Keeping up with the latest trends is a right of passage in the NFL, if the first round of the 2023 Draft is any indication.
On Thursday, dozens of prospects were on sight at Union Station Kansas City waiting to hear their name called by commissioner Roger Goodell. But showing up wasn’t enough. Many of them rose to the occasion with stylish and even personalized suits.
At the top of the list was No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young who went for a more muted mauve suit. The newest addition to the Carolina Panthers seemed to coordinate with his former head coach, Nick Saban, who was in Kansas City sporting a pink suit.
While stylist Brandon Gaston took issue with some of Young’s accessorizing, he pointed out that being the No. 1 pick basically gives him free rein for creative liberty.
“The No. 1 pick, you can get away with whatever you want to do,” he said.
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Behind Young was fellow quarterback C.J. Stroud out of Ohio State. Stroud strutted on stage in a blue suit when called by the Houston Texans with the No. 2 pick.
The sporadic splatter proved to be quite divisive on Twitter, but as Gaston pointed out, it was necessary to elevate an otherwise plain suit.
“Now he does have the paint splatter, which I'm not a fan,” Gaston said. “But otherwise it would just be a blue suit, right? So he probably need a little bit extra to give it, you know, a little bit more elevation, make it a little bit more fun.”
Within the first two picks, Gaston declared double-breasted jackets the “theme of the night.”
Several picks later, Jalen Carter provided a bolder take on the pink/purple color scheme. Carter will be trading in the lilac for green when he joins the Philadelphia Eagles this season.
“A lot … kind of played it safe so he tried it,” Gaston said. “And again, you can stand out. … It is April right now. So you can, in fact, try color. He gave an option for that. And some of you can see this summer if you want to try it out yourself.”
According to Gaston, white is the safest option when considering suit color and Cardinals offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. clearly got the memo when he was called with the No. 6 pick.
“White is probably the safest, but also the boldest statement at the same time,” Gaston said. “You can't really go wrong with the all-white as far as making a statement.”
That said, not even Johnson got out unscathed. He was spotted with his cell phone in his front pocket, a major fashion faux pas for Gaston.
“I know they're probably on the phone the entire time. Put it in the jacket, right? Tuck it away,” he said. “No one wants to see an image. where you have your phone in your full pocket.”
Another first-round pick that added a twist to the classic white suit was Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The former Oregon product is half Colombian and demonstrated that with pride when he heard his name called with the 17th pick.
Perhaps Gaston’s highest grade of the night went to a player who got lots of airtime, but not for the reason they were hoping. Kentucky quarterback Will Levis, once in the mix to be the top overall pick, fell out of the first round entirely and will now return Friday with the hopes of hearing his name called.
While the night was generally a disappointment for Levis, he earned points for his blue suit. The complete look featured a little bit of print in both the suit and tie, along with cuff links to create an “excellent look,” according to Gaston.
“These are one of these looks that can transition outside of the NFL draft,” Gaston said of Levis’ choice. “For the draft, it's a little bit subdued, but again, he has the print … and the suit fits immaculate.”
