Kiper chooses winners, reaches and value picks from Round 1:
After months of intrigue and subterfuge, the preliminary of the 2023 NFL draft is over. Which fan bases should be delighted? Which should be scratching their heads? And which are just … puzzled? Let me fill you in on the very best and worst of what I saw from the leading 31 picks.There were six sell a frenzied Round 1, and my second-ranked quarterback, Will Levis, is still on the board. I’m stunned by that. I truly believe he’s going to make a team pleased early on Day 2.
Below are the picks I liked and didn’t like from Round 1. There were a few I liked, a few that stunned me and a couple of where I would have gone a different instructions. My ideas are based upon my Big Board rankings and my grades for each prospect, along with whether groups got value with their choices. The worst thing a team can do is reach for a prospect who would have been readily available later down the board. I’m likewise going to scrutinize trades– both up and down– to see which teams quit excessive and which picked up important capital, in this draft and in 2024.
OK, let’s enter it. As typical, return late Saturday night for my post-draft grades for all 32 teams. That’s where I’ll hit as a number of the 259 picks as I can. We’ll be back for Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday (7 p.m. ET on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App). Let’s enter into my take on Round 1.
Here are my finest offered prospects heading into Friday’s Round 2: QB Will Levis (No. 4 general), CB Joey Porter Jr. (20 ), DE Keion White (31 ), TE Michael Mayer (32 ), S Brian Branch (34 ).
protection: Kiper’s last Big Board Agreement position rankings