2023 NFL Draft's first round by high school star rating

During the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 31 of the top players in college football heard their names called. There were not 32 picks this year after the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their first rounder after violating the NFL’s tampering policy.

Using the On3 Industry Ranking, there were a total of 11 former five-star recruits selected in the first night of the draft. This tied for the most since 2017. The remainder of the picks included 10 former four-star recruits, eight former three-star prospects and two players that were unranked recruits coming out of high school.

Five-stars selected in the 2023 NFL Draft

A five-star selection kicked off the 2023 NFL Draft. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 2 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, went No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers.

“Bryce Young had the best combination of feel, field vision and reactive quickness I’ve seen from a high school quarterback prospect,” On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power said, who was instrumental in the rankings at 247Sports previously. “That combination of skills has been his differentiating trait dating back to high school… Young is the second quarterback (Trevor Lawrence) and just the fourth player (Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett) to be ranked No. 1 as a high school prospect and taken with the top pick in the draft.”

It didn’t take long for another five-star to come off the board in Young’s Alabama teammate and EDGE Will Anderson, the No. 17 overall prospect in the 2020 cycle. Anderson was the first defensive player off the board in Kansas City when he was selected by the Houston Texans.

“Nick Saban recently called Anderson a ‘dog-ass competitor,'” Power said. “We got a glimpse of that at the All-American Bowl. He was straight business and came to work. Everything was max effort, all the time. We came out of that week viewing him as the clear top EDGE prospect in the cycle. Anderson jumped all the way up to No. 5 overall in our final rankings and to be honest, he should’ve been higher.”

Another five-star went off the board three picks later to the Arizona Cardinals. Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr., the No. 10 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, was an All-American and First Team All-Big Ten honoree last season.

The Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles then selected former five-stars at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively. Atlanta went with Texas running back Bijan Robinson — the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking — won the Doak Walker Award in 2022. Meanwhile, Philadelphia chose Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, the No. 14 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

“After watching the spring video and digging into his athletic background (we learned that he was an above-the-rim basketball player), we opted to make him a five-star, in a move that some questioned at the time,” Power said about Carter. “It turned out to not be high enough.”

The next five-star to be selected was Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright at No. 10 to the Chicago Bears. Wright was the No. 6 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking. Meanwhile, Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones — the No. 9 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking — went No. 14 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba was the next five-star selected, going No. 20 to the Seattle Seahawks. He was the No. 28 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

“Jaxon Smith-Njigba is one of the most technically skilled high school wide receiver prospects I’ve seen along with Calvin Ridley and a few others,” Power said. “He was a personal favorite in the 2020 cycle due to his elite route-running, eye-popping production and plus ball skills. He was unguardable on Friday nights, in camps and in all-star settings. Bottom line – I rarely saw him covered.”

Clemson defensive lineman Myles Murphy, the No. 8 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, became the next five-star drafted when he was selected No. 28 by the Cincinnati Bengals. Clemson defensive lineman Bryan Bresee, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, went one pick later to the New Orleans Saints.

Georgia linebacker Nolan Smith, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking, became the 11th five-star selected when he went No. 30 to the Eagles.

Four-stars selected in the 2023 NFL Draft

Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud became the first four-star drafted when he went No. 2 to the Texans. Stroud took Ohio State to the College Football Playoff last season and was a multi-time Heisman finalist.

“CJ Stroud had one of the biggest rises we’ve seen from a quarterback prospect in the past several cycles, going from a three-star prospect with a handful of Power 5 offers to a five-star and coveted by top programs in a span of a few months,” Power said. “We had Stroud tabbed as a potential riser coming out of his junior season based on his film and early camp showings. You could see he was physically gifted and naturally coordinated.”

Two picks later, former four-star recruit and Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson went to the Indianapolis Colts. Richardson, the No. 190 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, threw for just 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns last season. However, he was able to extend multiple plays with his athleticism and running ability.

“Anthony Richardson as a draft prospect is very reminiscent to how he was a recruit – tantalizing physical upside with a need for more experience,” Power said. “Richardson separated himself as perhaps the most physically-gifted prospect in the cycle, measuring at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds with a 10.5-inch hand and running a 4.50 40… Three years later, Richardson is still that mega physical talent who is an outlier due to his lack of viable experience.”

Northwestern offensive tackle Peter Skoronski was the next four-star selected as the No. 11 overall pick to the Tennessee Titans. Skoronski, the No. 103 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, started for the Wildcats as a freshman and eventually became an All-American.

The Detroit Lions then took another four-star at No. 12: Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the No. 79 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

A pair of cornerbacks were the next four-stars to go off the board. Mississippi State‘s Emmanuel Forbes went No. 16 to the Washington Commanders, while Oregon‘s Christian Gonzalez went No. 17 to the New England Patriots. Forbes was the No. 168 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking and Gonzalez was the No. 311 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

TCU wide receiver Quentin Johnston, the No. 84 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, then went No. 20 to the Los Angeles Chargers. Another four-star wide receiver was selected No. 23 by the Minnesota Vikings: USC‘s Jordan Addison, the No. 234 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

“We were sky high on Jordan Addison (and the 2020 Pitt class in general) as the only outlet to rank him as a four-star prospect,” Power said. “The credit goes to former colleague and current Vanderbilt GM Barton Simmons. While Addison was clearly a top athlete (10.85 100m), Barton saw some things in his game early on that colleges or other analysts didn’t.”

Michigan defensive lineman Mazi Smith, the No. 100 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking, was the next four-star selected, going No. 26 to the Dallas Cowboys. Oklahoma offensive tackle Anton Harrison, the No. 221 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, then went No. 27 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“I never got to see Mazi Smith in person, but he had some positive indicators that made him a blue-chip prospect for us,” Power said. “Smith was active and disruptive on film. The athleticism and movement skills were apparent as he made some explosive plays behind the line of scrimmage.”

Three-stars selected in the 2023 NFL Draft

Texas Tech EDGE Tyree Wilson, the No. 478 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking, went to the Las Vegas Raiders at No. 7. After transferring from Texas A&M, Wilson earned All-American honors in 2022 and recorded 13.5 tackles-for-loss and seven sacks in 2021.

“Tyree Wilson was the epitome of a high-upside developmental EDGE prospect,” Power said. “The rare length and high-end athleticism were readily evident, particularly as a senior. Wilson made a jump in his final year at West Rusk High School, turning in a great final season. He was all over the field, teeing off on ball carriers behind the line of scrimmage. In addition to the palpable physical gifts, Wilson played with a high effort level, which especially showed up in pursuit.”

The next three-star recruit went six picks later to the Green Bay Packers. They chose Iowa defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness, the No. 981 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

Iowa State EDGE Will McDonald, the No. 791 overall prospect in the 2018 On3 Industry Ranking, was the next three-star selected as No. 15 to the New York Jets. Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell, the No. 724 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking, then went No. 18 to the Lions after recording 299 tackles with the Hawkeyes.

Pittsburgh defensive lineman Calijah Kancey became the next drafted three-star when he was selected No. 19 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was the No. 829 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking.

“Kancey did look to be a better athlete on film than in camps and had a strong first step,” Power said. “He likely had more room to develop due to less resources and training early on relative to some of his peers. Pitt defensive line coach Charlie Partridge has made a living of identifying and developing three-stars into top picks and has done it again with Kancey.”

Three picks later, a former three-star wide receiver went No. 22 to the Baltimore Ravens: Boston College‘s Zay Flowers, the No. 1,064 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking. Another three-star prospect — Maryland cornerback Deonte Banks, the No. 887 overall prospect in the 2019 On3 Industry Ranking — went No. 24 to the New York Giants.

The final three-star recruit to be selected in the first round was Kansas State EDGE Felix Anudike-Uzomah, who went No. 31 to the Kansas City. He was the No. 2,301 overall prospect in the 2020 On3 Industry Ranking.

Unranked players selected in the 2023 NFL Draft

Illinois cornerback Devon Witherspoon was the first unranked prospect selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. After not earning any stars during the 2019 cycle, Witherspoon grew into an All-American last season.

“Devon Witherspoon wasn’t ranked as he didn’t become a viable FBS or Power 5 prospect until the summer before his freshman season,” Power said. “Witherspoon was already at Hutchinson Community College when he received a late SAT score that made him eligible. He enrolled at Illinois and the rest is history… The ball production was off the charts – he had 22 pass breakups and 11 interceptions in two seasons. In going back and watching his film, it’s clear he was an easy blue-chip talent.”

The next unranked player went No. 25 to the Buffalo Bills: Utah tight end Dalton Kincaid. He transferred to the Utes after playing at San Diego.