An undersized Alabama quarterback, a Tennessee Volunteers offensive tackle and a former Dalton High Catamount were among the first dozen picks Thursday night as the 2023 National Football League draft opened in Kansas City, Missouri.
Bryce Young, who stands just 5-foot-10 but put up dazzling numbers for the Crimson Tide, was the top selection and went to the Carolina Panthers, who traded up from ninth with the Chicago Bears back in March. Although Alabama has become an NFL draft factory in the Nick Saban era, Young is the first player under Saban to go No. 1 overall.
“You dream of moments like that, and to live that reality — I’m still trying to put it together,” Young told Carolina’s team website. “I’m going to give my all to this franchise. I don’t take this lightly, being picked by this team first overall. That means that they trust in me and believe in me, and I’m going to do everything I can to make good on that.
“It’s a blessing to be part of the Panthers.”
In his three seasons in Tuscaloosa, Young completed 624 of 949 passes (65.8%) for 8,356 yards with 80 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions. He was a freshman backup to Mac Jones on Alabama’s 2020 national championship team and won the 2021 Heisman Trophy in his first season as the starter.
AP photo by Charlie Riedel / Former Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, left, stands with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being chosen by the Carolina Panthers with the No. 1 overall pick of the draft Thursday night in Kansas City, Mo.The Houston Texans took Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second selection and then traded up from 12th with the Arizona Cardinals to grab Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson with the third pick. Young and Anderson comprise the first Alabama tandem ever taken in the top five, with Anderson having won the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as a sophomore and a junior.
Florida’s Anthony Richardson became the third quarterback taken among the top four picks when he was tabbed by the Indianapolis Colts. The 6-4, 244-pound Richardson has been compared to former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, who went No. 1 overall to Carolina in 2011, but he started just 13 games for the Gators and went 6-7 in those contests.
The Seattle Seahawks selected Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon with the fifth pick, with Ohio State tackle Paris Johnson going sixth to Arizona, which traded back into the top 10 with the Detroit Lions. The Las Vegas Raiders then took Texas Tech defensive end Tyree Wilson seventh, with the Atlanta Falcons snagging Texas running back Bijan Robinson eighth.
Robinson rushed for 1,580 yards, 6.1 yards per carry and 18 touchdowns for last season’s Longhorns, and he also amassed 19 receptions for 314 yards (16.5 yards per catch) and two scores.
The first member of Georgia’s back-to-back national championship teams was taken at No. 9, when defensive tackle Jalen Carter went to the Philadelphia Eagles. Carter had been considered a top-five lock throughout much of this draft process but pleaded no contest in March to misdemeanor charges of reckless driving and racing in Athens on Jan. 15, when Bulldogs offensive lineman Devin Willock and Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy were killed in an automobile accident.
“The Eagles got the best player in the draft,” Carter said on the ESPN telecast, “and I’m fixing to show it.”
Philadelphia traded up a spot with Chicago to take Carter, and the Bears then took Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright, who became the first top-10 selection for the Vols since safety Eric Berry went fifth to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2010. The Vols had not produced a first-round pick of any kind since defensive end Derek Barnett went 14th to Philadelphia in 2017.
“I’m shocked. I’m happy. I’m really happy,” Wright said on a conference call. “I’m just trying to put sentences together to where I sound good. My head is just racing.
“I knew I could go this high. It just took the right team to see that.”
After the Tennessee Titans used the 11th overall pick on Northwestern tackle Peter Skoronski, the Lions with the 12th selection chose former Dalton, Georgia Tech and Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
The 5-foot-9, 199-pound Gibbs rushed for 926 yards and seven touchdowns during his one season with the Tide, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. He also amassed 44 receptions for 444 yards and three scores.
“We had great conversations about how versatile I was and the different ways they can use me and the different ways they can get me the ball,” Gibbs said on a conference call. “All the conversations were great, and I really got along with their coaches well.
“I didn’t know I would get picked as high as I did. Running backs don’t get picked this high in this new age and era, so it was pretty shocking to me.”
A second Georgia player was taken when the Pittsburgh Steelers used the No. 14 pick on offensive tackle Broderick Jones, and a third went off the board when Philadelphia took edge rusher Nolan Smith at No. 30.
All 31 of Thursday’s first-round selections hailed from Power Five programs, and Friday’s second round will begin with Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker and Vols receiver Jalin Hyatt still available.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.