:
"This is way too high for a back, even if he's a really good player. Backs don't decide Super Bowls. I know Arthur Smith loves backs, but this is a deep draft of backs and history isn't kind to this type of move. I don't like it because of position value. Good player, bad position."
I don't disagree with Pete whatsoever. I listed Bijan as one of the first-round reaches from Thursday night. I will be on draft-tracker duty starting with pick 32 tonight through the remainder of the draft, and Josh Edwards will chip in with late-round prospects, too.
Winners, losers from Round 1 🥇
Will Brinson opined on his biggest winners and losers from Day 1 of the NFL Draft, and it features some usual suspects and some not-so-usual suspects. Despite spending a pretty penny for their trade-up from No. 12 to No. 3 to pick Will Anderson Jr. after selecting C.J. Stroud, Will listed Houston -- yes, the Texans! -- as winners. Here's part of what he wrote about why:
"I don't like giving up the future first next year because Houston isn't guaranteed to be a great football team (it traded its own pick, not Cleveland's, in the Deshaun Watson deal) but it got two of the top three picks in the draft by scoring C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. There's a subtle angle here, too, as Nick Caserio managed to appease his owner by landing Stroud and also his new head coach by landing a former Bama player and the best defensive player in the draft in Will Anderson Jr."
Biggest first-round surprises 😮
After undertaking the unenviable task of trying to predict them for weeks, Cody Benjamin was finally able to list the most sizable surprises that materialized during the first round of the draft. Of course, Will Levis' slip out of the first round sent the most shockwaves to everyone watching the draft. But I want to highlight the Lions' Round 1 decisions, that Cody highlighted:
"Detroit started the night by accumulating assets, moving down from No. 6 to No. 12 in a deal with the Cardinals. Then things got wacky: Despite spending $18 million on former Bears starter David Montgomery in free agency, the Lions used their first pick (No. 12) on Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs, an electric but smaller (5-foot-9, 199 pounds) prospect at an increasingly replaceable position. Back on the clock at No. 18, they once again refused to address more pressing needs along the D-line or secondary, instead taking Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, who -- like Gibbs -- had widely been forecast as more of a Day 2 target."
As a gigantic Campbell fan, I actually wasn't against him going at No. 18 overall. I did realize it felt like most of the league was lower on him. And Gibbs is so fun. But not at No. 12 overall! Not when you can plug any back behind that bulldozing offensive line. Weird allocation of two first-round picks.
Best available prospects 👀
As a reader of this newsletter, you're contractually obligated to read the best prospects available before the start of the second round. And, my word there are some studly prospects available. Josh has them for you right here. Some notable players at the top, with their corresponding ranking on our CBS Sports aggregate Big Board:
12. Joey Porter Jr., CB, Penn State
17. Brian Branch, S, Alabama
18. Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
21. Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
29. Drew Sanders, LB, Arkansas
News & Notes 📝
- Will Levis falls out of Round 1: We mentioned this above, but it deserves its own note. Levis, who was actually the betting favorite to be the No. 2 overall pick earlier this week and was looked at by many as a top-10 lock, never heard his name called Thursday night. Why? It could be because of a toe injury, per ESPN. Regardless, some team will be getting solid value for the Kentucky standout. Here's where I have Levis going in my Round 2 mock.
- Micah Parsons the GM? Apparently the Cowboys superstar rusher texted Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn "Michigan DT" on Thursday afternoon. Hours later, Dallas selected former Wolverines star Mazi Smith at No. 26 overall. Parsons is good at everything.
- Support system for Jalen Carter. Eagles GM Howie Roseman spoke about the off-field concerns about his club's first-round pick, and cited more than just two of Carter's college teammates as the support system in place, saying: "I don't think it's fair for us to put the responsibility on those two guys. It's our responsibility to manage this team and to make sure that we have the right pieces around, and I look around, our people who are here tonight who are in our organization and I have tremendous confidence in our people."
- No trade for DeAndre Hopkins? Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort was asked about the possibility of trading his veteran star wideout and responded with this, "I don't foresee that happening. ... DeAndre's a Cardinal and we're moving forward." Things can obviously change rapidly in the NFL, but Ossenfort is certainly not publicly pushing the deal forward right now.
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