We finally made it through the end of the 2023 NFL draft, and there was certainly no shortage of surprises; however, if there was one constant, it’s that the SEC would show out.
The SEC had the most players drafted with 62 total selections, followed by the Big Ten with 55 players and the Big 12 with 30 players. Alabama and Georgia led all schools with 10 players drafted from each team. Speaking of Georgia, its defense has been dominating the field and draft board the past couple years. Over the 2023 and 2022 drafts, 13 defensive players have been selected from Georgia, and five of them have been drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles.
After covering these players over the past three to five years and talking to college coaches, our CFB reporters break down some of the week’s most interesting selections.
Based on covering these players last year, who was your favorite first-round pick?
Ryan McGee: The Houston Texans needed to find starters on both sides of the ball and all they did was grab the No. 1B-ranked QB on everyone’s lists in C.J. Stroud and then fifteen minutes later grabbed a defender who I believe was the nation’s best college football player in 2022, Will Anderson, via a sneaky trade up. They could have immediately closed their laptops and gone to bed for the rest of the weekend and still received an “A” for their efforts. Are they going to win the AFC South this fall? No. Will they be in position to win it more often than not over the following years? Probably, thanks to last Thursday night.
Blake Baumgartner: How can you not like what the defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles did Thursday night? Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni don’t appear to be content with losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. They moved up one spot with the Bears to select possibly the best player in the draft in Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter — worth the risk at No. 9 for a team with a well-established hierarchy in the locker room — and watched Carter’s teammate, linebacker Nolan Smith, fall into their lap with their second first-round pick (No. 30). Both Carter and Smith bring a championship foundation and should be Day 1 starters for a defense that permitted 301.5 YPG in 2022 (second in the NFL). The Athens, Georgia, to Philadelphia (defensive tackle Jordan Davis, linebacker Nakobe Dean, Carter, Smith and defensive back Kelee Ringo) pipeline continues.
Harry Lyles Jr.: After Geno Smith had a career year last season, the Seattle Seahawks got him another playmaker in the first round in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, somebody who was considered one of the best wide receivers in college football going into 2022. Put Smith-Njigba and his route-running ability and ball-tracking skills alongside DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, and the Seahawks immediately have one of the best receiving corps in pro football. Especially if Smith-Njigba turns out as well as his running mates from 2021 did in Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson.
Adam Rittenberg: The wide receivers went later in this draft, and several could be looked at as major steals. Boston College‘s Zay Flowers is electric and productive, and he would fit in just about anywhere. Baltimore was wise to add him in the wake of its mega contract for quarterback Lamar Jackson. The Ravens clearly need more reliable receivers to build around Pro Bowl tight end Mark Andrews in an offense now under the direction of Todd Monken. Flowers thrived at BC despite different coordinators and quarterbacks. He passed up more NIL money elsewhere to remain with the Eagles in 2022, and finished with career highs in receptions (78), receiving yards (1,077) and receiving touchdowns (12). He’s a great pickup for the Ravens and Jackson.
David Hale: The New England Patriots invested some draft capital in both a punter and a kicker — the type of draft a rookie fantasy football owner makes — but it’s hard to argue the Patriots didn’t find some serious first-round value in landing Oregon corner Christian Gonzalez. At 6-foot-1, Gonzalez has the size to match up with anyone, but his quickness, versatility and ability to track the ball make him genuinely special. That he fell all the way to the 17th pick — after two smaller corners, Devon Witherspoon and Emmanuel Forbes — was either a stroke of brilliance by the Seahawks and Commanders or a stroke of luck for New England. Gonzalez fits an immediate need and should be a huge boost to the Pats’ secondary in 2023, with legitimate rookie of the year potential. Worst-case scenario, he adds depth to a unit that needed it, and has all the tools to develop into one of the league’s most physical corners in years to come.
Chris Low: There never should have been a debate (and teams are prone to overthinking it way too much), but the Carolina Panthers got it right with the No. 1 pick. Bryce Young immediately changes that franchise’s trajectory. He’s ready to be the starting quarterback from Day 1 and a difference-maker from Day 1. It’s never completely smooth sailing for rookie quarterbacks in the NFL, but Young’s ability to make plays under duress and find open receivers no matter how many defenders are breathing down his neck are what make him so special. His uncanny feel in the pocket will serve him well at the next level, and while everybody wants to talk about his lack of size, go turn on the tape from the past two seasons and watch him carve apart defenses and do it without seemingly breaking a sweat.
Paolo Uggetti: I know taking running backs in the first round, let alone the top 10, is not en vogue, but Bijan Robinson is not just any running back. Robinson is easily one of the best prospects at the position in recent years, and the Atlanta Falcons are getting a dynamic player who will impact their team right away out of the backfield and as a receiver, too. For the third year in a row, the Falcons have taken a playmaker with a high ceiling following the selection of wide receiver Drake London last year and Kyle Pitts the year before. Atlanta is slowly building a really intriguing offense with a potential for plenty of explosive plays. Now if they could only find a franchise quarterback …
Who was the biggest steal of the draft?
Baumgartner: I wasn’t sure where Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed was going to go. The Green Bay Packers nabbed him midway through the second round, over the likes of Rashee Rice (SMU), Marvin Mims (Oklahoma), Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee) and Cedric Tillman (Tennessee). Alongside high school and college teammate Payton Thorne, Reed showed what he was capable of during an 11-win season for the Spartans in 2021 (59 receptions for 1,026 yards, 10 TDs and two punt returns for scores). Injuries limited him a bit last fall (55 catches for 636 yards, five TDs), but he’s electric when he has the ball in his hands and has a knack for coming down with 50-50 balls, despite his 6-foot, 190-pound frame. He will provide Jordan Love a dynamic playmaker on the outside as the remake of Green Bay’s offense commences.
Rittenberg: The Pittsburgh Steelers typically know what they’re doing on draft weekend, and came through again with some excellent choices, including Georgia tight end Darnell Washington in the third round and Wisconsin linebacker Nick Herbig in the fourth. Washington is a massive man at 6-7 and 264 pounds, and he will aid the Steelers both in blocking and pass-catching. Imagine Washington and Pat Freiermuth terrorizing defenses in the red zone. Herbig was relentless and productive with the Badgers, leading the team in sacks in each of the past two seasons, and recording 30 tackles for loss. He will once again team with second-round pick Keeanu Benton, giving the Steelers a tandem from one of college football’s perennially elite defenses.
Hale: Well, I’m an Eagles fan, and they landed arguably the draft’s top talent in Jalen Carter at No. 9, a legitimate top-10 talent in Nolan Smith at No. 30, a guy who jumps off the tape at safety in Sydney Brown in the third round and a corner many thought would be a first-rounder this time last year in Kelee Ringo in the fourth round. Who’s the biggest steal of the bunch? Why bother debating. The Eagles got value at nearly every pick, so even if one or two ultimately fail to live up to their potential, it’s essentially impossible to argue with the decision to invest in them.
Low: Centers are typically drafted lower than they should be, but seeing Michigan‘s Olusegun Oluwatimi slip to the fifth round was surprising — but great news for the Seahawks that they could wait that long to get their center of the future. The 6-3, 310-pound Oluwatimi will play 10 years in the NFL and be a fixture in the middle of that Seattle offensive line. He played on college football’s best offensive line last season and won the Outland Trophy as the top interior lineman in college football and the Rimington Award as the top center. He has played in three different systems (Air Force, Virginia and Michigan) and will develop rapidly into a top-tier NFL center.
Uggetti: Maybe it’s the fact that I had a front row seat to watch USC defensive lineman Tuli Tuipulotu last season and got to see how he seemed to always find his way in the backfield pressuring a quarterback on his way to 13.5 sacks and an All-American season. Maybe it’s that Tuipulotu should slide in seamlessly into a defense that already features Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack and impact their unit right away. Either way, this pick wasn’t just a great fit for both the former Trojan and the Los Angeles Chargers, but it has the chance to be a real steal in the long run.
What was your biggest surprise?
McGee: Every winter I receive calls from my NFL friends, met in various press boxes and pro days over the years, to ask about guys I’ve seen play a lot that perhaps they have not, and every winter there’s always a name that keeps coming up and the line of questioning around him totally catches me off guard. This year that guy was Nolan Smith. I was asked, “How tall is he really?” and “How hurt was he really?” My response was always, “Ask Spencer Rattler, Hendon Hooker, Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young.” So, with those March questions in mind, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when he fell all the way to the end of the first round. Just as I won’t be surprised when yet another NFC East QB falls all the way to the turf wrapped in Smith’s arms.
Lyles: The Lions selecting Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell stood out to me at pick No. 18. I don’t know that anybody had him as a first-round pick, but given what we know about Dan Campbell and the attitude and energy he brings, Campbell is his kind of player. I asked Kirk Ferentz about Campbell’s place among the players he has coached in his two decades at Iowa prior to the Music City Bowl against Kentucky, and he told me, “You can’t get better than Jack Campbell … everything he does is exceptional.” Much like his new head coach in Detroit, he brings incredible energy, is going to uplift everybody around him, and give you everything he’s got every single day. Despite the surprise as to the order in which Campbell was picked, it feels like he landed in the absolute right spot.
Rittenberg: The reaction to Iowa’s Lukas Van Ness going at No. 13 from Big Ten coaches I talked to this weekend suggests the Packers reached a bit. Green Bay has done well with defensive players from the Big Ten, and Van Ness clearly has upside as a pass-rusher, recording 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss the past two seasons. But he also played on a defense filled with reliable standouts, including Campbell, third-round draft pick Riley Moss, fellow linemen Noah Shannon and Joe Evans, and others. He won’t have the same security with the Packers’ defense, which struggled for much of the 2022 season. Green Bay could have added defensive backs Christian Gonzalez or Emmanuel Forbes, or an interior force like Calijah Kancey. They took a bit of a gamble on Van Ness. We’ll see if it pays off.
Low: Let’s say I’m surprised in a good way that Pitt‘s Kancey was selected among the top 20 picks at No. 19. At 281 pounds, he might not be the prototypical defensive tackle in the NFL, but he plays a lot bigger and more powerful than his listed weight. He’s a terrific run-stopper, and once he gets his hands on you, it’s usually over. He had 27 tackles for loss over the past two seasons. Kancey’s speed (he had the fastest 40-yard dash time for a defensive tackle at the NFL combine since 2006) could allow the Bucs to get creative with him. Either way, good for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for valuing production over measurables and grabbing Kancey with their first-round pick.
Hale:Stetson Bennett never needs to play a snap in the NFL for his reputation to be fully established. He could easily call it a career, retire to his hometown in South Georgia, open a few car dealerships and never pay for a meal in the state again. And yet, here he is, a fourth-round draft pick with a real shot to learn behind a fellow Bulldog in Matthew Stafford with the Los Angeles Rams. Two years ago, no one thought Bennett could be a championship QB. A year ago, he won his first title but still seemed to be facing impossible odds as an NFL prospect. Who wants to bet against him doing something special with the Rams now, too?
Two years after the five-star quartet of quarterbacks in the ESPN 300 were wowing fans and garnering “next big thing” buzz for their abilities, reality has hit harder than the most ferocious blitzing linebackers.
As college football’s spring transfer portal closed Friday, Malachi Nelson, Jackson Arnold and Dante Moore are looking to ignite their careers at schools different from their initial ones. Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning is the only one from that 2023 group who has stayed with his first choice.
All four quarterbacks were ranked in the top five of the ESPN 300 that year.
“It’s really just a sign of the times,” ESPN’s director of football recruiting Billy Tucker said. “That class wasn’t any less special because they transferred. It’s just that the culture now is about instant gratification. I don’t know that what happened with the 2023 quarterbacks isn’t the norm.”
Nelson was the top ranked prospect in 2023 and began his collegiate career with the USC Trojans.
As a freshman, he served as a backup to Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner. Nelson threw only three passes that season.
Nelson transferred to Boise State, where he lost out on the starting spot to Maddux Madsen, who led the team to a 12-2 record and an appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Again, Nelson barely saw playing time, going 12-of-17 for just 66 yards last season before reentering the portal.
In January, he reportedly turned down more lucrative offers to join Scotty Walden at UTEP, where the path to being a starter seems like a forgone conclusion.
Moore checked in at No. 2 in 2023 and began his career at UCLA, where he struggled to find a rhythm in limited playing time. In nine games with the Bruins, Moore threw 11 touchdowns, nine interceptions and got sacked 16 times. He transferred to Oregon in December 2023 — after a year sitting behind star quarterback Dillon Gabriel in 2024. Moore appears to be the heir apparent in Eugene though it isn’t guaranteed.
“For most high-profile prospects these days, and certainly quarterbacks, the path to the starting spot needs to be clear by spring of their freshman year,” Tucker said. “And if it’s not then there’s a really good chance they’ll leave.”
The opposite happened for Arnold at Oklahoma, but it still wasn’t enough.
The 6-foot-1, 211-pounder was ranked No. 3 in 2023 and won Gatorade National Player of the Year as a high school senior. By his sophomore season in Norman, he earned the starting position.
Arnold amassed 1,421 passing yards, 444 rushing yards and 15 total touchdowns in a dismal 6-6 season that saw him get demoted and promoted. The tumultuous experience prompted Arnold to transfer to Auburn in December. His path to outright starter seems imminent.
Then there’s Manning, who checked in at No. 5 overall in 2023.
Being the grandson of New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning and nephew of Super Bowl MVP quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch summed up his thought process about remaining at Texas in five words in a recent news conference, simply saying, “Sometimes it’s worth the wait.”
In two years in Austin, Manning has appeared in nine games, two of which he started.
Last season, he went 61-of-90 passing for 939 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 108 yards and four more scores.
Now, the stage is set for him to lead the Longhorns during the 2025 season.
“This used to be the norm,” Tucker said of Manning waiting his turn. “You wait the two years and you’re starting as a junior. Now, even if you’re getting paid, it’s not enough if you’re not starting. Any adversity and the guys are leaving. It’s just the current landscape in college football.”
Tucker, who also serves as director of the Under Armour All-America Game, said he would caution current and future stars about using the transfer portal entry as a knee-jerk reaction.
“Look at Georgia, a lot of their defensive guys are one-year starters and then they’re in the NFL first round,” Tucker said. “It’s not like you need three years of proven production to make it. That NIL money could get multiplied by at least five in my opinion. If you can stay the course and have one to two good years at a proven program, you’ll more than make up any money you could’ve lost in NIL. It’s more about the people guiding these players not being as informed as they need to be. It stinks, but until there are rules to govern the current landscape, we’ll continue to see this.”
Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Four-star quarterback Brady Smigiel, ESPN’s No. 4 pocket passer in the 2026 class, has committed to Michigan, sources told ESPN on Saturday.
A 6-foot-5, 210-pound prospect from Newbury Park, California, Smigiel is the No. 45 overall recruit in the 2026 ESPN 300 and began the weekend as the cycle’s No. 2 available quarterback. The former Florida State commit becomes the highest-ranked member of coach Sherrone Moore’s 2026 recruiting class.
Smigiel visited the Wolverines’ for the program’s spring game on April 19.
“We just thought it was time to make the decision and when I went out to Michigan I knew it was the spot for me,” Smigiel told ESPN. “Being able to see the strength staff and how they handle the players — the discipline within the program — it was all really impressive.”
Smigiel noted his connection with first-year Michigan offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey, who previously recruited Smigiel at North Carolina, as a key factor in his decision. Program tradition and the opportunity to step into the Wolverines’ thin quarterback depth behind five-star freshman Bryce Underwood also played a role in Smigiel’s move to commit prior to previously scheduled official visits to Washington and South Carolina later this spring.
With Smigiel’s pledge, Michigan now holds two ESPN 300 commitments in the 2026 cycle following the February addition of four-star offensive guard Bear McWhorter (No. 186 overall).
The Wolverines also hold pledges from three-star cornerback Brody Jennings and wide receiver Jaylen Pile in 2026. The Wolverines remain in the mix for a handful of top 2026 targets, including linebacker Anthony Jones (No. 25 overall), tight end Ian Premer (No. 60) and running back Javian Osborne (No. 81).
Michigan was a leading finalist for Smigiel’s pledge last June when he committed to Florida State over the Wolverines, Ohio State, Oregon and Washington.
Smigiel shut down his recruitment following his summer pledge and remained a cornerstone of the Seminoles’ 2026 class through the program’s 2-10 finish last fall before pulling his commitment from Florida State in late-January. At the time, Smigiel pointed to the offseason reshuffle of the program’s coaching staff and a scheme change under first-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn as the primary driver in his decision.
“I just didn’t feel like Florida State was that spot for me anymore,” Smigiel told ESPN in early February. I committed to coach (Mike) Norvell calling the plays and now that he’s not, it’s a completely different situation.”
Auburn, Michigan, Ohio State, South Carolina, UCLA and Washington emerged as early leaders in Smigiel’s renewed process in February, and he later took unofficial trips to Washington, South Carolina and UCLA.
Sources told ESPN that Washington was a serious contender for Smigiel’s pledge before four-star quarterback Derek Zammit committed to the program on April 19. North Carolina and South Carolina also made significant pushes over the last week prior to Smigiel’s commitment to the Wolverines.
Equipped with standout arm strength and elite downfield accuracy, Smigiel is one of the most polished quarterback prospects in the 2026 class.
Smigiel is a three-year starter and will enter his senior season with 11,228 passing yards and 147 touchdowns for his prep career. He threw for 3,521 yards and 49 touchdowns and led Newbury Park to a division title as a junior last fall.
Upon Smigiel’s pledge, only five of the 18 quarterbacks ranked inside the ESPN 300 remain uncommitted, led by No. 1 overall quarterback Jared Curtis and fellow top 100 passer Ryder Lyons (No. 50 overall).
Curtis, No. 5 in the ESPN 300, is set to choose between Georgia and Oregon on May 5.
College football reporter; joined ESPN in 2008. Graduate of Northwestern University.
Tulane quarterback TJ Finley is once again in the transfer portal after being suspended earlier this month pending the outcome of a legal case.
Finley, who has spent time at five FBS programs in his career, entered the portal Friday morning. He was arrested April 2 on a charge of illegal possession of stolen things worth more than $25,000, after police linked the license plate of a truck he was driving to a stolen vehicle in Atlanta.
His attorneys claim Finley is the victim of a scam after buying a used truck via a social media marketplace. Finley is due in court June 1 in New Orleans.
Tulane on Thursday received a commitment from quarterback transfer Brendan Sullivan, who started three games last season for Iowa and made some starts for Northwestern in 2022 and 2023.
Finley began his college career at LSU in 2020, starting five games and passing for 941 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He then transferred to Auburn, where he opened the 2022 season as the team’s starter before injuring his throwing shoulder just before SEC play began.
Finley had his most productive season in 2023 at Texas State, where he passed for 3,439 yards with 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He then transferred to Western Kentucky, where he was the backup last season, before joining Tulane in December.
The Ponchatoula, Louisiana, native had been competing with fellow transfers Kadin Semonza and Donovan Leary for the starting role before the suspension.