After the initial flurry of the free agency and with much of the business done, the NFL Draft comes around with the potential to change the fortune of teams for years to come.
Across three days and seven rounds, each NFL team gets to frantically review scouting reports and announce their picks for the prospects who’ll get to join the franchise and attempt to break into the main roster.
There’s a lot that goes on in and around the draft, so in this NFL Draft guide, we’re breaking down all of the key elements that you need to know.
What is the NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft is the process that determines which teams get which of the best prospects in the sport of football each year.
Being a draft system, it takes place over seven rounds, with each team automatically being given one pick per round – but teams can make trades with each other to move around the draft order and acquire more picks.
The initial order of picks in each round is predetermined: the team picking first in the first round also picks first in all subsequent rounds that year. In other words, it’s not snaked like in many fantasy drafts.
How Does the NFL Draft Work?
The NFL Draft works by eligible players not associated with an NFL team declaring themselves available to be picked from the upcoming draft. Potential draftees have to be out of high school for three years to be eligible.
Knowing the players available, the 32 teams will then get to pick them one by one until the end of the third day and round seven of the draft process. Afterwards, players who don’t get drafted can be offered contracts anyway.
The aim of the NFL Draft is to ensure that the teams struggling to perform well get a shot at the best prospects to increase their potential of finding success in the NFL’s insular system down the line.
How is the NFL Draft Order Determined?
The NFL Draft order is determined by the final standings of the season prior, with teams that finish outside of the playoffs being assigned picks one to 20 in ascending order.
NFL teams that make it to the playoffs are given picks based on the round that they finish in and their final standings position.
For example, four wild card teams lose, and they get picks 21 to 24 based on their regular season records, while the Super Bowl winner will always be given the final or 32nd pick in each round.
When a team’s turn comes around in the NFL Draft, they go “on the clock” to make their selection official for ten minutes in the first round, seven minutes in Round 2, five minutes in rounds three to six, and four minutes in the Round 7.
If a team doesn’t submit its pick within its timeframe, it can still do so when the next team goes on the clock at any time. As such, the clock essentially indicates how long it is until the next team gets to submit a pick.
When and Where is the 2023 NFL Draft?
NFL Draft Day 2023 is Thursday, April 27, at 8 pm ET. The NFL Draft date runs through to Saturday, April 29, with the first day of the draft reserved for the first round only, while the second day hosts rounds two and three.
In 2023, the NFL Draft location will be Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, which happens to be in the same state as the Super Bowl champions: Kansas City Chiefs.
The 2023 NFL Draft banner is hanging in Union Station pic.twitter.com/Ol01d2NttC
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 23, 2019
Each year, the event is met with much fanfare, especially as you can get NFL Draft tickets to each day of the potentially franchise-changing occasion.
Can Teams Move in the NFL Draft Order?
Teams can move in the NFL Draft order by trading their players or picks to other teams in return for picks. This is quite a common process, so most NFL Drafts don’t see the order perfectly reflect the final standings.
In 2023, the NFL Draft order was changed at the very top, with the Carolina Panthers trading their ninth overall pick, No. 61 pick, a 2024 first-rounder, and a 2025 second-round pick with DJ Moore for the 2023 No. 1 pick of the Chicago Bears.
However, doing so doesn’t mean that the Panthers will suddenly become a top team. As the odds show, even after this massive trade to move up for what’s expected to be a top QB prospect, the Panthers remain +5000 to win the Super Bowl.
Teams can trade their picks at just about any time during the season, pre-season, and even in the draft. Moves to attempt to snag picks that are currently on the clock make for some exciting moments in the NFL Draft.
What is the NFL Scouting Combine and Why Does it Matter?
The NFL Scouting Combine (officially known as the National Invitational Camp) is an invitation-only event of around 300 prospects eligible for the draft.
4.27u 😳😳😳@UMichFootball DB DJ Turner II is turning heads.
— NFL (@NFL) March 3, 2023
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/qm1YCrVoWX
At the NFL Scouting Combine, scouts will get an even closer look at the players perceived to be the top prospects as they’re evaluated in key aspects of mental, physical, and medical criteria required of a top NFL player.
The NFL combine is an integral part of the process as there are only 224 firm picks given out across the league for the NFL Draft each year, testing the NFL Draft prospects and the personnel departments alike.
What is an NFL Draft Big Board?
An NFL Draft big board is a useful tool used by many football outlets to list the NFL Draft prospects in order of their perceived potential and talent. Teams are also seen with big boards in their deliberation rooms at the draft.
They’re also seen as NFL Draft rankings, but perhaps not projections, as when NFL Draft Day arrives, teams may pick based on their immediate needs rather than the relative assumed talent of the players available.
For this side of predictive NFL Draft thinking, it’s best to look at NFL Draft projections – which tend to consider team needs – or run through an NFL mock draft.
What is an NFL Mock Draft?
An NFL mock draft is a fun tool used by fans and analysts to attempt to plot how teams will pick players in the upcoming draft. You could also call it an NFL Draft simulator.
Is the First Overall Pick in the NFL Draft Always a Success?
The first overall pick in the NFL Draft isn’t always a success, and history has proven that players picked later in the first round and even much later in the draft can prove to be much more impactful in their careers.
JaMarcus Russell, who was taken first overall in 2007 by the Oakland Raiders, was the clear-cut first-overall pick in the minds of most, but he proved to be one of the biggest NFL Draft busts in the league’s history.
Former #Raiders 1st overall pick, Jamarcus Russell, on @thepivot.
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 12, 2022
"If you’re going to call me a ‘bust’, put ‘the biggest’ on that motherf**ker then."pic.twitter.com/9a34ZzrJPQ
On the flip side, the one who many consider being the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady, went off the board in the sixth round at No. 199 overall in 2000.
Has a Rookie Ever Won the NFL MVP Award?
Those who get taken in the NFL Draft each year and play in their first seasons as rookies can always make an immediate impact. However, it’s absurdly rare that they make an impact that puts them among the league’s best.
One will have to win the Rookie of the Year Award at the end of the season, but only Jim Brown in 1957 has won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player Award as a rookie.
As such, if you’re looking to the NFL odds for the regular season MVP, don’t expect someone from the 2023 NFL Draft to come in with odds to rival Patrick Mahomes at +600, Joe Burrow at +650, or even Justin Fields at +2500.
What are the 2023 NFL Draft QB Rankings?
The 2023 NFL Draft QB rankings will vary from outlet to outlet, being mostly subjective based on how analysts predict the players performing in the league over the coming years.
That said, the top batch of QB rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft tends to feature these talented signal callers:
- Bryce Young (Alabama)
- C.J. Stroud (Ohio State)
- Anthony Richardson (Florida)
- Will Levis (Kentucky)
Now that you know the ins and outs of the NFL Draft, you can sit back and watch the teams select the best prospects of the year to shape the future of their franchises.
*Credit for all images in this article belongs to AP Photo*
FIRST PUBLISHED: 28th March 2023
