2023 NFL Draft rumors Amid uncertainty at No. 1 a look at most surprising top picks of the last 20 years
Who's going No. 1 in the 2023 when the first round kicks off Thursday night? It depends what day it is, and who you ask. Alabama's Bryce Young has been the most consistent favorite to be the ' choice among top quarterback prospects. But Ohio State's C.J. Stroud has taken turns as
Julio Teheran Jersey the top dog as well. Just this week, Kentucky's Will Levis also surged back into the picture as a darling of bettors; he's now the second-most likely to be Carolina's pick, per Caesars Sportsbook.The Panthers know exactly who they're taking, , but no one else does.Is this unusual? Aren't we supposed to have a firm grasp on the top pick in the entire draft, especially after the months-long pre-draft proce s? Turns out this is far from the first time -- even in recent memory -- that the draft has approached without total clarity regarding the No. 1 selection. Here's a look at some of the most mysterious or surprising scenarios of the last 20 years:We're including this year because, days away from the commi sioner officially putting the Panthers on the clock,
J. C. Ramirez Jersey there is no steady consensus about Carolina's preferred QB. The "safe" bet is that it'll be Young, the total package sans a prototypical build; or Stroud, arguably the most polished pocket pa ser of the crop. But with his erratic but tantalizing traits, and Florida's Anthony Richardson looms as an electric top-five po sibility.That's right. Just one year ago, there was similar -- no, even -- uncertainty at No. 1. Michigan pa s rusher was long considered the
Reggie Jackson Jersey top prospect in the cla s, but the fell in love with Georgia's , a scouting combine star whose name emerged as a potential No. 1 pick just days before Jacksonville officially turned in the card. Everyone knew the were destined to take a quarterback after years of shuffling through failed bets at the position. But it wasn't until basically the day of the draft that USC's fell out of favor with oddsmakers and insiders as Cleveland's preferred choice. Wyoming's Josh Allen and UCLA's , who went on to go No. 7 and No.
Blank Jersey 10 to the and , respectively, were also considered runner-up po sibilities. Instead, the Browns took Oklahoma's .Central Michigan offensive tackle entered the Senior Bowl widely projected to go outside of the top 10, . In the lead-up to the draft, however, he emerged as a candidate to usurp Texas AM tackle as the ' choice atop the board. And he did just that, with Joeckel ultimately going No. 2 to the Jaguars.Everyone had the USC running back , a Heisman Trophy winner and multi-purpose playmaker, pegged as a lock for the , who were just four years into their NFL existence at the time. But Houston made a stunning pivot to kick off the selection proce s, opting for North Carolina State pa s rusher . Bush would go on to land with the at No. 2. Ole Mi s quarterback was a safe bet to go No. 1, following in the footsteps of his brother Peyton. But after Ryan Leaf'
Luis Valbuena Jersey s tumultuous run as a draft pick, Manning came out and declared alongside his father, Archie, that he wouldn't play for the franchise if it selected him. So there was certainly some uncertainty as to how the top of this draft would play out. In the end, the Chargers did draft Manning, who even took the stage and posed -- sullenly -- with a Bolts jersey, but quickly traded the quarterback to the as part of a deal including No. 4 overall pick .
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