2013 NFL Draft: First Round Full of Surprises, Steals
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; A general view of the stage before the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
It’s that moment football fans have been waiting for since the end of the 2012 season:
The first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
And as the draft got under way just a few hours ago, we’ve already seen our fair share of surprises and steals.
The first unexpected pick came right away, with the Kansas City Chiefs selecting Eric Fisher over Luke Joeckel as the No. 1 overall pick. Joeckel was consequently grabbed by the Jacksonville Jaguars directly after.
Another oddity came as the Dolphins traded up for the Raiders 3rd overall pick. Instead of trying to potentially replace Jake Long with former-Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson, they selected DE Dion Jordan out of Oregon.
There is no doubting the top DE’s athletic ability. However, it is certainly worth noting that shoulder injuries greatly limited his playing time during his senior year, which has created a lot more risk as such a high round pick. Perhaps it will pay off. Or perhaps the Raiders made a good decision on Draft day for once. Hey, it could happen.
Alabama’s former CB, Dee Milliner, was not selected until the Jets pick at No. 9 overall, after he was projected by many to go in the first five picks.
And then there was the Buffalo Bills’ pick. Well, most of us are still trying to figure out what the organization was thinking with selecting former FSU Quarterback, EJ Manuel. And you can bet Geno Smith was wondering the same thing in the other room.
The San Francisco 49ers sent chills down the backs of a few rival NFC West players as we watched the highlight reel of Eric Reid.
The Cincinnati Bengals strayed from selecting a safety, and went with the best value pick available to them in Tyler Eifert out of Notre Dame. The TE played a crucial part in the college chasing a BCS Championship berth last year and could see extended playing time on Cincinnati’s 2013 offense.
As the first round draws to an end, fans are already imagining the impact that their player will have for 2013. Whether that impact is good (Dee Milliner for the Jets) or bad (EJ Manuel for the Bills), well, I’ll leave that up to you to decide.
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