Why are there 31 picks in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft?
Usually, there are 32 picks made in the first round of the NFL Draft, one for each of the 32 teams in the National Football League, but that wasn't the case for the 2023 draft. This year, there were just 31 picks made in the opening round after the Miami Dolphins had their Round 1 pick taken away for violating NFL rules relating to the integrity of the game, the league announced.
After a six-month investigation that came to an end last summer, the NFL said that the Dolphins — in the form of team owner Stephen Ross and vice chairman and limited partner Bruce Beal — violated the league's anti-tampering policy three times from 2019 to 2022 by having conversations with quarterback Tom Brady and the agent for then-Saints coach Sean Payton.
Related: Complete list of Round 1 picks at 2023 NFL Draft
As a result, the NFL took away the Dolphins' first round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, as well as their third round pick this year. The league also fined the Dolphins owner $1.5 million and suspended him through last October. Beal was fined $500,000.
The NFL's investigation found that Beal led an impermissible communication with Brady, then the quarterback of the New England Patriots, while he was still under contract, and that Ross and other Dolphins personnel were informed of the talks.
More: 2023 NFL Draft picks by college football team, conference
Ross and Beal tampered with Brady again after the 2021 season, when the quarterback was under contract to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with that conversation around Brady becoming a limited partner and potentially a football executive, in addition to the possibility of him playing for the Dolphins.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said the league's findings were "unprecedented."
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