Coming into the 2013 NFL Draft, nothing was certain. Up until the final second, it was not even positive who the first overall selection would be. In recent years, thanks to technology and social media, the number one pick was known days before the draft even started. However, this year was a different story. It came down to two players--Eric Fisher or Luke Joeckel.
Fisher was a quiet recruit out of high school. He worked his way through the ranks at Central Michigan using his freakish athletic ability for a man of his size.
Joeckel made his name blocking for the Heisman Trophy winner--Johnny "Football" Manziel. Joeckel consistently gave Manziel time in the pocket to make some of his patented highlight plays.
When it was time, the Kansas City Chiefs decided Eric Fisher was best for their future. This dropped Joeckel down to number two, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Joeckel will get the honors to be one of the first to wear the new Arena Football League-esque Jaguar jerseys and block for All-Pro running back Maurice Jones-Drew.
The Buffalo Bills traded the 8th selection to the St. Louis Rams. The Rams proceeded to select Tavon Austin, a wide receiver with blazing speed out of West Virginia. However, Austin's college teammate and quarterback Geno Smith sat in the green room waiting.....and waiting....and waiting. The Bills received the 16th pick from the Rams in the same trade. This is where Geno Smith goes, right? Wrong. The Bills selected quarterback out of Florida State University, E.J. Manuel.
The decision to take Manuel over Geno Smith was one of the most questionable decisions of day one. Manuel's height and speed give you something special and it is possible the Bills can mold him into something they want. Many experts had Manuel going in the second round. Very few saw him going this early, let alone ahead of Smith.
Smith was left alone in the green room at the end of day one, undrafted. He will head into day two expected to be selected within the first few picks. The Jaguars (33rd selection) , Eagles (35th), and Cardinals (38th) are most likely to try and snatch up Smith.
Smith was not the only one who had to wait longer than expected. Shariff Floyd, projected top-five defensive tackle out of Florida dropped all the way down to 23rd. The Minnesota Vikings couldn't pass up the gift from the football gods.
The Vikings would eventually trade with the Patriots for the 29th selection, and their 3rd of the first round. To this point, Manti Te'o had not been selected. The anticipation grew and grew. It seemed like forever until Goodell finally made his way up to the podium. Many people already had their tweets and articles written and ready to be posted -- "Manti Te'o avoids day one fallout, goes 29th overall to the Minnesota Vikings." It seemed like a sure thing. Yet, as this draft had done many times already, the Vikings shocked many and selected Cordarrelle Patterson, wide receiver out of Tennessee.
Let's back track a bit. With the 20th selection, the Chicago Bears selected Kyle Long out of Oregon, son of former NFL player Howie Long and brother and current St. Louis Rams defensive end Chris Long. Kyle, who was once a 23rd round selection in the MLB draft by the Chicago White Sox, had previously academically flunked out of Florida State. (Umm, how do you flunk out of FSU?) Long's problems didn't end there. He was also cited for a DUI. However, Long has turned his life around incredibly. He is about 4.5 years off of smoking and has built himself to be one of the top offensive linemen in the nation.
The Green Bay Packers held the 26th selection. They had two glaring needs. Running back and defensive back. With Alabama running back Eddie Lacy and FIU safety John Cyprien available, it seemed definite the Packers would go with either of those two. However, the Packers went a different way and selected Datone Jones, a defensive end from UCLA. This would be a pretty decent pick if not for Green Bay's other needs. With this, they decide to continue with running back by committee. James Starks simply will not cut it anymore, and Alex Green isn't a sure thing.
Jones will likely come in and get significant opportunities for the Packers. Can't hate the pick, as their defense does need work all around.
The Ravens picked Matt Elam, safety from Florida, to conclude day one of the first round the the 2013 NFL Draft.
Overall, one of the most mysterious and interesting drafts of recent memory. Because of the incredible uncertainty with nearly every pick, it was exciting to watch.
Notable Players Expected To Be Selected Day Two
Matt Barkley
Geno Smith
Manti Te'o
Tyler Wilson
Robert Woods
Eddie Lacy
We should all look forward to the next six rounds of the draft if it brings anything that today did.
