5 first round picks we did not expect in the 2023 NFL Draft
4. Will McDonald IV, EDGE, New York Jets (15th overall)
EDGE. Iowa State. 15. 30. Pick Analysis. Will McDonald IV. player. Scouting Report
The New York Jets obviously just recently (finally) pulled off the trade to acquire quarterback Aaron Rodgers. After watching the Green Bay Packers stay on-brand with the 13th overall pick, selecting Lukas Van Ness, the Jets were obviously thinking about offensive line or wide receiver with that 15th pick, right?
Surely, Aaron Rodgers would be in the draft room with Joe Douglas an Robert Saleh, campaigning for the team to take the top receiver off the board. Jaxon Smith-Njigba was just sitting there. He could even join his former Ohio State teammate Garrett Wilson in the wide receiver room!
The Jets didn’t care about any of that, and took Will McDonald IV. This was arguably the biggest shock factor of round one in terms of everyone expecting the Jets to go offense with this pick, and then not only did they go defense, but they went with a really unique guy in Will McDonald. There were a lot of other EDGE guys out there, so this pick will be fascinating to watch develop.
5. Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions (18th overall)
Jack Campbell. 50. Pick Analysis. Iowa. 18. player. Scouting Report. LB
Rounding out our top five most shocking 2023 NFL Draft picks is another pick by the Detroit Lions, who used the 18th overall selection on Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell. Now, there’s no relation here to Dan Campbell, although Campbell is sure to call his new first-round linebacker “brother” plenty of times.
Jack Campbell was absolutely outstanding at Iowa. He was the leader of that stellar defense and he plays fast. He’s big, he’s explosive, he can attack the line of scrimmage, and he can play out in coverage. I’ve been impressed by Campbell since watching him drop into the nickel alignment at times in Phil Parker’s defense early on in his time with the Hawkeyes.
There’s no doubt this guy can play. But based on the “mock draft simulators” and pre-draft rankings, Campbell went about 25-40 spots ahead of when most people thought he would. Which ultimately means nothing because the consensus doesn’t decide who will be successful in the NFL, but it does mean that this pick was shocking to just about everyone.