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31 Leadership Lessons From Round 1 Of The 2023 NFL Draft

on April 27, 2023 in NFL Draft

Tonight is one of my favorite events of the sports year, the annual selection meeting known as the NFL Draft.  I will be live blogging and providing updates throughout the evening.

My go-to for analysis will be ESPN’s Louis Riddick, Todd McShay, Booger MacFarland, and Mel Kiper.  The quotes I reference will be primarily from these individuals.  With that said, the following are the leadership lessons from the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft:

The Harder Person to Lead is Yourself, so Develop Self-Awareness

Let me tell you what you will not get from me – a Mock Draft or draft grades!  The reason is because it is reckless and ill-advised for me to tell other teams who they should be picking.  I do not know their culture, vision for their organization, grading process, schemes they are running, or biases based upon past selections.  Therefore, I will simply be gleaning the leadership lessons from the picks themselves.  For more my approach, see the video below from Rex Ryan and Michael Lombardi:

 

Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership, So You Better Select the Right Leader

By trading out of the first pick, the Chicago Bears have stated they feel Justin Fields will be a better professional quarterback than Bryce Young of Alabama.  Young is considered to have unique accuracy, pocket awareness, mental capacities, and poise.  Time will tell but this is a storyline which will be tracked for years to come.  Similarly, the leaders you select for your organization will be watched, analyzed, and determine your success moving forward.

For more on the leadership of Young read 10 Reasons Why Nick Saban Thinks Bryce Young Is A Special Leader.

Do Not Confuse Outliers with Staples

Speaking of Young, while he does possess a superlative skill set, there is no escaping his size.  Young stands 5′ 10″ and weights 194 lbs.  There is a small sample size of successful small quarterbacks in the modern NFL (see Drew Brees and Russell Wilson).  They physical demands of the position are just great to hold up over a long-period of time.

Successful leaders focus on staples (proven commodities) over outliers.  While the ceiling may not be as high, the floor certainly is.

Talent Evaluation is an Inexact Science

Earlier today, the Baltimore Ravens made quarterback Lamar Jackson the highest paid player in NFL history.  Since he agreed to his new contract on NFL Draft day, let’s revisit the quarterbacks selected ahead of him in Round 1 in the 2018 Draft:

  • Baker Mayfield – 1st pick overall to the Cleveland Browns (currently on his fourth team)
  • Sam Darnold – 3rd pick overall to the New York Jets (currently on his third team)
  • Josh Allen – 7th pick overall to the Buffalo Bills.  Franchise selection.
  • Josh Rosen – 10th pick overall to the Arizona Cardinals (has been on seven different rosters)
  • Lamar Jackson – Despite winning a Heisman Trophy was the 32nd pick, the last pick in Round 1 to the Baltimore Ravens.  Today he signed a five-year extension valued at $260 million.

The legendary Bill Walsh once said, “The hardest thing to do in football is to find coaches that can coach the quarterback, and it’s even harder to find ones that can evaluate them.”  Lamar Jackson would agree.

Now onto the picks themselves.

  1. Great Leaders Remain Calm During Chaos and Still Execute at a High Level – The Carolina Panthers select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young.  Riddick said, “They are uniquely setup to support a young quarterback.”  MacFarland added, “When there’s chaos can you stay calm and still deliver the ball?”
  2. Relationships are Critical to a Leader’s Success – The Houston Texans draft C.J. Stroud.  Riddick said, “If it’s going to be a quarterback you will want to go ahead and invest the time to make sure you have a great relationship.. have a rock solid plan for how you’re going to develop him.. Relationships matter.”
  3. Smart Organizations Know the Importance of Acquiring Talent and Pay Whatever Price is Necessary to do so.  The Texans moved up from #12 to #3 in the Draft.  The team then drafted Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama.  The two most important positions are the quarterback and the person who knocks down the quarterback.  The Cardinals will receive the No. 12 pick, the No. 33 pick and a future first and third round pick from the Texans.
  4. Potential means “You haven’t done anything yet.” – The Indianapolis Colts select Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.  Kiper said, “He will make your draft or break your heart.”  MacFarland on his only 13 starts said, “He hasn’t played enough football.”
  5. Great Leaders Produce Great Results – With the 5th pick, the Seattle Seahawks select Devon Witherspoon, cornerback from Illinois.  In press coverage, he allowed only one completion for -4 yards.
  6. Smart Organizations Protect Their Top Assets and Do Everything to Maximize Them – Arizona traded back up to #6 and drafted offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. of Ohio State to protect quarterback Kyler Murray.
  7. Successful Organizations Identify Needs and Find Solutions To Those Needs – The Las Vegas Raiders selected Tyree Wilson, defensive end of Texas Tech.  Last year, the Raiders ranked 27th out of 32 teams in sacks.  Wilson had the second most pressures in college football last season.
  8. The More Versatile You Are, The More Valuable You Are – With the 8th pick the Atlanta Falcons selected Bijon Robinson.  His college coach Steve Sarkisian said he was the best receiver on the team.
  9. Smart Organizations Build Strength On Strength – With the 9th pick the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles moved up one spot and selected the top-ranked player in the Draft, defensive tackle Jalen Carter to add to their already stout defensive line.
  10. The Best Leaders Make Others Better – A rising tide lifts all ships.  The Chicago Bears have traded back twice and now selected Darnell Wright, offensive tackle of Tennessee, with the 10th pick.  Wright dominated Will Anderson in their one-on-one matchup earlier this year.  Justin Fields just became a better quarterback.
  11. The Most Successful Leaders Master the Fundamentals of their Responsibilities – The Tennessee Titans were the only team who did not score 30 points in a game last season.  They were also 30th in receptions and receiving yards.  To help solve the problem the team drafted Peter Skoronski, offensive tackle from Northwestern.  Kiper said, “He is an excellent technician with great footwork.”
  12. Successful Leaders Think Outside The Box – With the 12th pick the Detroit Lions select runnng back Jahmyr Gibbs from Alabama.  It is unusual for a running back to go in the first round.  Now two have gone in the first twelve picks.
  13. All Leadership Is Temporary – Legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been traded to the Jets.  The first pick in the post-Aaron era is Lukas Van Ness, defensive end from Iowa.  The Packers still won’t pick an offensive player in the first round.
  14. Attitude Determines Your Altitude – The Pittsburgh Steelers moved up from pick #17 to #14 to select Broderick Jones, offensive tackle from Georgia.  Riddick said, “The number one thing he brings is attitude and the way he plays.”
  15. The Best Indicator Of Future Performance Is Past Performance – With their first pick in the Aaron-ear, the New York Jets select Will McDonald, linebacker from Iowa State.  New Team, Same Issue.  Aaron still can’t get a wide receiver picked in the first round pick.
  16. Intelligence Is A Leadership Skill – The Washington Commanders selected Emmanuel Forbes, defensive back from Mississippi State.  He had six pick-sixes for touchdowns, the most in college football history.  Kiper noted his knack for studying the game.
  17. Smart Organizations Select Talent Which Fits Their System – The New England then drafted Christian Gonzalez, cornerback from Oregon.  He will allow the Patriots to go back to playing more man-to-man defense.  One of Bill Belichick’s mantras is they are in the teambuilding business, not the talent collection business.
  18. Big Time Players Make Big Time Plays In Big Time Games – The Detroit Lions with their second pick in the first round selected Jack Campbell, linebacker from Iowa.  Campbell played his best in big games.  Kiper noted, “Minnesota 10 tackles, Michigan game 11 tackles, Illinois 12 tackles 6 solo, Ohio State 9 tackles and an interception.”
  19. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Calijah Kancey, defensive tackle from Pittsburgh.
  20. The Best Leaders Are Comfortable In Conflict – The Seattle Seahawks with their second pick of the first round selected Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.  Riddick said, “He can make contested catches.”
  21. Smart Leaders Never Get Comfortable – With the 21st pick the Los Angeles Chargers select wide receiver Quentin Johnston from TCU.  Kiper said regarding his body catches, “He became too comfortable catching the football.”
  22. Money Is Not Enough For The Best Leaders – What do you get the man who has $260 million?  How about another weapon?  The Baltimore Ravens added Boston College wide receiver Zay Flowers with the 22nd pick.
  23. Smart Leaders Notice Trends And React Accordingly – The Minnesota Vikings selected Jordan Addison, wide receiver of USC.  This is the fourth consecutive wide received selected.
  24. Successful Leaders Limit Unnecessary Mistakes – The New York Giants moved up one spot and drafted Deonte Banks, an explosive athlete from Maryland.  The defensive back did not allow a reception of over 30 yards all year.
  25. There Is A Difference Between Sensing Opportunity And Seizing It – The Buffalo Bills then traded up to select Dalton Kincaid, tight end from Utah.  Kincaid took advantage of the team’s starting tight end’s injury to become the first tight end selected in the Draft.
  26. Smart Players Play To Their Strengths – The Dallas Cowboys selected Mazi Smith, defensive tackle from Michigan.  MacFarland said, “I’ve never seen a man move a mountain and you’re looking at a mountain.”
  27. The Best Leaders Have A Developed Arsenal Of Skills – With the 30th pick the Philadelphia Eagles selected Nolan Smith.  This is one of my favorite picks in the Draft.  Think about a linebacker who runs a 4.3 – 40!  But MacFarland brought some good insight.  He said, “Here’s the thing he has to improve on, he’s got to get a countermove… What’s going to be your secondary move?  His pass rush arsenal has to be developed more.  If he can do that, he becomes scary as a rusher.”

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