DUD OF A DRAFT
Teams still smarting over the bust-littered 2013 class.
It’s been nearly four years since the 2013 NFL draft, which gives us plenty of time to evaluate the talent that came out of it. But a very quick study of the selections makes it abundantly clear that the draft four years ago was one of the worst in recent memory.
Take, for instance, the quarterbacks selected that year. Only Landry Jones plays for the team that drafted him, and it’s a backup who only sees the field when Ben Roethlisberger gets hurt.
On Monday, EJ Manuel signed with the Oakland Raiders, meaning zero players from the Buffalo Bills’ draft class in 2013 remain on the team (Buffalo did trade second-round pick Kiko Alonso to the Eagles in exchange for running back LeSean McCoy in 2015, and McCoy has been pretty good for the Bills the last two seasons, so there’s that). The same can be said for the Jacksonville Jaguars: None of the players they selected in 2013 are under contract with the team, including second overall pick Luke Joeckel, who lost a good chunk of two seasons to injury and was ineffectual in the other two. Earlier this month, he signed a free-agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks.
The Texans got wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, a 2015 Pro Bowl selection with the 27th pick, but only have one other player remaining from the 2013 draft: tight end Ryan Griffin, a sixth-round pick who recently re-signed with the team. Four of Houston’s picks never played a game for the Texans, including offensive lineman David Quessenberry, who was sidelined while battling cancer.
In all, reportsthe Florida Times Union, 30 of the first 64 picks from the 2013 draft either no longer play for the team that drafted them or didn’t play in the league at all last season. That’s 47 percent. From the first round alone, 15 of 32 selections have moved on to their second or — in the case of No. 6 pick Barkevious Mingo and No. 7 selection Jonathan Cooper — third teams.
Here’s the top 10 from 2013:
1. Chiefs: OT Eric Fisher.
He’s become a mainstay of Kansas City’s offensive line but never has truly excelled, either, at least not the way you want a No. 1 overall pick to excel. According to the career Approximate Value stat — which measures a player’s total contribution to his team — Fisher has been just the fifthbest offensive lineman taken in the 2013
draft. Again, he was the No. 1 overall pick.
2. Jaguars: OT Luke Joeckel.
Injured and ineffectual. Signed with Seattle earlier this month.
3. Dolphins: DE Dion Jordan.
Has been suspended for the past 2½ seasons over failed or diluted drug tests. One career start. Miami is expected to release him at some point before the regular season begins.
4. Eagles: OT Lane Johnson.
Fifty career starts, but has twice been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs.
5. Lions: DE Ezekiel Ansah.
Pro Bowler and second-team all-Pro
in 2015, when he had 14½ sacks. 6. Browns: LB Barkevious Mingo.
Traded before the 2016 season to the Patriots for a 2017 fifth-round pick. Made one start and had four total tackles in 2016. Signed with the Colts as a free agent earlier this month.
7. Cardinals: G Jonathan Cooper.
Has never been the same since he suffered a broken left fibula in the third preseason game of his career. Arizona traded him and a second-round pick to New England in 2016 in exchange for defensive end Chandler Jones. Never took an in-game snap for the Patriots and was cut in October. Picked up by the Browns, he played in five games at the end of the 2016 season, starting three of them. Waived by the Browns in December. Cowboys signed him in January.
8. Rams: WR Tavon Austin.
Undersized full-time starter for Los Angeles. Has just one 100-yard receiving game in his career and only five with at least 100 yards from scrimmage.
9. Jets: CB Dee Milliner.
Career derailed by injuries after OK rookie season in 2013 (he was named NFL defensive rookie of the month in December). The Jets released him last September. Reportedly trying to catch on with another team.
10. Titans: G Chance Warmack.
Full-time starter for Tennessee until 2016, when he suffered a hand injury and played in just two games. Signed with Eagles earlier this month.
So that’s one Pro Bowler. Four of the 10 are on their second or third teams. One of them is out of football at the moment.
Four years later, these busts are having an effect on the entire NFL as teams have to cut bait on formerly prized prospects. Plus, bad picks beget more bad picks: You’ll notice that three of those top 10 teams from 2013 — the Browns, Jags and Jets — will be picking in the top 10 again this year because they haven’t gotten much better. It would have been four had the Rams not traded their first-round pick to the Titans last year in the deal that allowed them to move up and take Jared Goff at No. 1.
He stunk. See you in four years.
Matt Bonesteel is a staff writer for the Washington Post.