Now that the 2023 NFL draft has concluded and almost 3 months have passed for teams to make additional moves, predictions for the next season have started to arise. 

The Carolina Panthers traded up for the first overall pick to draft their future quarterback and selected Bryce Young out of Alabama. After trading away DJ Moore, the Panthers have entered rebuild mode and drafted an excellent young quarterback to develop for the future. However, the Panthers have one of the easiest schedules in the league with a 2022 combined win rate of 0.453. Even though they signed a veteran target in Adam Thielen for Young to throw to, the Panthers have one of the least talented rosters in the league and are poised for another top-10 pick in the 2024 draft.

The Houston Texans are one of the most interesting teams in the NFL right now. Ending 2022 with a 3-13-1 record, the Texans were granted the 2nd overall pick and drafted quarterback CJ Stroud. New additions in free agency such as Dalton Schultz and Devin Singletary will be extremely important because they are targets for Stroud. The Texans then surprised the league by trading with the Cardinals for the 3rd overall pick and drafting LOLB Will Anderson Jr., considered one of the most talented rookies. Drafting an offensive and defensive threat will make the Texans a lot more formidable on both sides of the ball. Even though the Texans are also rebuilding their team, they have one of the easiest schedules in the league with a combined win rate of 0.431 in 2022. I suspect that the Texans will have a better season than last year and their rookies will show progression, but in a tough division like the NFC South, they probably will not be creating a playoff berth.

The Colts had the 4th overall pick in the draft and they took Anthony Richardson. Proving on combine day to be one of the most athletically gifted quarterbacks ever, Richardson’s draft capital skyrocketed and he is one of my favorite prospects from this class. The Colts have an even easier schedule than the previous 2 teams, with a 2022 win rate of 0.434. Despite all of this, the Colts are an old team with very little talent on their roster and they are just starting to rebuild. Without making any big moves in free agency, I think the Colts are going to make another bottom 5 finish and will continue to rebuild around Richardson.

The Seattle Seahawks had the 5th and the 20th overall picks in the draft and they surprised everyone by taking cornerback Devon Witherspoon and Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Witherspoon is one of the most talented cornerbacks in this class but the Seahawks had already drafted a couple of cornerbacks last year, and with the return of Jamal Adams coming soon, the Seahawks have a lot of depth in their secondary. The Seahawks defensive line was their main issue last year because they were generating very little pressure and had a lot of trouble stopping the run; so while Jalen Carter and Tyree Wilson were on the board, it was very surprising to see them take Witherspoon. Additionally, the Seahawks drafted Smith-Njigba at 20. This wide receiver is another favorite of mine with tons of explosive plays in college; he’s a huge addition to the Seahawks’ wide receiver core, which features many threats already. The Seahawks have a difficult schedule ahead of them with a 2022 win rate of 0.517. I see a similar season to last year, with a possibility of a playoff berth. It will depend on how this squad matches up against more experienced teams and stronger rosters.

With the 6th overall pick, the Cardinals selected Paris Johnson (OT) after effectively trading down three slots. Johnson is one of the most talented prospects in the draft, but the position of interest seemed weird to me as the three-time DPOY winner JJ Watt had just retired. The defensive end is coming off a season where he generated 12.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. At this pick, choosing an edge rusher like Tyree Wilson was an obvious choice to replace Watt. Johnson, however, fills another position of need for the Cardinals in the offensive line. The Cardinals offensive line last year ranked 31st in PFF rankings and allowed Kyler Murray to be sacked 25 times in only 11 games. The team also re-signed Will Hernandez to the offensive line and drafted another guard, Jon Gaines, in the 4th round. Even with all these additions, I don’t see improvement in the Cardinals’ offensive line, and with the subsequent loss of Deandre Hopkins and JJ Watt, the Cardinals are poised to start a rebuild revolving around Kyler Murray. I see a similar season to last year with a possibility of a few more games won due to Kyler being healthy, but no playoff berth in a tough NFC West division.

The upcoming NFL season is sure to be one filled with spectacular games and upsets. I cannot wait to see which franchises triumph and which team will claim the Lombardi trophy this year. 

By Sidharth Nayar