Hello and welcome to the second part of our review of the 2023 NFL Draft, in Part One, we focused on the 16 AFC teams and how they drafted and gave each one a grade based on how well we felt each team did with the picks they had.
Now it is time to do precisely the same for all the teams in the NFC.
Also, as we did in the first part of this article, we are going to look at how the draft has affected the betting for the teams to win their Division and their Conference, as well as the Super Bowl in the forthcoming season.
All the odds are taken from bet365 Sport and were correct at the time of publication, although they may have changed in the meantime.
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So let’s begin our look through how each team did in the draft in the NFC, starting with the NFC North division.
Team Needs – OT, DL, EDGE, OL, CB, WR, RB
Bears Draft Picks
R1 (10): T Darnell Wright, Tennessee – 9/10
R2 (53): DL Gervon Dexter Sr., Florida – 9/10
R2 (56): CB Tyrique Stevenson, Miami (FL) – 8/10
R3 (64): DL Zacch Pickens, South Carolina – 8/10
R4 (115): RB Roschon Johnson, Texas – 7/10
R4 (133): WR Tyler Scott, Cincinnati – 6/10
R5 (148): LB Noah Sewell, Oregon – 6/10
R5 (165): CB Terell Smith, Minnesota – 7/10
R7 (218): DL Travis Bell, Kennesaw State – 8/10
R7 (258): S Kendall Williamson, Stanford – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 74/100 (74%) – B+
This was a good draft for the Bears especially with their late fifth and early 7th round picks. The main negative was a lack of edge rusher, but they addressed their requirements in the major areas of need pretty well.
Team Needs – CB, DL, EDGE, TE, QB, RB, LB
Lions Draft Picks
R1 (12): RB Jahmyr Gibbs, Alabama – 6/10
R1 (18): LB Jack Campbell, Iowa – 5/10
R2 (34): TE Sam LaPorta, Iowa – 8/10
R2 (45): S Brian Branch, Alabama – 10/10
R3 (68): QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – 10/10
R3 (96): DL Brodric Martin, Western Kentucky – 8/10
R5 (152): OT Colby Sorsdal, William & Mary – 6/10
R6 (219): WR Antoine Green, North Carolina – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 59/80 (74%) – B+
Like most people, I felt the Lions overreached in the first round with both their picks, but they were very strong through the second and third rounds which really rescued their draft. Branch was an outstanding pick up in the second and Hooker in the third was a great piece of business too.
Team Needs – TE, WR, EDGE, S, OT, DL, CB
Packers Draft Picks
R1 (13): EDGE Lukas Van Ness, Iowa – 8/10
R2 (42): TE Luke Musgrave, Oregon State – 7/10
R2 (50): WR Jayden Reed, Michigan State – 8/10
R3 (78): TE Tucker Kraft, South Dakota State – 8/10
R4 (116): EDGE Colby Wooden, Auburn – 8/10
R5 (149): QB Sean Clifford, Penn State – 7/10
R5 (159): WR Dontayvion Wicks, Virginia Tech – 8/10
R6 (179): DL Karl Brooks, Bowling Green – 7/10
R6 (207): K Anders Carlson, Auburn – 5/10
R7 (232): CB Carrington Valentine, Kentucky – 6/10
R7 (235): RB Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan – 5/10
R7 (242): S Anthony Johnson, Iowa State – 8/10
R7 (256): WR Grant DuBose, Charlotte – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 91/130 (70%) – B
I thought the Packers had a solid, if not spectacular draft, but with 13 picks in total, it was always going to be tough to find great quality with every pick and while a couple of their later picks I felt were a little of a reach, overall, the Packers fans should be happy with most pieces they have acquired for their rebuild from the draft.
Team Needs – CB, WR, QB, EDGE, DL, S, LB
Vikings Draft Picks
R1 (23): WR Jordan Addison, USC – 9/10
R3 (102): CB Mekhi Blackmon, USC – 9/10
R4 (134): CB Jay Ward, LSU – 8/10
R5 (141): DL Jaquelin Roy, LSU – 8/10
R5 (164): QB Jaren Hall, BYU – 9/10
R7 (222): RB DeWayne McBride, UAB – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 49/60 (82%) – A
Apart from their final pick, I thought the Vikings absolutely nailed every pick they had in the first five rounds of the draft. Addison, Blackmon, Ward, Roy and Hall can all contribute, if not this season then certainly next with Hall providing a potential replacement for Kirk Cousins when he hangs up his cleats.
Team Needs – TE, RB, DL, WR, CB, LB, OL
Cowboys Draft Picks
R1 (26): DL Mazi Smith, Michigan – 7/10
R2 (58): TE Luke Schoonmaker, Michigan – 8/10
R3 (90): EDGE DeMarvion Overshown, Texas – 6/10
R4 (129): EDGE Viliami Fehoko, San Jose State – 5/10
R5 (169): OT Asim Richards, North Carolina – 6/10
R6 (178): CB Eric Scott Jr., Southern Mississippi – 7/10
R6 (212): RB Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State – 9/10
R7 (244): WR Jalen Brooks, South Carolina – 7/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 55/70 (79%) – A-
I thought the Cowboys did a great job, but I did feel drafting two Edge Rushers in rounds 3 and 4 was overkill, especially when they could have looked to strengthen in the defensive tackle area with one pick. Deuce Vaughan, the son of one of the Cowboys staff members, was a great pick up as an elusive back in the sixth.
Team Needs – WR, OL, CB, LB, S, RB, DL
Giants Draft Picks
R1 (24): CB Deonte Banks, Maryland – 7/10
R2 (57): C John Michael Schmitz, Minnesota – 7/10
R3 (73): WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee – 8/10
R5 (172): RB Eric Gray, Oklahoma – 6/10
R6 (209): CB Tre Hawkins III, Old Dominion – 7/10
R7 (243): DT Jordan Riley, Oregon – 6/10
R7 (254): S Gervarrius Owens, Houston – 7/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 48/70 (69%) – B
The Giants had a solid pick, I like almost all their pick ups, with Hyatt in particular offering them a chance of striking gold with that third round pick. It may not have had the star names of other team’s picks, but this is a very solid draft for the Giants.
Team Needs – EDGE, CB, DL, RB, S, OT, OL
Eagles Draft Picks
R1 (9): DL Jalen Carter, Georgia – 10/10
R1 (30): EDGE Nolan Smith, Georgia – 10/10
R3 (65): OT Tyler Steen, Alabama – 9/10
R3 (66): S Sydney Brown, Illinois – 8/10
R4 (105): CB Kelee Ringo, Georgia – 9/10
R6 (188): QB Tanner McKee, Stanford – 9/10
R7 (249): DL Moro Ojomo, Texas – 8/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 63/70 (90%) – A+
I love this draft from the Eagles. They not only got the best player in the draft according to many (Carter), they paired him with Nolan Smith with their second 1st round pick which was fantastic value and then added team mate Kelee Ringo in the fourth round. Add to that Tanner McKee to give a great back up to Hurts at QB and this is a fantastic draft from the NFC Champions.
Team Needs – CB, OT, OL, TE, QB, LB, EDGE
Commanders Draft Picks
R1 (16): CB Emmanuel Forbes, Mississippi State – 7/10
R2 (47): CB Jartavius Martin, Illinois – 5/10
R3 (97): C Ricky Stromberg, Arkansas – 6/10
R4 (118): T Braeden Daniels, Utah – 5/10
R5 (137): EDGE K.J. Henry, Clemson – 5/10
R6 (193): RB Chris Rodriguez Jr., Kentucky – 5/10
R7 (233): LB Andre Jones, Louisiana – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 39/70 (56%) – C
A bit of a confusing draft for the Commanders. Forbes I think needs to add 10lb to his frame to be NFL ready, if not more, while Martin wasn’t hugely impressive in Illinois. Kudos for the Commanders addressing the secondary with their pick, but I have a feeling better options were available especially with those two first picks.
Team Needs – EDGE, DL, CB, OL/T, WR, RB
Cardinals Draft Picks
R1 (6): T Paris Johnson Jr., Ohio State – 8/10
R2 (41): EDGE BJ Ojulari, LSU – 9/10
R3 (72): CB Garrett Williams, Syracuse – 5/10
R3 (94): WR Michael Wilson, Stanford – 6/10
R4 (122): G Jon Gaines II, UCLA – 6/10
R5 (139): QB Clayton Tune, Houston – 7/10
R5 (168): LB Owen Pappoe, Auburn – 5/10
R6 (180): CB Kei’Trel Clark, Louisville – 6/10
R6 (213): DL Dante Stills, West Virginia – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 59/90 (66%) – B-
The Cardinals had a lot of areas to address and did well to trade back initially but they could have picked a different Tackle if they stayed at number 12 and had another second round pick, which would have made better sense. I like Johnson Jr. as a pick though and Ojulari could be a stand out from this pick. I also like picking Tune to back up the injury prone Murray too.
Team Needs – EDGE, CB, OT, OL, S, WR, RB
Rams Draft Picks
R2 (36): G Steve Avila, TCU – 8/10
R3 (77): EDGE Byron Young, Tennessee – 8/10
R3 (89): DL Kobie Turner, Wake Forest – 8/10
R4 (128): QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia – 9/10
R5 (174): OT Warren McClendon, Georgia – 7/10
R5 (175): TE Davis Allen, Clemson – 5/10
R5 (177): WR Puka Nacua, BYU – 6/10
R5 (161): EDGE Nick Hampton, App State – 7/10
R6 (182): CB Tre'Vius Hodges-Tomlinson, TCU – 6/10
R6 (189): EDGE Ochaun Mathis, Nebraska – 6/10
R6 (215): RB Zach Evans, Ole Miss – 7/10
R7 (223): P Ethan Evans, Wingate – 5/10
R7 (234): S Jason Taylor II, Oklahoma – 6/10
R7 (259): DL Desjuan Johnson, Toledo – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 94/140 (67%) – B
With 14 picks, the Rams needed to hit on a fair few to help their rebuild and over the first rounds they did that with some very solid picks and especially the Stetson Bennett pick as he will give solid cover for injury prone Matt Stafford at quarterback. The later rounds were a mishmash of projects and possibles for whom it is too early to tell if they will pan out.
Team Needs – CB, S, OL, WR, OT, DL, EDGE
49ers Draft Picks
R3 (87): S Ji’Ayir Brown, Penn State – 7/10
R3 (99): K Jake Moody, Michigan – 4/10
R3 (101): TE Cameron Latu, Alabama – 6/10
R5 (155): CB Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama – 8/10
R5 (173): EDGE Robert Beal Jr., Georgia – 8/10
R6 (216): LB Dee Winters, TCU – 6/10
R7 (247): TE Brayden Willis, Oklahoma – 6/10
R7 (253): WR Ronnie Bell, Michigan – 7/10
R7 (255): LB Jalen Graham, Purdue – 5/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 57/90 (63%) – B-
No disrespect to Jake Moody, who was the best kicker in the draft, but a third round pick when you need to address the secondary seems a massive reach to me. Luter Jr and Beal Jr should prove to be great value picks from the fifth round and Ronnie Bell should give Christian McCaffrey a bit of support in the running game.
Team Needs – EDGE, DL, WR, OL, QB, CB, LB
Seahawks Draft Picks
R1 (5): CB Devon Witherspoon, Illinois – 10/10
R1 (20): WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State – 10/10
R2 (37): EDGE Derick Hall, Auburn – 9/10
R2 (52): RB Zach Charbonnet, UCLA – 7/10
R4 (108): G Anthony Bradford, LSU – 8/10
R4 (123): DL Cameron Young, Mississippi State – 8/10
R5 (151): EDGE Mike Morris, Michigan – 8/10
R5 (154): C Olusegun Oluwatimi, Michigan – 7/10
R6 (198): S Jerrick Reed II, New Mexico – 6/10
R7 (237): RB Kenny McIntosh, Georgia – 5/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 78/100 (78%) – A-
Many had the Seahawks taking Jalen Carter with their opening first round pick but Witherspoon is a fantastic fit for a Pete Carroll defense and Smith-Njigba offers a fantastic option alongside WR duo Tyler Locket and DK Metcalf. Geno Smith has plenty of weapons and some smart later round picks on defense and the O-line made this a very impressive draft for Seattle.
Team Needs – EDGE, CB, RB, DL, WR, OT, QB
Falcons Draft Picks
R1 (8): RB Bijan Robinson, Texas – 10/10
R2 (38): T Matthew Bergeron, Syracuse – 8/10
R3 (75): EDGE Zach Harrison, Ohio State – 7/10
R4 (113): CB Clark Phillips III, Utah – 7/10
R7 (224): S DeMarcco Hellams, Alabama – 6/10
R7 (225): OG Jovaughn Gwyn, South Carolina – 6/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 44/60 (73%) – B+
With De Ridder at QB, Pitts at TE and Drake London at WR, Bijan Robinson walks in to join a young and supremely talented offense in Atlanta. That looks exciting in what should be an open NFC South. The Falcons should have perhaps addressed their lack of pass rush in the second round, but I can understand why they took Bergeron, one of the better Tackles in the class. The last two picks were a little puzzling, but overall, this is a very solid draft for the Falcons.
Team Needs – QB, WR, EDGE, CB, RB, LB, DL
Panthers Draft Picks
R1 (1): QB Bryce Young, Alabama – 10/10
R2 (39): WR Jonathan Mingo, Ole Miss – 10/10
R3 (80): EDGE DJ Johnson, Oregon – 9/10
R4 (114): G Chandler Zavala, NC State – 7/10
R5 (145): S Jammie Robinson, Florida State – 7/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 43/50 (86%) – A
II felt the Panthers nailed it to perfection with their first three picks in the draft. Young was always the best option at QB at the top of the draft and there were no better WR options available than Mingo when it came to the second round, especially when you consider he is from Ole Miss which has produced some fantastic receivers over the years (Elijah Moore, DK Metcalf and AJ Brown for example). Their last two picks turn this from an A+ to an A but it is still a fantastic draft.
Team Needs – DL, EDGE, WR, TE, RB, OL, CB
Saints Draft Picks
R1 (29): DL Bryan Bresee, Clemson – 9/10
R2 (40): EDGE Isaiah Foskey, Notre Dame – 6/10
R3 (71): RB Kendre Miller, TCU – 7/10
R4 (103): OT Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion – 7/10
R4 (127): QB Jake Haener, Fresno State – 8/10
R5 (146): S Jordan Howden, Minnesota – 7/10
R6 (195): WR A.T. Perry, Wake Forest – 8/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 52/70 (74%) – B+
A bit of a mixed bag here from the Saints, but overall a decent draft. Bresee will come in and be a Day One starter for them I feel, but Foskey was a bit of a reach in the second round. Miller and Saldivieri were solid pick ups and Jake Haener could be a useful back up to Derek Carr and Jameis Winston. AT Perry was a very good sixth round pick up too.
Team Needs – OT, EDGE, CB, QB, S, RB, OL
Buccaneers Draft Picks
R1 (19): DL Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh – 8/10
R2 (48): OT Cody Mauch, North Dakota State – 9/10
R3 (82): EDGE YaYa Diaby, Louisville – 8/10
R5 (153): LB SirVocea Dennis, Pittsburgh – 6/10
R6 (181): CB Josh Hayes, Kansas State – 7/10
R5 (171): TE Payne Durham, Purdue – 5/10
R6 (191): WR Trey Palmer, Nebraska – 5/10
R6 (196): EDGE Jose Ramirez, Eastern Michigan – 6/10
R7 (232): CB Carrington Valentine, Kentucky – 5/10
Latest Betting Odds from bet365 Sport
2023 Draft Grade – 59/90 (66%) – B-
The Bucs made some solid picks in the first round, but I think that they may regret picking Kancet over Anton Harrison on the offensive line, but having said that Mauch was projected as a late first rounder by many and he is a very good pick up. There wasn’t too much to get excited about in the later rounds though, so I feel the Bucs will need their top picks to perform.
Draft Grades Key –
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