Four NFL teams have secured an additional first-round draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft — the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions and Houston Texans — and all four of them find that extra pick situated within the first 12 selections.
For Houston, it gives a bad team two draft picks in the top 12. But for the other three teams, it provides an unusual opportunity for sides that were competitive last season.
The Eagles were last year’s NFC representatives in the Super Bowl, and the Seahawks overachieved and snatched a playoff spot away from the Lions, who also have multiple first-round picks this year.
Nailing a first round with multiple picks can transform a team, as the New York Jets managed last year when No. 10 overall pick Garrett Wilson was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and No. 4 overall pick Sauce Gardner was crowned Defensive Rookie of the Year.
With that in mind, here is the jackpot scenario for these four teams.
Houston Texans
Pick 2: QB Bryce Young, Alabama
Pick 12: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
Bryce Young is the top quarterback prospect in this draft. But while that's not a guarantee that he will emerge as the best NFL player of the group — which is, of course, the aim — it means he is likely to be the best among the available options.
The Alabama product earned elite PFF grades consistently. He was exceptionally risk-averse (2.0% turnover-worthy play rate in each of the last two seasons), and he throws with better anticipation than any quarterback I can remember coming into the NFL.
The only concern is that he is an extreme outlier in terms of size, which brings a worrying unknown to the table, but there is no evidence so far that it hampers his play.
If Carolina has talked itself into C.J. Stroud at No. 1 overall, Houston getting the better prospect a pick later is a huge break after losing the ability to determine that pick for themselves by winning a meaningless game late in the season.
After trading away wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the Texans will then need to grab a receiver to help their young passer. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the top receiver in the class on a number of boards, and he may have the highest floor of the group. He will be a productive player regardless of role, but the possibility of him being more at the NFL level than he was in college certainly exists.
At Ohio State, he played just over 90% of his snaps in the slot, but he has the footwork, size and change-of-direction skills to defeat press-man coverage on the outside. And that would make him worthy of a top-10 draft pick.
Seattle Seahawks
Pick 5: EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
Pick 20: WR Jordan Addison, USC
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