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Why are there only 31 picks in Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft?

By Sayre Bedinger

2023 NFL Draft: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints shakes hands with quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots following the Patriots 30-27 win at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
2023 NFL Draft: Head coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints shakes hands with quarterback Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots following the Patriots 30-27 win at Gillette Stadium on October 13, 2013 in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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The 2023 NFL Draft order is not your typical NFL Draft order. There are just 31 first-round picks in 2023 and many of you have probably wondered why. This year’s draft has a rare forfeiture of a first-round selection. The Miami Dolphins, who had two first-round picks to begin with (thanks to previous trades) had to forfeit their first-round selection due to a pretty wild set of circumstances.

And it wasn’t the only pick they were forced to give up…

The Dolphins actually had to give up both their first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft as well as a third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft thanks to the NFL coming down hard on them for tampering. The league took away picks because the Dolphins apparently had some illegal conversations with quarterback Tom Brady, now retired, as well as then-New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton.

This punishment is old news at this point — the league ruled the Dolphins would have picks taken away on August 2, 2022 — but for some, it’s bizarre to see only 31 first-round picks. Back in the 2022 season, many people were frankly surprised to find out that the Dolphins had a first-round pick to trade for Denver Broncos pass rusher Bradley Chubb.

Folks were even more confused to learn that the Broncos had a first-round pick to use in a trade to acquire Sean Payton himself after they made the blockbuster deal for Russell Wilson last offseason.

There are certainly a lot of moving parts and confusing elements, but tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton is the short version of the story of why the Dolphins don’t have a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and why there are only 31 selections in round one as a whole. The investigation of the Dolphins came after former head coach Brian Flores filed a lawsuit against the NFL. After six months of investigating, it was determined that the Dolphins not only broke league rules talking to Tom Brady while he was under contract with the Patriots, but also when he was with the Buccaneers.

Despite not having a first-round pick for consecutive years, the Dolphins have done enough wheeling and dealing to be able to have:

  • Two first-round picks in 2021 (WR Jaylen Waddle, EDGE Jaelan Phillips)
  • Traded for WR Tyreek Hill
  • Traded for EDGE Bradley Chubb

The Dolphins also managed to swing a deal this offseason for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, so they’re clearly not hurting too bad at the moment. Some would say “if you aren’t cheating you’re not trying” and clearly the Dolphins have been pushing the boundaries when it comes to fielding the best team possible.

According to the investigation, those boundaries were crossed multiple times. Just think — in another universe, Tom Brady is playing against the Patriots twice a year with Sean Payton as his head coach for the Miami Dolphins. How weird would that be?

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