Let’s be clear right off the bat: This isn’t a mock draft. What follows is far from a projection of which top prospects each team will actually take in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft. Instead, it’s a look at who might make sense — and should still be on the board — at each slot based on two very different draft room strategies: picking to fill a huge team need and picking based on “best player available.”
Ideally, NFL teams try to marry the two concepts when making selections in Round 1 — addressing a need without reaching is how teams win on draft night. But when each franchise is on the clock, the decision-makers are weighing a lot of different things, and sometimes there’s a value pick too good to pass up or a roster weakness too big to ignore.
So we asked our NFL draft analysts to explore both sides of the table for all 31 first-round picks. First, Matt Miller named a prospect who would best fill every team’s biggest (or in some cases, second-biggest) need. Second, Jordan Reid pointed to the prospect who would give each team maximum value and satisfy a “best player available” approach. Repeat picks weren’t allowed, so each selection was based on the current board for each analyst. The lower we get in Round 1, the more variety you’ll see. Essentially, we tried to lay out a few options for every front office gearing up for a Day 1 pick.
Let’s get to it, starting with an easy one in Carolina.
Miller’s pick that fills a big need: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
The Panthers need a lot of things, but no position is of bigger importance than quarterback. Since the departure of Cam Newton in 2020, quarterback has been the Panthers’ annual biggest need. And they didn’t just trade up to No. 1 to take a receiver. Young is my top overall quarterback and gives Carolina its new face of the franchise.
Reid’s pick that gets best value: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
While Young isn’t my No. 1 overall player, he is the top-ranked quarterback and is right near the top of my board, so this still checks the “best value” box for me. After trial runs with veterans like Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold, the Panthers could get a franchise signal-caller to build around.