Designating who was successful immediately after a draft’s conclusion can be a foolhardy proposition. In many cases, we won’t know who “won” or “lost” until years after the fact, when many late bloomers finally start to pan out, project players either sink or swim, and underrated prospects make a name for themselves.
But these kinds of exercises aren’t entirely fruitless. We assign pole positions to some franchises because some draft outcomes are apparent.
When the Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions reach on running backs, despite already having steady starters, their respective decisions deserve a furl of an eyebrow. When the Indianapolis Colts finally take a needed swing at a quarterback with so much potential, they deserve a round of applause. When a familiar cutoff hoodie-wearing face stays true to himself — we know he probably nailed the draft. His past precedent of excellence suggests as much.
I readily admit that some of my assessments here will likely turn out to be wrong. I’m OK with that because that’s not the point of these labels. I’m fine with being wrong. Doing this is my way of getting an understanding of where the NFL landscape now stands and seeing where some league trends are potentially heading. Plain and simple.
Achieving that goal should be the standard.
Here are For The Win’s winners and losers at the conclusion of the 2023 NFL Draft.
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