There were many surprises from the first round of the NFL draft.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was Will Levis not hearing his name called, when according to ESPN, he had a 92% chance of being drafted inside the top 10.

Another surprise was Jalen Carter sliding down to pick number nine to the Philadelphia Eagles. Jalen Carter was originally the consensus number one prospect according to Mel Kiper, ESPN’s longtime draft analyst.

The number nine pick originally belonged to the Carolina Panthers, who traded it to the Chicago Bears, who traded it to the Eagles. With Philadelphia already having a top defense last year and making the Super Bowl, it will be interesting to see how much better Carter makes them. He is also joining former Georgia teammates Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, who were drafted by the Eagles in last year’s draft.

A favorite move of the draft was the Texans trading up to the third pick to draft Will Anderson Jr. out of Alabama. This was a great move because the previous pick had also gone to the Texans, which they used on Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud. Now, the Texans are building for their future with a star on both sides of the ball. 

For the local teams, they both picked up great players. The commanders snagged Emmanuel Forbes at 16 which was a great pick because many said he was a great player who can make big plays. 

The Ravens got Boston College receiver Zay Flowers at 22. This pick was great for the team because they signed Lamar Jackson to a 5 year, 260 Million dollar contract just before the draft. They need players on small contracts, such as rookies, to make the most of Lamar having his massive contract. 

Before the draft, as the Carolina Panthers held the first pick, fans were awaiting to see if they select C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young. Many other selections are awaited, such as the Ravens selection, if they will take a quarterback or not.

Mr. Mosher had some hot takes on the prospects. Growing up in New York State, he is a Buffalo Bills fan.

“My favorite team, America’s team, the red, white, and blue Buffalo Bills.” 

He thinks C.J. Stroud will go number 1 to the Carolina Panthers. When we asked him who will have the most successful career, he said, “Will Levis. He will go to the Los Angeles Rams. They already have a good team.” He wants his team, the Buffalo Bills, to draft Drew Sanders out of Arkansas. “We need a linebacker. I think he will be good.” He believes Bryce Young will be a bust. “He’s small. I got a feeling he will go to the Houston Texans and they will ruin him. Alabama Quarterbacks also never do great in the NFL.” He believes Jalen Carter out of Georgia is the best prospect. 

“He was the best defensive player on the championship Georgia team. He’s a special talent.”

We also spoke with Adhyan Kothembaka, a seventh grader on the Dream Team, who is a fan of the Green Bay Packers, or as he calls them, the “Wisconsin Cheeseheads.” He is anxiously awaiting to see who his Packers pick. He believes C.J.  Stroud of The Ohio State University will go number 1 to the Panthers. He thinks Bryce Young out of Alabama will have the most successful career out of all of them. 

When we asked who he wanted his Packers to draft, he gave an interesting response. 

“I hope the Packers will be able to land Dalton Kincaid, because we have a mid round first round pick. We need a good tight end to have a good season.”

He thinks Anthony Richardson will be a bust.

“He will get injured and have a bad team around him. He was inefficient at Florida and had a losing record as a starter” He thinks Bryce Young is the overall best prospect. Many mock drafts have him going number 1 and Adhyan believes this as well. “He was a very good quarterback. He had very good college stats.”

Kavi Kathuria, a seventh grader on the Discovery team. Being a fan of the Cincinnati Bengals, because his father grew up in Ohio as a kid. He said C.J. Stroud was the best prospect in the draft. When we asked him who he wanted his team to draft, he gave a new and quite unpopular response. “I want them to draft Bijan Robinson. He is a good running back and they might need him because Joe Mixon might go to jail.” He thinks Anthony Richardson will have the most successful career. “He is like a mix between Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton.” 

Key players that could make impact

With over 250 picks in the NFL draft, there are hundreds of players hoping to be drafted. We can’t cover all of them, but here are some key players that could make an impact as soon as they get on the field, some players that could slide (go lower than projected), and some players who your local teams (Ravens and Commanders) could draft. 

Many teams hope to find a franchise player with their draft picks. There are many routes a team could go. Here are some players who could make an impact for their team right away. 

Bryce Young. College: Alabama.

Bryce Young was a standout quarterback at Alabama. In his first season as the starter, he won the heisman trophy, given to the best player in college football. In his career at Alabama he threw for 80 touchdowns, over 8,000 yards, and led Alabama to a National Championship game appearance and a Sugar Bowl victory. 

Bijan Robinson. College: Texas.

Bijan Robinson was a standout running back at Texas. In his final season there, he had 1,580 yards and 18 touchdowns. Many people have different speculations about where he will land in the draft, but wherever he goes, he will be a stud right away. 

Anthony Richardson. College: Florida.

In his lone season as the Florida starter, his team went 6-7. Not a great season for the team, but they had a bright spot. Anthony Richardson was a dual threat quarterback with explosive quickness. Richardson did have a poor completion percentage, and he had a losing record, but he did average 6.4 yards per rush. With an incredible combine performance, Richardson has risen in many draft boards. Going from a projected late first round pick to a potential top 5 selection. 

Most mock drafts aren’t extremely accurate. There is no way to know what is going to happen on the day of the draft. Which is why, some players don’t go to their projected destinations, and sometimes they fall more than five picks of where they were projected to be drafted. Here are some prospects that could slide on draft night. 

C.J. Stroud. College: Ohio State.

C.J. Stroud was a pocket passing quarterback with great instincts and decision making. He has good arm strength and has excellent timing on his passes. However, there is a possibility that C.J. might fall out of the top 5, potentially outside of the top ten. In most mocks, C.J. is projected to go number 2 to the Texans or number 4 to the colts. There is a possibility one of those teams doesn’t go the quarterback route and the other one drafts Anthony Richardson. If he falls out of the top 5, the next potential landing spot is Atlanta, but they may think they are set for the future with their current quarterback, Desmond Ridder. A team that may be able to get him that nobody is really talking about are the Tennessee Titans. With the eleventh pick in the draft, they most likely would pick him if he fell to them. Some mocks even have the Titans trading up with the Cardinals to the third pick to get him. They are in need of a new long term quarterback, and I think Stroud would be a good fit. 

Jalen Carter. College: Georgia. 

Jalen Carter was a two time national champion at Georgia. Being arguably the best player on the best defense in the country. A few months ago, before the Bears traded the number 1 pick to the Panthers, many mocks had the Bears drafting him at number 1. However, due to an off the field tragedy, he may fall outside of the top ten. A car crash occurred on the morning of January 15, 2023. The crash resulted in the deaths of Devin Willock, a 20 year old offensive lineman for Georgia, and Chandler LeCroy, a 24 year old recruiting analyst for Georgia. Willock was pronounced dead at the scene, while LeCroy was taken to a hospital where she later died from her injuries. This was the morning after the team celebrated their second straight national championship at Sanford Stadium, where they played. Reports say that LeCroy, the driver, was driving 104 mph before the crash, with a blood alcohol concentration at 0.197, with the legal limit being 0.08%. Carter has since pleaded no contest, and was given 12 months of probation. With this mistake, he could fall in the draft board, and it could cost him millions. 

Bryan Bresee. College: Clemson. 

In earlier mocks, he was projected to go top ten, but with the emergence of other defensive prospects, he could potentially fall out of the first round. A good landing spot for him would be the New Orleans Saints. They already have a pretty good defense and that would fill some holes in the defense. 

With the Commanders selection at number 16, they have many different options. Many mocks have them selecting a tackle. There are three different tackles I could see them drafting. Paris Johnson Jr. out of Ohio State, Darnell Wright out of Tennessee, and Broderick Jones out of Georgia. The Commanders current situation at offensive line is looking like they need a more versatile and flexible offensive lineman. These three lineman all played for a top six team from last year according to ESPN’s 2022 college football power rankings. We would like to see them get Paris Johnson Jr. because he can come in right away and make an impact. There is a possibility that they could trade up and draft a quarterback.

There was a mock made by an ESPN analyst that had the Commanders trading up with the Cardinals to get the number three overall pick. A potential trade package could be the Commanders first from this year and next year, along with a second from this year and next year. This trade would give them the opportunity to draft C.J. Stroud or Anthony Richardson. 

The Ravens have an interesting situation. They currently have the 22nd overall pick in the draft, but with their star quarterback Lamar Jackson recently requesting a trade, there are many possibilities. Baltimore franchise tagged Lamar, which means he is still signed with the team for one more year. With the recent signing of Odell Beckham Junior, Lamar could potentially stay and try to run it back. However, if he still wants to leave, Baltimore could get a hefty trade package. Some potential destinations for Lamar are the Texans, Colts, Commanders, and 49ers. The first two teams have top five picks, and the last two have many assets to get him. We think the Commanders have a shot at landing Lamar because they may have enough cap space for him.

If Lamar wants to stay, some mocks have them trading down for more picks in the later rounds, which I see happening. If they decide to keep the pick, I think they should select Jordan Addison out of USC. He was the number one option for Heisman winner Caleb Williams and he would be a good fit with his explosiveness. Lamar wants a true number one receiver for the future since Odell Beckham Jr. is only on a one year contract.