There is only one more game left to impact the 2023 NFL Draft order, but the bottom of the first round got a shakeup on Tuesday.
The Broncos hired Sean Payton as their next head coach, sending a 2023 first-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to the Saints for the rights to Payton and a third-round pick.
The Broncos finished just 5-12 this past season, but the pick they're sending to New Orleans isn't very high in the order. The Saints will be picking 29th overall, gaining a first-round pick after they traded their own to the Eagles last April.
The selection heading to New Orleans originated from the 49ers, who sent it to the Dolphins back in 2021. Miami sent the pick to the Broncos in November's Bradley Chubb deal.
The Broncos have a high-profile head coach in Payton, but they're again without a first-round pick in this year's draft. They traded their 2022 first-round selection to the Seahawks in the Russell Wilson deal last offseason, only for that pick to end up fifth overall after another forgettable season for Denver.
Here's how the 2023 NFL Draft order looks after the deal between the Broncos and Saints, with Super Bowl 57 quickly approaching.
NFL Draft order 2023
How the draft order stands after the NFL's conference championship round:
| Pick | Team | W-L-T |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago Bears | 3-14 |
| 2 | Houston Texans | 3-13-1 |
| 3 | Arizona Cardinals | 4-13 |
| 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 4-12-1 |
| 5 | Seattle Seahawks (from DEN) | 5-12 |
| 6 | Detroit Lions (from LAR) | 5-12 |
| 7 | Las Vegas Raiders | 6-11 |
| 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 7-10 |
| 9 | Carolina Panthers | 7-10 |
| 10 | Philadelphia Eagles (from NO) | 7-10 |
| 11 | Tennessee Titans | 7-10 |
| 12 | Houston Texans (from CLE) | 7-10 |
| 13 | New York Jets | 7-10 |
| 14 | New England Patriots | 8-9 |
| 15 | Green Bay Packers | 8-9 |
| 16 | Washington Commanders | 8-8-1 |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-8 |
| 18 | Detroit Lions | 9-8 |
| 19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 8-9 |
| 20 | Seattle Seahawks | 9-8 |
| 21 | Los Angeles Chargers | 10-7 |
| 22 | Baltimore Ravens | 10-7 |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | 13-4 |
| 24 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 9-8 |
| 25 | New York Giants | 9-7-1 |
| 26 | Dallas Cowboys | 12-5 |
| 27 | Buffalo Bills | 12-4 |
| 28 | Cincinnati Bengals | 12-4 |
| 29 | New Orleans Saints (from SF via MIA, DEN) | 13-4 |
| 30 | Kansas City Chiefs | 14-3 |
| 31 | Philadelphia Eagles | 14-3 |
Notes:
— The Eagles hold the Saints' first-round pick as part of a pick swap with New Orleans during the 2022 NFL Draft.
— The Texans hold the Browns' first-round pick as part of the trade that sent Deshaun Watson to Cleveland.
— The Seahawks hold the Broncos' first-round pick as part of the compensation in the Russell Wilson trade.
— The Lions hold the Rams' first-round pick because of the Matthew Stafford trade.
— The Broncos traded pass-rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins for a first-round pick prior to the 2022 NFL trade deadline. That pick formerly belonged to the 49ers, who traded it to Miami as part of the package to move up to draft Trey Lance in 2021.
— The Dolphins don't have their own first-round pick after being sanctioned by the NFL for tampering violations regarding Tom Brady and Sean Payton.
— The Broncos traded away the pick acquired from trading Chubb to the Saints for Sean Payton.
— The winner of Super Bowl 57 will pick 32nd in April, while the loser will land the 31st pick.
NFL Draft 2023 top prospects
After a less traditional big board in 2022, quarterbacks are again at the forefront of everyone's mind entering the 2023 draft.
Alabama QB Bryce Young, Ohio State QB C.J. Stroud, and Kentucky QB Will Levis are all projected first-round picks, and it's possible another quarterback joins them as a Day 1 selection.
MORE: NFL Draft prospects 2023: Updated big board of top 70 players overall, position rankings
However, if the Bears hold onto the first overall pick, there's a great chance a non-quarterback will come off the board first. That player would likely be either Georgia DT Jalen Carter or Alabama LB Will Anderson Jr., who rank as the consensus top defensive prospects in this draft.
With the importance of quarterbacks such an emphasis of today's NFL, expect teams to take pass-rushers early and often as they look to counter the league's standout signal-callers. Aside from Anderson, Clemson DE Myles Murphy and Notre Dame DE Isaiah Foskey are projected to come off the board early in the first round.
Here are the top 10 prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft, courtesy of TSN's Vinnie Iyer.
- Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
- Will Anderson, EDGE, Alabama
- C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
- Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
- Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
- Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame
- Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
- Isaiah Foskey, EDGE, Notre Dame
- Jordan Addison, WR, USC
- Trenton Simpson, WR, Clemson
The Sporting News' Joe Rivera contributed to this piece.