In the 2023 NFL draft, tons of incredible players were found: Puka Nacua, C.J. Stroud, and Sam LaPorta. Plenty of players came out of this draft that can seemingly be considered one of the best draft classes in the history of the NFL. Many in this draft were key players to many teams. But which of the teams that had drafted this year made the best decisions?
Number five: The Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles were easily one of the strongest-looking teams coming into the 2023 draft. After a narrow loss in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, who came back to the Super Bowl this year and won it again. Although their draft wasn’t all that strong. They had a defensive rookie of the year finalist Jalen Carter, who in my opinion had every right to win the award. Had done incredible this entire season and not only was he a top-tier rookie, but he was a top-tier defensive lineman. He practically carries this team on his back when it comes to the rookies for this team.
Number four: The Seattle Seahawks
Although not having too good of a year as they did last year, they were still doing incredible with their draft: Devon Witherspoon, Jaxon Smith Njigba. Both rookies are really good players. While Njigba wasn’t a top receiver, he was still a really good addition to the team and made a very nice difference to the team’s offense. However, let’s not forget about the star player Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon not only finished the season as a finalist for defensive rookie of the year but he also finished with getting to play in the Pro Bowl too. Witherspoon is definitely an incredible pick for Seattle and is one of the biggest reasons the Seahawks ranked in at number four.
Number three: The Los Angeles Rams
They are a team that had won Super Bowl #56 against the Bengals back in 2022, but they were a very bad-looking team going into this new season, having finished with a 5-12 record and being third in the division the previous season. The Rams needed a blessing to happen to their team, it didn’t really look like the team had anything new that could actually help them become a legitimate team this season. However, that all changed when their rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua began to shine throughout the NFL. Nacua’s name was in hundreds of articles when he began to look like one of the greatest rookie wide receivers ever. Puka Nacua had officially taken Billy Groman’s rookie receiving record and surpassed it this season. However, Puka Nacua isn’t the only big name as he was one of the finalists for offensive rookie of the year; Kobie Turner was also a big name for the defense. Kobie Turner, a defensive player drafted in the third round by the Rams, had become a key defensive player for the team. These two players are one of the biggest reasons the Rams were able to go 10-7 this year, but also the biggest reasons the Rams rank third on this list.
Number two: The Houston Texans
The Houston Texans went from 3-14 to 10-7 in just one season. The massive difference from being the worst-ranked team to making the divisional round is unlike anything I have witnessed in a while. Drafting C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick and Will Anderson Jr. with the fourth overall pick were some of the best choices a team has made with their picks this season. With both players winning Rookie of the Year for each respective side of the ball, Will Anderson Jr. winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and C.J. Stroud winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, they made this team look like an absolute garbage fire to a legitimate-looking team. Potential deep playoff runs may happen in the future with these two players leading the offense and the defense. However, although those two players were really good, we can’t just skip by the fact that Tank Dell was an incredible wide receiver for the Texans this year when he was selected in the third round with the 69th overall pick. This team has an incredibly bright future and with these draft choices, I have decided to put them at number two on the list.
Number one: The Detroit Lions
This was really hard, deciding between the Lions or the Texans for the number one spot on this list. But then it also occurred to me that everybody doubted the Lions and the decisions that they had made this year. Hundreds to thousands of draft grades were saying how players like Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell weren’t good picks. But when people began seeing the players perform like the top players in the league, then they began to choke on their own words. Jahmyr Gibbs came from an F grade for the draft to an A. Sam LaPorta had not only just been seen as some tight end that the Lions will use, but he is now being seen as a top three tight end in the entire league next to players like George Kittle and Travis Kelce. The Lions had also drafted players like Jack Campbell and Hendon Hooker, both players who are getting the chance to develop behind incredible players at the position. I think that the Lions have proved everybody wrong who doubted them and have most definitely had the best draft in the 2023 NFL draft.
