NFL draft 2023 takeaways: A run on QBs and the rebuilt AFC South - ESPN

Two things were certain heading into the 2023 NFL draft: Bryce Young would be drafted No. 1 by the Carolina Panthers, and everything else would be chaos.

Check and check.

The other thing that's certain now that the draft is over: The AFC South is at the dawn of a new era.

The Jacksonville Jaguars won the division in 2022 after back-to-back No. 1 picks in 2021 and 2022, but the other three teams made significant moves throughout the 2023 draft to close the gap.

The Houston Texans traded with the Arizona Cardinals to make back-to-back picks at No. 2 and No. 3, securing future leaders for first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans on both sides of the ball in Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud and Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. The Indianapolis Colts weren't far behind, drafting Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall.

And as for the Tennessee Titans, first-year general manager Ran Carthon made a shrewd move to trade up and snag Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, widely projected to be a first-round pick, with the No. 33 overall selection.

Once alone in their post-rebuild success, the Jaguars look to have competition as the rest of the division adds foundational players.

Some other takeaways from three eventful days in Kansas City:

A year ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Kenny Pickett as the lone first-round quarterback and the only one selected in the first 73 picks; but this time around, a stronger quarterback class rebounded in a big way. Led by Young (Panthers), three quarterbacks were taken in the first four picks including Ohio State's Stroud (Texans) and Florida's Richardson (Colts). Levis, projected by many draft prognosticators as a top-10 pick, fell to the second round, where he was scooped up by