While Round 1 of the NFL Draft features the prospects with the highest profiles, Day 2 often involves more intrigue — and this year’s draft did not disappoint. Teams routinely moved up and down the board in order to target their preferred players, and two more quarterbacks found their NFL homes. Let’s run through the winners and losers from Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
2023 NFL Draft Day 2 Winners
Pittsburgh Steelers
Omar Khan might be pretty good at this general manager thing. In his first draft in the driver’s seat, Khan landed a surefire offensive tackle starter in Broderick Jones in Round 1 before going to work on Day 2.
Although they reportedly received plenty of interest for the No. 32 pick, Pittsburgh stuck at the top of Round 2 and selected legacy player Joey Porter Jr., the son of the former Steelers linebacker of the same name.
Aside from keeping it in the family, Porter will help Pittsburgh fill a vacancy at corner and will benefit from working alongside veteran defensive back Patrick Peterson. Even if Porter eventually has to move to safety, he profiles as a long-term starter for the Steelers.
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At pick No. 49, Pittsburgh landed Wisconsin defensive tackle Keannu Benton, who will fit best as the Steelers’ nose tackle but can line up all over the defensive line if necessary. According to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network, there was chatter that Pittsburgh could take Benton at 32, so they did well to wait 17 picks and still acquire one of their targets.
Finally, after trading down from No. 80 to No. 93 and picking up an extra fourth-rounder (No. 132), the Steelers caught falling Georgia tight end Darnell Washington. A mountain of a man at 6’7″, 270 pounds, Washington was worth the risk late in the third round. If he develops, he’ll give Pittsburgh the option of deploying more 12 personnel alongside Pat Freiermuth.
Will Levis
There’s no doubt that Will Levis didn’t have a good night on Thursday. After being suggested as a potential top-five pick, Levis was forced to sit in the draft room while 31 picks came off the board. After losing millions of dollars on national TV, Levis chose not to return for Day 2 of the draft.
But Round 2 was far kinder to the Kentucky quarterback. The Titans traded up from No. 41 to No. 33 to select Levis, who now has a decent chance to emerge as Tennessee’s starting quarterback as early as Week 1.
Ryan Tannehill remains on the Titans’ roster, but he has a $36.6 million cap charge in 2022. While Tennessee has said that trade rumors surrounding Tannehill are “erroneous,” it seems inconceivable that the 34-year-old will stick with the Titans at his current cap figure. At the very least, Tannehill will likely be forced to accept a pay cut.
With the Titans, Levis has a clearer path to the starting quarterback role than he might have had with other teams interested in drafting a signal-caller. Levis won’t get the benefit of first-round draft capital, but Tennessee is unlikely to give up on him as quickly as they soured on Malik Willis after drafting him 86th in last year’s draft.
Indianapolis Colts
After landing their new franchise quarterback in Round 1, the Colts continued to post good results through Day 2 of the draft. Indianapolis traded back several times at the top of the second round, acquiring extra draft capital while still remaining in a position to draft a premium player.
That prospect ended up being cornerback Julius Brents, whom the Colts selected at No. 44. Brents, who attended high school in the Indianapolis area before heading to Kansas State, is a physical presence on the outside and will help the Colts replace Stephon Gilmore, whom they traded to the Cowboys earlier this year. At 6’3 “, 198 pounds, Brents has the size to match up one-on-one on the outside and could be a Day 1 starter.
In the third round, the Colts found a new weapon for Anthony Richardson in North Carolina wideout Josh Downs. One of the most significant knocks on Richardson was his inaccuracy in the short-to-intermediate areas.
Downs, a prolific slot receiver, is small but incredibly athletic and should be able to help Richardson in the quick game. A WR trio of Michael Pittman Jr., Alec Pierce, and Downs represents a solid starting point for Richardson as he begins his NFL career.
Jordan Love
Speaking of young quarterbacks who received new pass catchers, Jordan Love has to be pleased after Day 2 of the draft. The Packers desperately needed to surround Love with fresh receiving talent as he embarks on his first season as Green Bay’s starter, and they did just that in Rounds 2 and 3.
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Tight ends Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft will immediately ascend on a Packers depth chart that lost Robert Tonyan in free agency and is without Marcedes Lewis, who remains unsigned. Neither Musgrave nor Kraft might be able to replace Lewis’ blocking ability, but they’re both dynamic receivers who can play inline or in the slot.
Meanwhile, the Packers may have overdrafted Michigan State wide receiver Jayden Reed, who they selected in the second round even though he was projected as more of a third- or fourth-rounder. But Reed is an explosive playmaker who will give Love a downfield threat alongside Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs, and he’s also an asset in the return game.
2023 NFL Draft Day 2 Losers
Hendon Hooker
Hendon Hooker had steadily risen up draft boards to the point that he was being discussed as a mid-first-round pick, so the concept of falling to the third round must have been jarring. Ultimately, his four-year contract with the Lions will be worth roughly $10 million less than had Detroit selected him with the No. 18 overall pick.
There were enough concerns about Hooker that his fall perhaps shouldn’t have been all that surprising. Hooker spent six years in college and is already 25 years old, and he’s still recovering from a November ACL tear. And the quarterback-friendly offense he played in at Tennessee reportedly gave many NFL decision-makers pause about how he’ll translate to the next level.
As a first or even second-round pick, Hooker might have been viewed as the Lions’ future franchise quarterback. But as a third-round choice, his status behind Jared Goff is far less certain. Barring an injury to Goff, it’s highly unlikely that Hooker will start any games this season. And if Goff matches or exceeds his production from 2022, Hooker could quickly become a footnote in Detroit.
Darnell Washington
We listed the Steelers as a Day 2 winner in part because they found Washington at the bottom of Round 3. But from the Georgia tight end’s perspective, Friday evening represented a disaster.
Washington was viewed as a potential first-round selection heading into the draft. At worst, the second round seemed like a realistic target. Instead, Washington saw six other tight ends hear their names called in Rounds 2 and 3 before the Steelers ended his slide at No. 93.
A knee issue reportedly caused Washington to fall in the draft, and it must be a relatively serious problem to force a 40-50 spot drop. He can still find NFL success, but it will be much more difficult as a third-round pick stuck behind Freiermuth in Pittsburgh.
Seattle Seahawks
Many film directors employ a “one for them, one for me” policy — they’ll work on a big-budget movie to help pay the bills, then spend time on an independent film to keep the creative juices flowing.
The Seahawks’ 2022 draft is Pete Carroll’s version of “one for them, one for me.” After using their first three picks on premium positions by adding CB Devon Witherspoon, WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and EDGE Derrick Hall, Seattle fell back into its old ways by drafting running back Zach Charbonnet midway through the second round.
We’ve got nothing against Charbonnet, the draft’s third-best back behind Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. But the Seahawks just spent second-round draft capital on Kenneth Walker III in last year’s draft. No team has drafted as many running backs as Seattle since 2016 (nine).
Selecting a complementary back wouldn’t have been the worst idea, but Seattle could have waited until Day 3. Another front-seven piece or an offensive lineman might have made more sense at pick No. 52.
Patrick Queen
Patrick Queen’s roster spot with the Ravens was already tenuous heading into the draft. Baltimore recently made Roquan Smith the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL, making Queen a potential trade candidate.
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Then, the Ravens landed a steal in Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson, who was selected at pick No. 86 despite ranking 43rd on PFN’s Industry Consensus Board. While Baltimore could keep Simpson in a reserve/special team role during his rookie season, he has the talent to become an immediate starter.
The Ravens had to decide on Queen’s fifth-year option — valued at $12.7 million — by Monday. Baltimore could choose to decline that option or trade Queen before they’re forced to make a call, which would transfer the option decision to Queen’s next team.