10:52 p.m. Thursday: First-round picks 21-31. TCU’s Quentin Johnston goes 21st
The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs took Felix Anudike-Uzomah of Kansas State No. 31 overall, completing the first round.
The draft will continue Friday night with the second and third rounds.
21. Los Angeles Chargers – Quentin Johnston, WR, TCU
22. Baltimore Ravens – Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
23. Minnesota Vikings – Jordan Addison, WR, USC
24. New York Giants (from Jacksonville) – Deonte Banks, CB, Maryland
25. Buffalo Bills (from NY Giants and Jacksonville) – Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
26. Dallas Cowboys – Mazi Smith, DT, Michigan
27. Jacksonville Jaguars (from Buffalo) – Anton Harrison, OT, Oklahoma
28. Cincinnati Bengals – Myles Murphy, DE, Clemson
29. New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco, Miami, and Denver) – Bryan Bresee, DT, Clemson
30. Philadelphia Eagles – Nolan Smith, LB, Georgia
31. Kansas City Chiefs – Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas State
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9:30 p.m.: Picks 11-20
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8:30 p.m.; UT’s Bijan Robinson going to AtlantaÂ
6. Arizona Cardinals (from Detroit and LA Rams) – Paris Johnson Jr, OT, Ohio State
The Cardinals traded with Detroit and chose to address the offensive line with an All-American and All-Big Ten left tackle, who also has some experience at guard.
7. Las Vegas Raiders- Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech
After speculation that he could come off the board as early as second overall, Vegas lands one of the best pass-rushers in the draft at No. 7.
8. Atlanta Falcons – Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Atlanta adds the Doak Walker Award winner and top running back in the draft as the Texas product becomes the first running back drafted in the top 10 since Saquon Barkley in 2018.
9. Philadelphia Eagles (from Chicago and Carolina) – Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
Philadelphia gives up a fourth-round pick to swap top-10 picks with Chicago and takes the top defensive tackle in the draft — a player some considered the best defensive player available. The Eagles have now selected Georgia defensive tackles in the first round two years in a row.
10. Chicago Bears (from Philadelphia and New Orleans) – Darnell Wright, OT, Tennessee
Chicago uses its end of the swap to take the second offensive lineman of the draft. After impressing in the offseason and not allowing a sack last season, Wright had been rising on expert draft boards.
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8 p.m. Thursday: Top 5 picks include 3 quarterbacks
1. Carolina Panthers (from Chicago)- Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
Carolina landed its franchise quarterback with possibly the best signal-caller in the draft, whose only real question mark is his size.
2. Houston Texans – CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State
Houston chooses its franchise quarterback with the consensus No.2 quarterback in this draft class.
3. Houston Texans (from Arizona) -Will Anderson Jr, LB, Alabama
Houston traded the 12th and 33rd overall picks in 2023 along with first- and third-rounders next year to come back up and select Anderson, who entered the college football season as the projected first overall pick.
4. Indianapolis Colts- Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
The Colts made the first mildly surprising pick of the draft, as most thought they were focused on Kentucky quarterback Will Levis. Richardson has one of the highest ceilings in this draft but is far from a finished product.
5. Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)- Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois
Witherspoon has crept up draft boards throughout the offseason and has the ideal profile for a Seattle corner with his size, athleticism, and physicality.
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7:45 p.m.: ‘A Dream Come True,’ Young says
Alabama quarterback Bryce Young was the first overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, going to the Carolina Panthers.
Young was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide and the only Alabama quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in back-to-back seasons. He ranks among the best signal-callers in program history and led the team to the 2021 SEC title and the 2021 National Championship game while winning the Heisman Trophy.
“It’s surreal; it’s a dream come true,” Young told ESPN after he was picked. “I’m blessed. I want to thank God for allowing me to be here, my parents and everyone who supported me.
“Although it’s my name being called, there’s so many people that pushed me and allowed me to be here, and as amazing as this moment is, I can’t wait to get to work and start building off of it.”
The last time Carolina had the first overall pick, it selected Auburn quarterback Cam Newton. Now, it gets another potential franchise quarterback who should help stabilize the position after starting eight different players at the position over the last five years.
Young joins a team coached by Frank Reich, who was an NFL quarterback himself for 14 years, has worked with some of the elite quarterbacks to play in the league, and has a track record of getting the best out of his players.
Carolina also has quarterbacks Matt Corral (last year’s second-round pick), veteran Andy Dalton, and former Colts backup Jacob Eason on the roster.
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7:35 p.m.: Texans select Stroud, Anderson
The Carolina Panthers selected Alabama quarterback Bryce Young of Alabama with the first pick.
The Houston Texans followed with the second choice, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Texans then traded up to the No. 3 spot, finalizing a deal with the Arizona Cardinals. The Texans choose Alabama linebacker Will Anderson.
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5 p.m. Thursday: Kansas City hosts NFL draft
The 2023 NFL Draft begins tonight at 7 p.m. CT at Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City.
The draft is a three-day event comprised of seven rounds where teams will select elite collegiate players to join their teams. The first round is on Thursday night, the second and third rounds are on Friday night, and the final four rounds are completed on Saturday afternoon.
This year’s class is headlined by five quarterback prospects: Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Kentucky’s Will Levis, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker. All five could hear their names called during the first round, and Young and Stroud might be the first two picks.
Other notable first-round prospects on offense include Texas RB Bijan Robinson, Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs, TCU WR Quentin Johnston, Ohio State OT Paris Johnson Jr, Northwestern OT Peter Skoronski, and Notre Dame TE Michael Mayer.
Defensively, many have pointed out the depth in the secondary, which includes Devon Witherspoon (Illinois), Christian Gonzalez (Oregon), Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State), Brian Branch (Alabama), Deonte Banks (Maryland), and Cam Smith (South Carolina).
Other defensive prospects considered locks for the first round are Georgia DT Jalen Carter, Alabama DE Will Anderson, and Texas Tech DE Tyree Wilson, among others.
Local high school alumni Jaxon Smith Njigba (Rockwall) and Drew Sanders (Denton Ryan) may also get selected in the first round.
There are usually 32 first-round picks, but the Miami Dolphins forfeited their 2023 first-rounder after their owner “violated the integrity of the game.”
Here is the official order of the 31 first-round selections entering the night.
1) Carolina Panthers (from Chicago)
2) Houston Texans
3) Arizona Cardinals
4) Indianapolis Colts
5) Seattle Seahawks (from Denver)
6) Detroit Lions (from LA Rams)
7) Las Vegas Raiders
8) Atlanta Falcons
9) Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
10) Philadelphia Eagles (from New Orleans)
11) Tennessee Titans
12) Houston Texans (from Cleveland)
13) Green Bay Packers (from NY Jets)
14) New England Patriots
15) New York Jets (from Green Bay)
16) Washington Commanders
17) Pittsburgh Steelers
18) Detroit Lions
19) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
20) Seattle Seahawks
21) Los Angeles Chargers
22) Baltimore Ravens
23) Minnesota Vikings
24) Jacksonville Jaguars
25) New York Giants
26) Dallas Cowboys
27) Buffalo Bills
28) Cincinnati Bengals
29) New Orleans Saints (from San Francisco through Miami and Denver)
30) Philadelphia Eagles
31) Kansas City Chiefs
