Draft rewind: Bringing order to a surprising 2013 first round
Draft rewind: Bringing order to a surprising 2013 first round
The 2013 NFL Draft lacked a superstar name at the top. There were no franchise-changing quarterbacks like Peyton and Eli Manning, Andrew Luck, Cam Newton or Matthew Stafford, or other skill position stars like Marshall Faulk or Antonio Brown.
The unpredictable start of the draft was dominated by players on the offensive and defensive lines, some who were dominant and others who are already out of football for one reason or another. Here is my attempt to bring order to a crazy first round.
No. 1 (Chiefs) Actual pick – Eric Fisher, T Redraft – Fisher
The Mid-American Conference is not usually a source for premier NFL talent (despite the success of former Miami of Ohio quarterback Ben Roethlisberger), but the Chiefs were enamored by the All-American from Central Michigan. Fisher has been a solid starter at left tackle since his selection, although he missed time earlier in 2019 due to a groin injury. He has played 97 games as the protector of Kansas City’s quarterbacks and made his only Pro Bowl after the 2018 season.
No. 2 (Jaguars) Actual pick – Luke Joeckel, T Redraft – Lane Johnson, T
Joeckel was in the discussion to be the top pick, but instead went second. He missed time in his rookie season due to an ankle injury and also lost 12 games in 2016 after knee surgery. He spent one season in Seattle in 2017, but has not played in the NFL since. Johnson was suspended 10 games in 2016 for PEDs, but he is a two-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro and a Super Bowl starter with the Eagles in the 2017 season.
No. 3 (Dolphins) Actual pick – Dion Jordan, DE Redraft – Ezekiel Ansah, DE
Oakland traded this selection to Miami for picks 12 and 42. Jordan had trouble with performance-enhancing substances, highlighted by a full-season suspension in 2016 and a 10-game ban for the use of Adderall in 2019. Ansah had 48 sacks over six seasons in Detroit, including 14½ in his Pro Bowl season in 2015. After losing most of 2018 with a shoulder injury, he signed with Seattle. He has 50½ sacks, most among drafted players.
No. 4 (Eagles) Actual pick – Lane Johnson, T Redraft – Zach Ertz, TE
Johnson was taken earlier, so the Eagles grab the two-time Pro Bowl tight end they originally selected at pick 35. Ertz put himself in the conversation for best in the league at the position after a 116-catch, 1,163-yard season in 2018. He had seven receptions for 67 yards and a touchdown in Philadelphia’s victory over New England in Super Bowl LII.
No. 5 (Lions) Actual pick – Ezekiel Ansah, DE Redraft – DeAndre Hopkins, WR
The Lions had a nice set of skill players in Stafford, Reggie Bush and Calvin Johnson, but their other starting receiver, Kris Durham, left something to be desired. With Ansah already selected, Detroit grabs Hopkins, who tops all drafted players with 609 catches, 8,276 yards and 53 touchdowns. He is a three-time Pro Bowler and has been selected as an All-Pro the past two seasons. Hopkins has four 1,000-yard seasons and led the NFL with 13 touchdowns in 2017.
No. 6 (Browns) Actual pick – Barkevious Mingo, DE/LB Redraft – Jamie Collins, LB
Mingo won a Super Bowl with the Patriots in Super Bowl LI, but he has spent most of his time as a reserve and only amassed 10 sacks (five as a rookie). Collins was drafted 52nd by the Patriots, then made a reverse journey from Mingo, going instead from New England to Cleveland via trade in 2016. He was a Pro Bowler in 2015 after leading the league with five forced fumbles, and he had three seasons with 100 or more tackles.
No. 7 (Cardinals) Actual pick – Jonathan Cooper, G Redraft – Kyle Long, G
Cooper is the definition of a journeyman. He has only played 46 games, spent time on seven different rosters and currently is a free agent. Long made the Pro Bowl in his first three seasons, but injuries have slowed him recently. Problems with his labrum and triceps (2016), foot (2018) and hip (2019) are the culprits.
No. 8 (Rams) Actual pick – Tavon Austin, WR Redraft – Adam Thielen, WR
Buffalo traded picks 8 and 71 to St. Louis for 16, 46, 78 and 222. Austin has been a jack-of-all-trades with the Rams and Cowboys. The “Pocket Rocket” is dangerous as a rusher, receiver and punt returner, but he was mostly used as a reserve. Instead, the Rams choose Thielen, who went from being an undrafted player from Minnesota State to one who had two 1,000-yard campaigns that resulted in Pro Bowl selections.
No. 9 (Jets) Actual pick – Dee Milliner, CB Redraft – Xavier Rhodes, CB
Milliner started as a rookie but was benched three times. He missed most of 2014 with an Achilles tendon injury, and wrist surgery the following year basically ended his career. Rhodes is a two-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2017. He has 10 interceptions (five in 2016) and 356 tackles in seven seasons with the Vikings.
No. 10 (Titans) Actual pick – Chance Warmack, G Redraft – Larry Warford, G
Warmack won a title with the Eagles in Super Bowl LII, but he has not played so far this season. Warford made 98 starts, is a two-time Pro Bowler and started for the Saints in the 2018 NFC Championship Game.
No. 11 (Chargers) Actual pick – D. J. Fluker, T Redraft – Keenan Allen, WR
Fluker has played in 87 games for three teams, but missed time due to toe and ankle injuries recently. The Chargers took Allen in the third round and he rewarded them with three 1,000-yard seasons and two Pro Bowl selections. After missing 15 games in 2016 due to a torn ACL, he was named Comeback Player of the Year.
No. 12 (Raiders) Actual pick – D. J. Hayden, CB Redraft – Le’Veon Bell, RB
After getting this pick from Miami, Oakland selected Hayden, who is still in the league but has only four career interceptions and has been mostly a bench player. Bell, who was selected by the Steelers in the second round, would be a step up from the Rashad Jennings-Darren McFadden combination the Raiders used in 2013. Despite sitting out in 2018, Bell is a three-time Pro Bowler, and a two-time All-Pro who also has three 1,000-yard seasons.
No. 13 (Jets) Actual pick – Sheldon Richardson, DT Redraft – Richardson
The Buccaneers traded this pick and a 2014 4th rounder to the Jets for Darrelle Revis. Richardson was named the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering 3½ sacks in 2013, then posted a career-high eight sacks the following year as he made his only Pro Bowl. He is third among drafted players with 25½ career sacks. The one strike against Richardson is that he has played for a different team in each of the past four seasons.
No. 14 (Panthers) Actual pick – Star Lotulelei, DT Redraft – Kawann Short, DE
Lotulelei has 13½ career sacks with Buffalo and Carolina. The Panthers drafted Short in the second round, and his 32½ sacks rank second in the draft. His two Pro Bowls include 2015, when he registered a career-high 11 sacks. Short started alongside Lotulelei for the Panthers in a Super Bowl 50 loss to the Broncos.
No. 15 (Saints) Actual pick – Kenny Vaccaro, S Redraft – Darius Slay, S
Vaccaro has played in 92 games with the Saints and Titans, totaling 500 tackles, 10½ sacks, and nine interceptions. Slay, who was selected by the Lions early in the second round, is a two-time Pro Bowler and a 2018 All-Pro. His 19 picks are the most among drafted players and include a league-high eight in 2017.
No. 16 (Bills) Actual pick – EJ Manuel, QB Redraft – Travis Kelce, TE
Manuel was seen as the best of a lackluster quarterback class that also included Geno Smith, Mike Glennon, and Matt Barkley. He had a 6-12 record as a starter and has not played since 2017. Despite possibly having to start Thaddeus Lewis, the Bills could improve on Lee Smith and Scott Chandler at tight end. Kelce joins Ertz and George Kittle in the battle for the league’s best at the position. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who is second among drafted players with 6,069 yards and 36 touchdowns.
No. 17 (Steelers) Actual pick – Jarvis Jones, LB Redraft – Alec Ogletree, LB
Jones played just 50 games in four seasons before signing with the Cardinals, who released him during the preseason with an injury settlement due to a disc issue in his back that turned out to be spinal stenosis. Ogletree has not made a Pro Bowl, but he tops all drafted players with 457 solo tackles. He also has 7½ sacks and 12 interceptions, with four returned for touchdowns.
No. 18 (49ers) Actual pick – Ed Reid, S Redraft – Micah Hyde, S
Dallas traded this selection to San Francisco for picks 31 and 74. Reid was a Pro Bowler after amassing 91 tackles and four interceptions as a rookie, but he gets a bad rap for kneeling to protest the National Anthem and supporting Colin Kaepernick. Hyde was drafted by the Packers in the fifth round and earned his lone Pro Bowl selection after picking off five passes for the Bills in 2017. He has 16 interceptions in 106 career games.
No. 19 (Giants) Actual pick – Justin Pugh, T Redraft – David Bakhtiari, T
Pugh started at both tackle and guard in his first four seasons before missing time the past two seasons with a sprained MCL and a back injury. Bakhtiari was a Pro Bowler in 2016 and an All-Pro last year. He has played in 101 games and was a starter for Green Bay in the 2016 NFC Championship Game.
No. 20 (Bears) Actual pick – Kyle Long, G Redraft – Star Lotulelei, DT
Long is gone at this point, so the Bears improve their defense with Lotulelei, who has 179 tackles and seven passes defended in 104 games.
No. 21 (Bengals) Actual pick – Tyler Eifert, TE Redraft – Eifert
With both Ertz and Kelce already taken, the Bengals stay with Eifert, despite Jordan Reed having the better numbers. Eifert earned his only Pro Bowl selection in 2015 after registering career highs with 52 catches, 615 yards, and 13 touchdowns.
No. 22 (Falcons) Actual pick – Desmond Trufant, CB Redraft – Trufant
The selection was originally owned by the Redskins, who sent it to the Rams as part of the Robert Griffin III trade in 2012. St. Louis moved the pick, along with 227, to Atlanta for 30, 92 and 198. Trufant has amassed 325 tackles and 13 interceptions. He was a Pro Bowler in 2015, but missed nearly half of the 2016 season after shoulder surgery, which left him out when the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI.
No. 23 (Vikings) Actual pick – Sharrif Floyd, DT Redraft – Brandon Williams, DT
Floyd was an All-American in high school and college, but he missed most of the 2016 season with a knee injury, which he found out through surgery was nerve damage. He has not played in the past two years. Williams only has 6½ sacks in seven seasons, but he made the Pro Bowl with the Ravens in 2018.
No. 24 (Colts) Actual pick – Bjorn Werner, DE Redraft – Latavius Murray, RB
The German-born Werner had 6½ sacks over 38 games in three seasons before retiring in early 2016. He now works as an NFL analyst for a German television station. Murray would be a blessing for the Colts, who were using a running back committee of draft bust Trent Richardson, along with Donald Brown and Ahmad Bradshaw, in 2013. Murray’s 39 touchdowns are the most among drafted players, and his 4,162 yards ranks second behind Bell. He was originally selected by the Raiders in the sixth round and he ran for a career-high 1,066 yards in 2015.
No. 25 (Vikings) Actual pick – Xavier Rhodes, CB Redraft – C. J. Anderson, RB
Seattle traded picks 25 and 214, along with a 2014 third-rounder, to Minnesota for wide receiver Percy Harvin. Rhodes was already taken, so the Vikings could draft Anderson to spell 2012 MVP Adrian Peterson (and also start in his place after he faced child abuse allegations in 2014). Anderson, who was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent, backed up Knowshon Moreno as a rookie before making a Pro Bowl the following year. He rushed for a career-high 1,007 yards with Denver in 2017, then played in Super Bowl LIII with the Rams last season.
No. 26 (Packers) Actual pick – Datone Jones, DE Redraft – Tyrann Mathieu, S
Jones has more sacks (10) than career starts (nine). He missed most of the past two seasons with shoulder and hamstring injuries and has not played yet in 2019. Mathieu, who was selected by the Cardinals in the third round, would take over for M. D. Jennings, who left Green Bay after the season. The “Honey Badger” was an All-Pro and a Pro Bowler in 2015 after amassing a career-high five interceptions.
No. 27 (Texans) Actual pick – DeAndre Hopkins, WR Redraft – Kenny Stills, WR
With the top three receivers (Hopkins, Allen and Thielen) off the board, Houston’s pick comes down to Robert Woods, who has more yards and Kenny Stills, who has more touchdowns. Stills, a current Texan who was originally a fifth-round pick of the Saints, gets the nod thanks to 33 career scores and three seasons with more than 700 yards.
No. 28 (Broncos) Actual pick – Sylvester Williams, DT Redraft – Eddie Lacy, RB
Williams played in 93 games with five teams and was a part of Denver’s championship team in Super Bowl 50. The Broncos are usually really good picking running backs and Lacy would have been no exception. Originally a late second-round pick by Green Bay, Lacy earned a Pro Bowl spot and was named Offensive Rookie of the Year after running for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns. He followed that with a 1,139-yard, nine-score campaign in 2014.
No. 29 (Vikings) Actual pick – Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Redraft – Patterson
Minnesota received a haul (picks 52, 83, 102 and 229) for this selection. Like Austin, Patterson excelled as a rusher, receiver and returner, earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors as a rookie and again in 2016. The champion with the Patriots in Super Bowl LIII has two 1,000-yard seasons as a kick returner.
No. 30 (Rams) Actual pick – Alec Ogletree, LB Redraft – Kiko Alonso, LB
After trading for this pick, the Rams selected Alonso, who was originally drafted in the second round by the Bills. Alonso was the Pro Football Writers selection for Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering 159 tackles, four interceptions and two sacks. He missed all of 2014 after tearing his ACL, but went on to record three more 100-tackle seasons.
No. 31 (Cowboys) Actual pick – Travis Frederick, C Redraft – Frederick
Dallas acquired this pick earlier from San Francisco. Frederick is as sturdy as they come. He is a four-time Pro Bowler and a 2016 All-Pro. He has played every single offensive snap (5,972 so far) when he has been active. Unfortunately, he lost all of the 2018 season because of Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune disorder that causes severe muscle weakness.
No. 32 (Ravens) Actual pick – Matt Elam, S Redraft – Eric Reid, S
Elam had a strong rookie season and an inconsistent second year before he missed all of 2015 with a torn bicep. After one more season, Elam was arrested twice in 2017, once in February for possession of marijuana and oxycodone and again in May for battery and theft during a dispute with his girlfriend (the charges were later dropped). Reid has totaled 485 tackles, 11 interceptions, five sacks and five fumble recoveries in seven seasons with the 49ers and Panthers.
Other draft picks to make Pro Bowl that weren’t in the redraft: Terron Armstead, T (75th by the Saints, Pro Bowl in 2018); Jordan Reed, TE (85th by the Redskins, Pro Bowl in 2016); Kyle Jaszczyk, FB (130th by the Ravens, Pro Bowler in 2016 with Baltimore and ’17 and ’18 with San Francisco); Brynden Trawick, S (undrafted, signed by the Ravens, Pro Bowl was a special teams player with the Titans in 2017); A. J. Bouye, CB (undrafted, signed by the Texans, Pro Bowl in 2017); Jason Myers, K (undrafted, signed by the Jaguars, Pro Bowler in 2018 with the Jets); Jack Doyle, TE (undrafted, signed by the Titans, Pro Bowl in 2017 with the Colts).
Next: Sifting through defensive stars to rewrite the 2014 Draft.
-By: Kevin Rakas
Writer