Some of the first picks of the 2023 were as expected: to the at No. 1 overall, for example, was no surprise to anyone who saw the Alabama quarterback as the consensus top signal-caller in the cla s. But that doesn't mean Thursday night unfolded without any surprise. No, a good chunk of the first round involved unanticipated activity, from a certain fellow QB slipping all the way to Day 2 to not one but two different running Julius Randle Jersey backs coming off the board in the first 12 picks.Here's a look at some of the biggest Round 1 surprises:Days ago, the dynamic but erratic Kentucky QB was suddenly -- and, now, inexplicably -- skyrocketing as a betting favorite to go in the first two picks. Not a single wanted any part of Levis on the first night of the draft, however. After three signal-callers went in the first four picks, every other club with even a mild long-term QB need -- the , , , Lions, , , -- said no thanks. The bad news might not be over for Levis, with some teams have concerns about a toe injury that limited the QB in 2022 -- one that may later require surgery but doesn't concern Levis himself.Detroit started the night by accumulating a sets, moving down from No. 6 to No. 12 in a deal with the. Then things got wacky: Despite spending $18 million on formerstarterin free agency, the Lions used their first pick (No. 12) on Alabama running back, an electric but smaller (5-foot-9, 199 pounds) prospect at an increasingly replaceable position. Back on the clock at No. 18, they once again refused to addre s more pre sing needs along the D-line or secondary, instead taking Iowa linebacker, who -- like Gibbs -- had widely been forecast James Worthy Jersey as more of a Day 2 target.With two picks in the top 12, some thought the Texans might pa s on a quarterback at No. 2 overall in favor of an elite defensive prospect. But instead they ended up with both, taking Ohio State's at No. 2 and then moving back up to No. 3 for Alabama pa s rusher . The cost to do so was steep: Not only did the Texans send No. 12 to the Cardinals, but No. 33, plus first- and third-rounders in 2024. And yet arguably no team left the night with a bigger facelift; Stroud and Anderson project as immediate starters and upgrades for ' rebuilding club. First came the unusual one: Arizona swapped third-rounders with the as an unofficial penalty for tampering with new coach Jonathan Gannon while he was still employed by Philadelphia. Then the Cardinals took a step in the right direction by netting three picks in a move down from No. 3, only to reverse course a few picks later, moving back Brandon Ingram Jersey up to No. 6 in a deal with the Lions that cost them a second-rounder. In the end, all the moving around got them Ohio State tackle , who's a nice addition but a big bet just outside the top five, going five spots before Northwestern's .Trade-happy general manager Howie Roseman moved up one spot from No. 10 to select Carter, the Georgia defensive tackle who might've been a top-three pick if not for some character concerns. That alone was a victory for a Philly front that's constantly replenished (and just got a 2022 first-round investment in ). But then Roseman stood pat at No. 30 overall and stopped the slide of Carter's Georgia teammate, edge rusher Nolan Smith, to add juice to an already-stocked pa s rush.If Seattle wasn't going to spend a top pick on a QB, most a sumed the team would addre s the defense. Both Georgia DT Jalen Carter and Texas Tech pa s rusher seemed like logical priorities for the Seahawks' front. Instead, John Schneider and Co. pa sed on both, opting instead for Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who's Jamaal Wilkes Jersey looking to prove he'll play much bigger than his size (5-11, 181), just a year after landing a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate in . Just as surprising: Witherspoon's fellow corner, , went from a popular top-10 projection to the No. 17 overall pick by the . Speaking of top corner prospects, Witherspoon went earlier than expected, whereas Porter didn't go at all despite at certain points garnering attention as a projected top-15 target. It's doubly notable that the Penn State cover man went untouched on Day 1 with such strong bloodlines; his father, Joey Porter, was a staple of the defense that won XL. Instead, three other corners -- Christian Gonzalez, and -- went after Witherspoon in Round 1.On one hand, it's not that shocking; Arthur Smith is running an old-school offense in Atlanta, barely asking to pa s the ball before turning to in 2022. And their pick at No. 8 overall, Texas' , may well be a multipurpose weapon for them. Still, 2022 fifth-rounder just got done topping 1,000 yards as their rookie RB1, and is still onboard. The fact they actually, in the year 2023, decided Robinson was worth such a premium pick and contract only reinforces how committed to the ground they are.It's not that New York wasn't going to be in the market for pa s rushing help, but there were other needs -- OL, DL, DB -- that might've logically drawn more attention here, especially with talents like DT and CB Christian Gonzalez on the board at the time. It's also notable that McDonald, who projects as more of a stand-up Nick Van Exel Jersey rusher but will enter more of a traditional 4-3 front, went before fellow edge prospects like Clemson's (who later went No. 28 to the ) and Georgia's Nolan Smith, who had gotten buzz as a po sible top-10 selection with a comparable skill set.
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