If you want to understand how chaotic the NFL can be, you just have to look back at the NFL 2013 draft results. Honestly, it was a mess. If you were a fan of a team needing a franchise quarterback that year, I’m sorry. You probably remember the sinking feeling of watching EJ Manuel go off the board as the first QB at pick 16. That’s not a knock on the guy, but when your first signal-caller goes in the middle of the first round, you know the talent pool is shallow.
The 2013 draft was basically a "Big Man" convention.
The first seven picks? All linemen. Every single one. Eric Fisher went number one to the Chiefs, followed immediately by Luke Joeckel to the Jaguars. It was a year where "safe" picks were the priority, yet somehow, many of those safe picks turned out to be anything but. We saw a draft where the Pro Bowlers were hiding in the third and fifth rounds while the top ten was littered with players who would be out of the league or bouncing around practice squads within four seasons.
The Top Heavy Offensive Line Experiment
Looking at the NFL 2013 draft results today, the top of the board looks like a graveyard of high expectations. The Kansas City Chiefs took Eric Fisher from Central Michigan. He had a solid career, sure. He won a Super Bowl. But was he a generational talent? Not really. Then you have Luke Joeckel at two and Dion Jordan at three. Jordan is often cited by analysts like those at Pro Football Focus as one of the biggest "what-ifs" or straight-up busts of the decade due to suspensions and injury issues.
It's wild to think that Lane Johnson, taken fourth by the Eagles, is arguably the only true superstar from that immediate top-five group. He’s still anchoring that Philly line over a decade later. While Fisher and Joeckel were the "consensus" top tackles, Johnson had the athleticism that actually translated into a Hall of Fame-caliber career.
Then came the Raiders at pick three—well, they traded down—and the Dolphins moved up to take Jordan. It was a frenzy for defensive ends and tackles. Ziggy Ansah went to Detroit at five. Barkevious Mingo went to Cleveland at six. It felt like NFL GMs were collectively terrified of skill position players. They just wanted guys who could push other guys.
The Quarterback Desert
Let’s talk about the quarterbacks because that’s where things get really grim.
Usually, the draft is defined by the arms. Not this time. After the Buffalo Bills took EJ Manuel, the league basically took a collective nap on the position. Geno Smith fell all the way to the second round, pick 39, to the Jets. I remember the cameras panning to Geno in the green room over and over. He looked miserable.
The rest of the class?
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- Mike Glennon (Round 3, Buccaneers)
- Matt Barkley (Round 4, Eagles)
- Ryan Nassib (Round 4, Giants)
- Tyler Wilson (Round 4, Raiders)
- Landry Jones (Round 4, Steelers)
Basically, a list of career backups. It’s funny, though, because Geno Smith ended up having the last laugh with his career resurgence in Seattle years later, proving that the NFL 2013 draft results weren't necessarily a lack of talent, but maybe a lack of the right situation for these guys to grow.
Where the Real Value Was Hiding
If you ignore the first round, the 2013 class actually looks decent. This is where the scouts earned their paychecks. While the big names at the top were fizzling out, future legends were being picked while fans were grabbing snacks or checking their phones.
Travis Kelce. Third round. Pick 63.
Think about that. The greatest receiving tight end of our generation was the 63rd person called. The Chiefs got a foundational piece of a dynasty in the third round after taking Eric Fisher first overall. If you swap those picks in a redraft, nobody bats an eye.
Then you have Tyrann Mathieu, the "Honey Badger." He went 69th to the Cardinals. There were concerns about his off-field stuff at LSU, but on the field, he was a defensive genius. Keenan Allen went 76th to the Chargers. Le'Veon Bell went 48th to the Steelers.
The middle of the NFL 2013 draft results was a gold mine for Pro Bowl talent.
- DeAndre Hopkins (Pick 27) - One of the few first-round skill players who actually lived up to the hype.
- Cordarrelle Patterson (Pick 29) - Maybe the best kick returner ever.
- Zach Ertz (Pick 35) - A target monster for the Eagles.
- Darius Slay (Pick 36) - A literal lockdown corner for years.
The First Round Flops
We have to be honest: the first round was pretty bad. Aside from Lane Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, many of these "blue chip" prospects disappeared quickly.
Jonathan Cooper went 7th to the Cardinals and struggled with injuries. Tavon Austin went 8th to the Rams; they tried so hard to make him the next Percy Harvin, but he never eclipsed 500 receiving yards in a single season. Dee Milliner was supposed to replace Darrelle Revis for the Jets at pick 9. He didn't.
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It was a year where the "eye test" failed a lot of people. Scouts loved the raw physicality of guys like Bjoern Werner (pick 24) or Datone Jones (pick 26), but the technical skill just wasn't there. It serves as a reminder that being a "workout warrior" doesn't mean you can play on Sundays.
Defensive Gems in Late Rounds
While the offense was top-heavy and disappointing, the defense had some serious staying power in the later rounds.
Take a look at Micah Hyde. He was picked in the 5th round, 159th overall by the Packers. He became an All-Pro safety. Jordan Poyer? He was a 7th rounder (218th overall) to the Eagles. He didn't even stick with the team that drafted him but ended up becoming half of the best safety duo in the league in Buffalo.
The Raiders found Latavius Murray in the 6th round. The Ravens found Kyle Juszczyk—the guy who basically kept the fullback position alive—in the 4th.
It’s almost like the league’s talent evaluators were looking at everything upside down that year. They overvalued the "safe" tackles and pass rushers at the top and missed the playmakers who had a "chip on their shoulder" further down the board.
The Legacy of the 2013 Class
When we evaluate NFL 2013 draft results, the legacy isn't about the guys who went 1-2-3. It's about the outliers. It’s the year that taught GMs not to reach for a quarterback just because they need one. If the talent isn't there, you're better off waiting.
It's also the year that redefined the value of the Tight End. Between Kelce, Ertz, and Jordan Reed (who was a beast when healthy), the 2013 class showed that the middle of the draft is where you find your offensive focal points.
Also, can we talk about the specialists? Sam Martin and Brett Kern were in this mix. Punters and kickers usually don't get much love, but in a draft this weird, they deserve a shoutout for actually staying in the league longer than the top-ten picks.
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Why We Still Talk About These Results
We talk about it because it's a cautionary tale.
Every time a draft class is labeled "weak," fans panic. In 2013, the labels were right. It was a weak class at the top. But it was also a masterclass in why you don't trade away your mid-round picks. Those 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounders are the guys who fill out a roster and, occasionally, become the face of your franchise.
If your team was the one that took Dion Jordan or Matt Elam, you're probably still annoyed. But if you were the Chiefs, landing Eric Fisher and Travis Kelce? You basically built the skeleton of a championship team in one weekend, even if the "main event" (Fisher) wasn't a superstar.
Identifying Value in Your Own Analysis
If you're looking back at these stats to settle a debate or research for a fantasy league/dynasty deep-dive, here is what you should actually take away from the 2013 data:
- Don't overvalue "Safe" Linemen: A high-floor tackle like Luke Joeckel can still fall through the floor if the scheme doesn't fit.
- Small School Stars: Eric Fisher (Central Michigan) and Ziggy Ansah (BYU) going so high showed that the NFL was becoming more willing to look outside the Power 5 for elite traits.
- The Quarterback Wait: If the first QB doesn't go until 16, it’s a sign to look for value elsewhere. The 2013 Jets taking Geno Smith in the second was a much better "value play" than the Bills taking Manuel in the first, even if both had bumpy roads.
Quick Actions for Researching Draft History
- Check the Pro-Football-Reference "Approximate Value" (AV) scores: This is the best way to see who actually contributed. For 2013, Travis Kelce and Lane Johnson lead the pack by a mile.
- Look at the Trades: The 2013 draft had a ton of movement. The Bills trading down from 8 to 16 to get Manuel and extra picks is a classic example of "playing the board," even if the player didn't pan out.
- Watch the "Gruden's QB Camp" episodes from that year: It’s a hilarious time capsule. Seeing Jon Gruden try to hype up this specific QB class knowing what we know now is peak sports entertainment.
The NFL 2013 draft results serve as a permanent reminder: nobody actually knows anything. We can project, we can measure wingspans, and we can run 40-yard dashes, but until the pads come on in a real NFL game, it's all just educated guessing.
The 2013 class was a "bad" year that produced some of the greatest players to ever play their positions. That’s the beauty of the draft. It’s a gamble, and in 2013, the house didn't always win.
Next Steps for Fans and Analysts
If you're digging into historical draft data, your next move should be to compare the 2013 "bust rate" in the top ten to the 2011 or 2014 classes. You’ll find that 2013 was a statistical anomaly in how poorly the top-end talent performed relative to the middle rounds. Check the All-Pro rosters from 2016-2020; you’ll see the 2013 mid-rounders all over them. Use this to temper your expectations for the next "weak" draft class—the stars are always there; they're just wearing jerseys you don't recognize yet.