Five Key Statistics For The 2023 NFL Draft

They’re going to Kansas City. Kansas City, here they come!

All 32 teams in the league have done some work this offseason when it comes to adding some experienced players, some more than others. Now it’s time for the youth movement.

The first NFL Draft took place in 1936. This year’s event takes place where the defending Super Bowl champions reside. Of course, the Kansas City Chiefs will have the final pick in the first round this year. Let the chess games begin. But first…

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The first overall pick in 2023 originally belonged to the Chicago Bears. However, the Carolina Panthers are now on the clock and are expected to take a quarterback. That’s hardly unprecedented considering that in the history of the NFL Common Draft (1967-2022), a quarterback has been the top selection 26 times in 56 drafts. That’s followed by defensive linemen (14), running backs (7), offensive linemen (4), linebackers (3), and wide receivers (2).

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More on the NFL Common Draft. There have been 1,647 players selected in the first round since 1967. The two schools that have had the most first-rounders since then are Ohio State (74) and Southern Cal. Coming hard has been the University of Alabama. The school has had at least one player selected every year since 2009 and has had an impressive 41 selections in the past 14 years. The Crimson Tide ranks third since ’67 with 66 first-rounders.

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A total of 10 of the 56 first-overall picks In the Common Draft Era (since 1967) are enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (drafted year in parentheses). The list reads quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw (1970), John Elway (1983), Troy Aikman (1989), and Peyton Manning (1998), running backs O.J. Simpson (1969) and Earl Campbell (1978), tackles Ron Yary (1968) and Orlando Pace (1997) and defensive ends Lee Roy Selmon (1976) and Bruce Smith (1985).

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The 2023 NFL Draft features 259 selections. The Houston Texans and Las Vegas Raiders have an NFL-high 12 picks. Will both teams be wheeling and dealing? The current draft format of seven rounds began in 1994. It’s worth noting that the Minnesota Vikings’ 15 selections in 2020 is the record for the most picks in the seven-round format. Coincidentally, the University of Georgia had 15 players chosen in 2022, also a record for a seven-round draft.

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A year ago, there were six wide receivers drafted in the first round. It marked the third consecutive year that at least five wideouts were selected in Round 1. All told, there have been a combined 17 wide receivers chosen in the first round since 2020. In fact, the last two NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners were wideouts in Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase (2021) and the Jets’ Garrett Wilson (2022). Will there be another early run at the position this year?