NFL Draft Round 1 8:00 ABC-ESPN-NFLN 4/27/2023

• Draft Dates: Thursday, April 27 (Round 1) | Friday, April 28 (Rounds 2-3) | Saturday, April 29 (Rounds 4-7)
• Start Time: 8 p.m. ET (Thursday) | 7 p.m. ET (Friday) | Noon ET (Saturday)
• TV Channels: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
• Live Stream: ESPN and NFL apps

The first day of the NFL Draft takes place on April 27. During Day 1, NFL fans will get to see who their favorite teams select in the first round of the draft. On April 28, the second and third rounds will take place, with the final four rounds being featured on Saturday, April 29.\

Where Is the 2023 NFL Draft?
Kansas City, Missouri, home of the Super Bowl champion Chiefs, will host the 2023 NFL Draft. It will be held downtown in the area surrounding Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial.

What Time Does the 2023 NFL Draft Start?
The NFL Draft will commence at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 27. Thursday night will consist of only the first round. The Carolina Panthers hold the first overall pick after acquiring it from the Chicago Bears via trade.

The second day of the 2023 NFL Draft is the following day, April 28. It starts an hour earlier at 7 p.m. ET. Day 2 consists of the second and third rounds.

MORE: 100% FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator (With Trades)
Day 3, the longest day, will kick off at Noon ET on April 29. It consists of the remaining four rounds.

Once the draft is over, any undrafted players are eligible to be signed as undrafted free agents (UDFAs). Those players are free to sign with any team at any time. Immediately following the conclusion of the draft, a bunch of UDFAs will sign.

First-Round NFL Draft Order
For more on the complete 2023 NFL Draft order, check out PFN’s list of 2023 NFL Draft picks by team.

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. New York Jets
14. New England Patriots
15. Green Bay Packers
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 SF via MIA via DEN)
30. Philadelphia Eagles
31. Kansas City Chiefs

Top Prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft
As is common in most drafts, the most highly sought-after prospects are the quarterbacks. This year’s class has two players guaranteed to go in the first round and two more considered near-locks to hear their names called on the draft’s first day.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabama’s Bryce Young, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Kentucky’s Will Levis can all be found inside the top 10 of Pro Football Network’s Consensus Big Board.

NFL fans have been spoiled in recent years with some truly spectacular wide receiver classes. The 2022 class will likely go down as one of the best of all time.

This year’s group is nowhere near as high-quality, but there are still several interesting prospects who should be starting NFL receivers for years to come.

PFN has four wide receivers listed as top-30 players in the 2023 draft: Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba (No. 18), TCU’s Quentin Johnston (No. 19), USC’s Jordan Addison (No. 25), and Boston College’s Zay Flowers (No. 27).

In recent years, NFL teams have grown wise to the frequent replaceability of running backs. We haven’t seen a running back selected in the top half of the first round since Saquon Barkley in 2018. Last year, Breece Hall, one of the best prospects of the past decade, was the first running back off the board. He went in the second round.

MORE: The Worst First-Round Draft Pick for All 32 NFL Teams Since 2000

The 2023 NFL Draft will put that theory to the test as Texas running back Bijan Robinson, who managed 35 touchdowns and more than 3,200 total yards over his final two collegiate seasons, may be the most talented offensive player in the draft.

Will the devaluation of the running back position continue? Or will one team become so enamored with Robinson’s skill set that they just can’t pass him up?

I still expect Robinson to know his NFL team by the end of Thursday night, but it would be a surprise if he became the first running back in five years to go in the front half of the first round.

On the defensive side of the ball, Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter stand above the rest of the class. But Carter’s draft stock could fall after he was involved in a fatal crash that killed Georgia recruiting analyst Chandler LeCroy and offensive lineman Devin Willock.

Other defensive prospects like edge rushers Tyree Wilson (Texas Tech) and Myles Murphy (Clemson) could also sneak into the top 10, but the most intriguing position group might be the cornerback class.

Christian Gonzalez (Oregon), Devon Witherspoon (Illinois), Kelee Ringo (Georgia), Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State), and Deonte Banks (Maryland) all profile as potential first-rounders, while Gonzalez and Witherspoon could come off the board in the top 10.

B.J. Rudell is the betting director at Pro Football Network. You can read all of BJ’s work here and follow him on Twitter: @BJRudell.

 

On The Clock
Carolina
Draft Not Started
Round 1, Pick 1
Needs

• QB
• WR
• DE
• ILB
• OG

2022 Record: 7-10, 2nd in NFC South
Next Pick
Round 2, Pick 8
Best Available

QB
Bryce Young
5'10"204 lbsALA
1POS RK
1OVR RK
96GRADE
Best Fit

DE
Tyree Wilson
6'6" 271 lbs TTU
1POS RK
4 OVR RK
94GRADE

 

On The Clock
Carolina
Draft Not Started
Round 1, Pick 1
Needs

• QB
• WR
• DE
• ILB
• OG

2022 Record: 7-10, 2nd in NFC South
Next Pick
Round 2, Pick 8
Best Available

QB
Bryce Young
5'10"204 lbsALA
1 POS RK
1 OVR RK
96GRADE
Best Fit

DE
Tyree Wilson
6'6" 271 lbs TTU
1POS RK
4OVR RK
94GRADE

 

Pre-Draft Analysis Anthony Richardson
Richardson can flick his wrist and drive the ball with ease. He has the size and strength to extend plays. His speed makes him a big-play threat on designed runs and scrambles. His inconsistent game tape raises concerns regarding his footwork as it relates to accuracy. He also lacks touch on some shorter throws and misses too many layups. Given his limited experience, he's still figuring things out in terms of reading coverages and making good decisions. No quarterback in this class has a higher ceiling, however. His potential is tantalizing because of his elite skill set. -- Steve Muench

 

OG O'Cyrus Torrence
Follow 6'5"330 lbs Florida 2 POS RK 42 OVR RK
84 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
Torrence, one of the most dominant interior offensive linemen in the country last season, has excellent size and consistently gets movement in the run game. He latches on with his big hands and controls defensive linemen while moving laterally as zone blocker. He doesn't change directions well, but he has good length and a powerful punch. Torrence rarely gives ground as a pass protector. -- Steve Muench

 

DT
Gervon Dexter Follow 6'6"310 lbs Florida
7 POS RK 74 OVR RK 76 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
It's difficult to run at Dexter, who is adept at holding his ground versus double teams. He stands up to offensive linemen, locates the ball and continues to improve his ability to off-block one-on-ones. As a pass-rusher, he's more disruptive than his sack totals indicate. Dexter keeps his pads down and walks offensive linemen back into the quarterback. -- Steve Muench

 

OLB
Amari Burney Follow 6'2"230 lbs Florida
17 POS RK 243 OVR RK 42 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
Burney is a linebacker/safety who runs well, takes sound angles, chases with good effort and wraps up. To be effective between the tackles, he has to win with instincts and quickness. He shows good range, reads the quarterback and flashes the ability to play the ball in underneath zone. -- Steve Muench

 

S

Rashad Torrence II Follow 6'0"193 lbs Florida

21 POS RK 265 OVR RK 39 GRADE

Pre-Draft Analysis
Torrence is an undersized box safety who has longer arms and is at his best playing close to the line of scrimmage. He's a tough run-defender who led Florida with 84 tackles in 2022. He's quicker than fast but has marginal top-end speed. -- Steve Muench

 

OLB
Brenton Cox Jr. Follow 6'4"250 lbs Florida
21 POS RK 291 OVR RK 37 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
Cox is big and strong enough to set a hard edge. The way he uses his hands and gets off blocks defending the run is his greatest asset. Cox is a power-based pass-rusher with heavy hands who works mostly out of a two-point stance. -- Steve Muench

 

S
Trey Dean III Follow 6'2"200 lbs Florida
24 POS RK 298 OVR RK 36 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
Dean is an aggressive, physical run defender with good length and excellent upper body strength. He has the tools to compete with tight ends in man coverage but doesn't have the range to provide help over the top. Dean also needs to win with physicality to hold up in coverage. -- Steve Muench

 

ILB
Ventrell Miller Follow 6'0"232 lbs Florida
14 POS RK 200 OVR RK 48 GRADE
Pre-Draft Analysis
Miller uses his long arms to keep blockers off his body and flies around the field. He's not a thumper, but he wraps up. He's more effective dropping into zone than he is matching up in man, and he doesn't have much upside as a pass-rusher. He has the potential to develop into a core special teams player. -- Steve Muench

 

A. Richardson Player Projection The chance that a prospect will develop into each of the five listed categories above, according to position-specific analytic models based on grades from Scouts, Inc. and combine metrics. Each category corresponds to the likelihood that the player achieves a percentile range of Approximate Value (AV) within the first three years in the pros. AV is a metric of player success provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com. The categories are as follows: Pro-Bowler 95th percentile and above; Starter 80th to 94th percentile; Backup 60th to 79th percentile; Replacement 45th to 59th percentile; and Non-Factor 44th percentile and below.

Name HT/WT Bench 40YD VERT BROAD SHUTTLE 3CONE ARM HAND WING
A. Richardson 6'4"/244 21 4.43 40.5" 129" 4 6.67 32.75" 10.5" 79.875"

 

On The Clock
Carolina
Round 1, Pick 1

 

QB
Bryce Young
5'10"204 lbs Alabama
1 POS RK
1 OVR RK
96 GRADE

 

On The Clock
Houston
8:36
Round 1, Pick 2
Needs

• QB
• WR
• DE
• OG
• CB

2022 Record: 3-13-1, 4th in AFC South
Next Pick
Round 1, Pick 12
Best Available

RB
Bijan Robinson
5'11"215 lbs TEX
1 POS RK
2 OVR RK
96 GRADE
Best Fit

DE
Tyree Wilson
6'6"271 lbs TTU
1 POS RK
4 OVR RK
94 GRADE

 

On The Clock
Houston
The Pick is In...CJ Stroud

 

On The Clock
Arizona
2:32
Round 1, Pick 3
Needs

• DE
• DT
• CB
• RB
• OG

2022 Record: 4-13, 4th in NFC West
Next Pick
Round 2, Pick 3
Best Available

RB
Bijan Robinson
5'11"215 lbsTEX
1POS RK
2OVR RK
96GRADE
Best Fit

DE
Tyree Wilson
6'6"271 lbsTTU
1POS RK
4OVR RK
94GRADE