2023 NFL Draft winners and losers: Eagles and Seahawks go from strength to strength; The cowboys are disappointed

The 2023 NFL Draft is officially on the books. With 259 caps made, teams across the league will soon start figuring out how to put all these puzzle pieces together.

Obviously, it will take some time to find out exactly how well or poorly each franchise has done. But that won’t stop us from weighing in on how things look, at least on paper.

Here’s a look at the biggest winners and losers in this year’s draft.

Winners

Philadelphia Eagles

General manager Howie Roseman appears to have succeeded yet again, raking in one quality pick after another. Roseman devoted much of his team’s draft resources to revamping a defense that lost a number of key contributors in free agency. Georgia teammates Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith should help bolster an already formidable defensive front while another Bulldog (Kelee Ringo) and Illinois product Sydney Brown should help cement a revamped secondary. And to top it all off, he traded for D’Andre Swift at a low cost to help improve the depth of the rushing attack.

Seattle Seahawks

John Schneider and Pete Carroll continue to position their team for success (and capitalize on the trade of Russell Wilson last offseason) with an in-depth draft class that included 10 selections led by cornerback Devon Witherspoon and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. From there, the Seahawks added a collection of players who will initially build depth and eventually become key contributors on both sides of the ball.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Successful teams understand the importance of winning in the trenches. The Steelers first added a talented offensive tackle in Broderick Jones, then drafted one of the best blocking tight ends available in Darnell Washington, both of which will help make Kenny Pickett and Najee Harris more successful. They also acquired pieces to improve their defensive front, such as inside lineman Keeanu Benton and rusher Nick Herbig.

Houston Texans

Not only did the Texans get their franchise quarterback in CJ Stroud, considered the best pocket passer in the draft, but they also added a potential face to their defense in Alabama pass rusher Will Anderson Jr. Wide receiver Nathaniel Dell should flourish in a key red zone threat.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have done a lot to help themselves this year, landing a Day 1 starter in offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and eight other prospects to improve depth on both sides of the ball. But they also made sure they had plenty of assets to continue building the next offseason (two first, one second, three third, two fourth, two fifth and one seventh). This is huge after such ineffective drafts in recent years.

Cincinnati Bengals

The mission was clear: improve the defense to make life easier for Joe Burrow and harder for Patrick Mahomes. Pass-rusher Myles Murphy, cornerback DJ Turner and safety Jordan Battle should help accomplish that.

losers

Cleveland Browns

Mortgaging Deshaun Watson’s future meant the Browns had few resources to significantly improve their roster throughout the draft. Can their top pick, third round Cedric Tillman, become a threat? Will the rest of the mid-to-late picks (including UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson) be anything other than deep acquisitions?

Dallas Cowboys

They needed to find support for Dak Prescott and did so to some degree, adding a much-needed tight end in Michigan’s Luke Schoonmaker. But Dallas also needed offensive linemen and didn’t select one until the fifth round. The Cowboys needed hard-hitting talent at wide receiver and didn’t take it until the seventh round.

Jacksonville Jaguars

After trading twice in the first round, they made a needed choice in Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison, although there were better players in other positions available. They then made some head-scratching picks, like linebacker Ventrell Miller and running back Tank Bigsby.

Miami Dolphins

A first-round pick would certainly have been nice to help Mike McDaniel’s team take another step forward. But Tom Brady’s tampering made the Dolphins, with just four picks and none before No. 51, the big losers in this year’s draft.

Washington Commanders

They entered this draft with a rather shaky quarterback image and refused to respond to it, even though Hendon Hooker and Will Levis were both available for Day 2. First-round pick Emmanuel Forbes is a hawk of ball, but there are durability issues regarding the thin DB. , and there were also better and more complete cornerbacks available at No. 16.

(Photo by Jalen Carter and Roger Goodell: David Eulitt/Getty Images)