2023 NFL Draft Grades: Rating every first-round pick by value

2023 NFL Draft Grades: Rating every first-round pick by value

18. With the 18th overall pick, the Detroit Lions select…

Jack Campbell came in at No. 51 in the Top 100 NFL Draft prospects, barely missing the cutoff for the Top 50 players available on Thursday night. However, Campbell was one of the best linebackers available, ranking behind the only linebacker in the Top 50, Drew Sanders.

The Lions could have drafted Drew Sanders instead, who ranked at No. 27 on the list and has widely been considered to be the best linebacker available this year. They also passed on Trenton Simpson, a speedy linebacker with experience playing inside and outside.

For reasons of their own, the Lions preferred Campbell, a choice that is confounding paired with the reality that Sanders wasn’t taken in the first round. Sanders offers the full package as a linebacker, being able to line up inside and outside — a rare trait at the position. It speaks to Sanders’ versatility, and it’s not as if Sanders is lacking in strength and size.

This is less about Campbell being a poor choice and more about the Lions having a better one in either Sanders or Simpson.

19. With the 19th overall pick, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers select…

Last year, one of the biggest critiques of the Buccaneers’ was their defensive line no longer being the juggernaut it once was. With Vita Vea, Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul, the Bucs were an entirely different unit. Now, with just Vea, they needed to shore up this unit.

The Buccaneers could have taken Bryan Bresee instead, but Kancey was still a highly-graded player at No. 24. The main critique about Kancey is his relatively small size at 6’1″, but he’s proven to work within his physical limits and remain an explosive player.

The Buccaneers are in the middle of a massive rebuild, especially without Tom Brady, but this was a solid pick at No. 19.