Biggest Steals in the 2023 NFL Draft - Call It Now - No Credit Will be Given Later

[Warrior Spirit]

Have to start with New England here cause the genius of BB was in evidence in the very first round while getting a high value player and blocking a division rival from doing the same. With Broderick Jones still on the board and Jets, obviously looking to add protection for their elite QB, BB swaps picks with Steelers who then take Jones. The move causes the Jets to go into a mental tailspin and just pick whoever. Then with the #17 pick, the Patriots still make out as well as could possibly be expected as they grab, believed by many to be the top CB in the draft, Christian Gonzales. They would also go on to get a late round steal by picking WR Kayshon Boutte in the 6th. He had been projected to go in the 3rd.

And, as it turned out, that pick the Steelers got for trading their second rate WR worked out extremely well for them as they also got a projected first round CB as they drafted Joey Porter with that pick. Steelers also had another pick that could be considered a steal as they drafted Darnell Washington late in the 3rd.

The lowly Browns got a couple of steals for their o-line, Dawand Jones in the 4th and Luke Wypler in the 6th.

Colts took Adetomiwa Adebawore in the 4th.

The Eagles had a strong draft and got excellent value with steals in the 4th and 7th with Kelee Ringo and Moro Ojomo.

With the top rated Safety, Brian Branch, still out there in the middle of the second round, not even the Lions could miss on that steal.

Antonio Johnson is another DB who slid much further down than expected. Jags stole him in the 5th.

The Bears did manage a few mini steals in the draft. Different GM, same shit style drafting whereas early picks are messed up and some promising value found in mid to later rounds. While the great Bijan Robinson's sidekick went about where expected, both Tyler Scott and Noah Sewell were made available to the Bears about a round later than either was projected. Noah can make a big impact if used correctly. And Tyler adds depth and hope to a suddenly spectacular Bears' WR corps.

 

[pseudonym]

Roschon and Scott may be steals.

 

[mattb78]

Gonzalez was the steal for me. Ready to play corner and that is usually a top 10 selection all day.

Ocyrus Torrence was first round talent all day.

I also liked Levis in the 2nd.

 

[monkforasia]

Everyone the bears picked were steals. No ifs ands or buts.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

Noah Ruggles

 

[MDB111™]

Houston Texans grabbed their hometown hero in Nathaniel "Tank" Dell out of Houston. They also traded into pick#3 and stole the fuck out of Willy Anderson.


Speaking of midgets, the Dallas Cowboys stole Duece Vaughn from the rest of the league.

Staying on the midget theme, @Spartan is the biggest mental midget CCS has ever seen. When ? ? died, he stole that title.

 

[Gustavus Adolphus]

A couple of other names:
Will Anderson Jr.
Anthony Richardson
Devon Witherspoon
Paris Johnson Jr
Tyree Wilson

Those guys are my top steals along with Noah Ruggles.

 

[msadows]

IMO it would be Nolan Smith.

Might be my pick for DROTY at 22/1

 

[MDB111™]

A couple of other names:
Will Anderson Jr.
Anthony Richardson
Devon Witherspoon
Paris Johnson Jr
Tyree Wilson

Those guys are my top steals along with Noah Ruggles.

I thought Luke "Butt" Wypler going in the 6th round to the Browns was a big steal. That guy will end up starting.

 

[bamainatlanta]

how exactly is the 32nd pick a steal? Joey Porter was mocked around 15-45.

 

[PrideisBears]

Holy cringe

 

[Nelly]

So we're just going to list guys that the so called draft experts had rated higher than the guys who are actually paid to make the picks thought they should be picked? How do you "steal" a guy who goes 3 rounds later than draft experts thought he would when literally the entire league passed on him 3 times over?

 

[Chicago4Life]

so does this mean they cant be called busts because they were taken much lower than where they supposedly should have gone?

 

[Collins77]

Uhhh...Jalen Carter

 

[bamainatlanta]

Houston Texans grabbed their hometown hero in Nathaniel "Tank" Dell out of Houston. They also traded into pick#3 and stole the fuck out of Willy Anderson.


Speaking of midgets, the Dallas Cowboys stole Duece Vaughn from the rest of the league.

Staying on the midget theme, @Spartan is the biggest mental midget CCS has ever seen. When ? ? died, he stole that title.

Monty and a couple of others are also in the running

 

[Montucky]

I am differing from #myguy Anytime23 but Noah Sewell is my steal for the Bears. I think he's going to do things rushing the passer and devleop into quite the little defensive weapon. Might take a little bit, but I'm excited.

Ji'Ayir Brown is going to outperform a lot of players who went ahead of him.

Jay Ward also. Just a hunch, he was great for the Tigers.

 

[Warrior Spirit]

So we're just going to list guys that the so called draft experts had rated higher than the guys who are actually paid to make the picks thought they should be picked? How do you "steal" a guy who goes 3 rounds later than draft experts thought he would when literally the entire league passed on him 3 times over?

The term "steal" has been used with the NFL Draft forever so not sure why it would sound foreign to any. You select him whilst others are either too stupid to, don't need that position player, are scared off for any reason or hoped they could get him with their next pick. You could also "steal" a great value pick when teams make an otherwise odd selection and select much lower rated players for whatever reason. The teams behind them then have opportunities at better picks that otherwise wouldn't be there for them.

Could have something like what happened to Carter, that will cause teams to shy away and open the way for others with later picks. Even if you're a team that needs that player at that position badly, you may puss out and let a real championship caliber team have the opportunity to take that much higher value player.

Another example given in OP. A player is taken that a team is intent on signing and then a trade happens and he's gone and they make a crazy pick leaving the much higher value player for the next team. Also injury concerns and what not as with Darnell Washington. Got out that he was having knee troubles. Even with zero knowledge as to the extent or even the truth of that knee problem, he's such a big man that it causes concerns which will cause a team to skip over him and move on to the next guy on their draft board who is still available.

Players with higher ceilings may give way to safer picks as happened when Chiefs traded up for Mahomes while the Bears settled for safe Mitch at pick #2. Many many ways teams can get players of higher value than one would have thought they could with a later pick.

 

[Nelly]

The term "steal" has been used with the NFL Draft forever so not sure why it would sound foreign to any. You select him whilst others are either too stupid to, don't need that position player, are scared off for any reason or hoped they could get him with their next pick. You could also "steal" a great value pick when teams make an otherwise odd selection and select much lower rated players for whatever reason. The teams behind them then have opportunities at better picks that otherwise wouldn't be there for them.

Could have something like what happened to Carter, that will cause teams to shy away and open the way for others with later picks. Even if you're a team that needs that player at that position badly, you may puss out and let a real championship caliber team have the opportunity to take that much higher value player.

Another example given in OP. A player is taken that a team is intent on signing and then a trade happens and he's gone and they make a crazy pick leaving the much higher value player for the next team. Also injury concerns and what not as with Darnell Washington. Got out that he was having knee troubles. Even with zero knowledge as to the extent or even the truth of that knee problem, he's such a big man that it causes concerns which will cause a team to skip over him and move on to the next guy on their draft board who is still available.

Players with higher ceilings may give way to safer picks as happened when Chiefs traded up for Mahomes while the Bears settled for safe Mitch at pick #2. Many many ways teams can get players of higher value than one would have thought they could with a later pick.

And we don't find out for awhile what picks were really steals. Mooney turned out to be a steal but wasn't really at the time of the draft. That's my point. If Jahmyr Gibbs turns out to be the best back in the league then he wasn't really a reach, whereas right now he appears to be, cause we're all mostly operating on the same of similar consensus opinions from "draft experts" who aren't actually paid to make those picks.

 

[Warrior Spirit]

I am differing from #myguy Anytime23 but Noah Sewell is my steal for the Bears. I think he's going to do things rushing the passer and devleop into quite the little defensive weapon. Might take a little bit, but I'm excited.

Ji'Ayir Brown is going to outperform a lot of players who went ahead of him.

Jay Ward also. Just a hunch, he was great for the Tigers.

Sewell's place is in the box. He'll crash down on rushers and be that pass rush threat the Bears so badly need when sent after the QB.

 

[Warrior Spirit]

And we don't find out for awhile what picks were really steals. Mooney turned out to be a steal but wasn't really at the time of the draft. That's my point. If Jahmyr Gibbs turns out to be the best back in the league then he wasn't really a reach, whereas right now he appears to be, cause we're all mostly operating on the same of similar consensus opinions from "draft experts" who aren't actually paid to make those picks.

Mooney had 1 decent year in 3 so still not much of a steal. Gibbs taken in first cause Lions HC sees Alvin Kamara in him and it could work out that way but right now, consensus would say Lions blew both their 1st round picks and just opened the door for other teams to get better value in 1st.

Can only live in the now and see what is there now. Elite players can come from any round really but more often than not, the experts see them coming.