NFL All-Rookie Team: C.J. Stroud and other 2023 draft picks who excelled this season

It’s impossible to hand out complete NFL Draft grades the day players are picked, as full context — multiple seasons’ worth — is needed for an exercise like that. However, we can do our best to chart progress along the way.

Which brings us to our 2023 All-Rookie Team. Our NFL Draft staff voted, position by position, on the standouts from the ’23 class. Who led the way in Year One?

(* Designates a unanimous selection)

Runner-up: Bryce Young
Honorable mentions: Will Levis, Aidan O’Connell

No mystery here: Stroud was the top rookie in the NFL this season. One year in the league and Stroud already has more playoff wins than Justin Herbert, Tua Tagovailoa and Derek Carr. His 273.9 passing yards per game led the league — Josh Allen has reached that number just once in his six NFL seasons.

Aside from the stats and records, Stroud’s ability to play at such a high level versus NFL speed leaves you believing that he can be one of the game’s best quarterbacks sooner rather than later. — Dane Brugler

Runner-up: Bijan Robinson
Honorable mentions: Zach Charbonnet, Emari Demercado, Roschon Johnson

I’ll admit to having been wrong about what Gibbs was capable of in his rookie campaign. He accumulated more than 230 touches and 1,200 yards of total offense, an impressive workload for an undersized back. He’s still a boom/bust kind of back, but his change of pace has fueled Detroit’s explosive run game.

Miami’s Achane ranked third in rushing yards among rookies, despite having just 103 carries and missing time due to a toe injury. He’s one of two rookie RBs (Keaton Mitchell being the other) with a positive total EPA as a rusher, and his speed can break open games. — Diante Lee

Runner-up: Jordan Addison
Honorable mentions: Tank Dell, Josh Downs, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Dontayvion Wicks

In almost any other rookie class, Nacua would be the runaway NFL Rookie of the Year. After setting rookie records for receiving yards (1,486) and receptions (105) during the regular season, he went out and posted the single-game rookie record for receiving yards in a playoff game (182 yards vs. Detroit). Nacua’s route athleticism and ability to play through contact created instant chemistry with Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

The main reason he fell to the fifth round was the question about his durability, but he produced at a high level in 2023 even when banged up. — Brugler

Runner-up: Dalton Kincaid
Honorable mentions: Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft

The 2023 draft featured one of the best TE groups we’ve seen in years. In the end, it was LaPorta alone out front. He set the NFL record for receptions by a rookie TE (86) and was a perfect fit as a blocker in Detroit’s run game. The best part about his game is that he’s a unique blend of every standout Iowa tight end of recent memory: great route runner, great blocker, great hands, great in space.

Don’t sleep on the others here, though. Players like Kincaid and Musgrave can definitely hang. — Nick Baumgardner

Runners-up: Anton Harrison, Dawand Jones
Honorable mentions: Cody Mauch, O’Cyrus Torrence, Darnell Wright

Avila was one of my favorite line prospects a year ago, from a dependability and versatility standpoint. He started at center, guard, tackle — had TCU needed him to drive the bus, he’d have done that, too. His presence with the Rams helped changed that offense. It was proof of what a quality offensive lineman can do.

Johnson remains a player to watch for a budding young club. The former Ohio State standout played his best ball for the Cardinals down the stretch. — Baumgardner

Runner-up: YaYa Diaby
Honorable mentions: Derick Hall, Tyree Wilson, Lukas Van Ness

Anderson was worth every bit of what the Texans traded to move up for him, and he proved himself a winning player in big games. Anderson’s 16-percent pressure rate led all rookies with 100-plus snaps on the edge, and his seven sacks ranked second. Expect a long career of wrecking games for the relentless edge rusher.

Young was a surprise of the 2023 class, and his play was emblematic of a Rams defense that valiantly fought above its weight class all year long. He led rookie edge rushers with eight sacks and 21 hits on the QB. Tuipulotu’s 4.5 sacks ranked fourth among rookies, and his run defense was a major help for a struggling Chargers defense. — Lee

Runner-up: Dante Stills
Honorable mentions: Bryan Bresee, Keeanu Benton, Karl Brooks, Calijah Kancey

Raheem Morris’ head coaching interviews should be one long reel of his young players contributing to the Rams’ playoff run. Turner was an incredible interior rusher, using his quick twitch, hand fighting and flexibility to produce in the backfield to the tune of nine sacks — best among all rookie defensive players. If he can continue to grow and learn from future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald, Turner can be one of the better DTs in the league.

Carter’s production tapered off during Philadelphia’s late-season slide, but he still was one of just four DTs with 100-plus snaps and a pressure rate of 10 percent or better. He also joined Turner as the only DTs with five or more sacks. Carter’s athletic prowess speaks for itself — he’s a natural pass rusher — but he can stay at the top of his class’ defensive players if he buys in on run defense. — Lee

Runner-up: Henry To’oTo’o
Honorable mentions: Dorian Williams, Nick Herbig

As expected with a weak linebacker draft class, we saw a lackluster showing by this group as a whole in 2023.

I was higher than most on Pace when I stamped him with a fourth-round grade, but it was still surprising to see him go undrafted given his college tape and production. The Vikings certainly benefited. Pace rookie finished with 102 tackles and a pair of turnovers (one interception, one forced fumble), while playing in every game. Not only did he start on defense, Pace was a core special-teamer, as well. — Brugler

Runners-up: Deonte Banks, Mekhi Blackmon
Honorable mentions: Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Christian Gonzalez, Julius Brents

This position was a little more wide open than most, but Witherspoon was the first cornerback drafted and lived up to expectations as a rookie. He was one of only six NFL players with 16-plus passes defended during the regular season. He also returned his lone interception 97 yards for a touchdown.

Although Stevenson’s tape had much more variance, he also finished with 16 passes defended and led all rookies with four interceptions. He also “led” all rookies with nine touchdowns allowed. Throw in Porter and the group of honorable mentions, and this looks like a promising group of corners. — Brugler

Runners-up: Christian Izien, Sydney Brown, Jordan Howden
Honorable mentions: DeMarcco Hellams, Ji’Ayir Brown, Kaevon Merriweather, Marte Mapu

Branch started red hot for the Lions before cooling off a bit due to injury, but he rebounded to finish strong. By the end of the regular season, the rookie from Alabama had emerged as one of the league’s most impactful slot corners. He allowed just .96 yards per snap in the slot.

Battle, another former Alabama DB, was outstanding during the second half of the season. He started the final seven games for the Bengals and was a force in the run game and in coverage. — Baumgardner

Runner-up: Jake Moody
Honorable mentions: Blake Grupe, Chad Ryland

Aubrey couldn’t complete the perfect regular season for Dallas — the 28-year-old former soccer player made his first 35 field-goal attempts before Washington blocked one in Week 18. He still finished 36-of-38 on the year (and 49-of-52) on field goals, including a perfect 10-for-10 performance from beyond 50 yards. — Chris Burke

Runners-up: Brad Robbins, Lou Hedley
Honorable mentions: Ethan Evans

Split vote here, in one of the few categories that didn’t have a runaway winner (or winners). What pushed Baringer to the top was his knack for pinning opponents inside their own 20. He did so a league-best 38 times in his rookie season in New England, while averaging 46.9 yards per punt.

Evans’ 49.2-yard average was a top-10 mark in the league, but he was one of the NFL’s worst at 38.4 net yards per attempt. — Burke

Runner-up: Derius Davis
Honorable mentions: Xavier Gipson, Jerrick Reed II

Davis made a serious push to unseat Mims, our midseason All-Rookie special teams player. At 16.0 yards per punt return, Davis actually led the entire league in that category and added 374 kick-return yards.

Mims, though, accounted for 702 combined return yards on the season for Denver, highlighted by his 99-yard kick return touchdown in Week 3 at Miami. His 26.5-yard average on kick returns was among the best in the NFL, and he posted 1,116 all-purpose yards as a rookie.

(Photos of Jalen Carter, C.J. Stroud and Jahmyr Gibbs: Mitchell Leff, Lauren Leigh Bacho and Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)