2013 NFL Draft: Winners and Losers from the first round
By Matt Shetler
Loser: Chicago Bears
The Bears had Eifert sitting there for them and plenty of linebackers, which they also need. Kyle Long should help the Bears, but taking Eifert or even Ogletree or Manti Te’o made more sense than taking a fringe first round offensive lineman. It is important that Jay Cutler is protected, but fringe first-round prospects that are guard/tackle tweeners are not the type of players that should be going in the first round. You can throw the New York Giants selection of Justin Pugh at No. 19 in here as well.
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee) is introduced as the twenty ninth overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Minnesota Vikings
They gave up a ton to move back into the first round to select Cordarrelle Patterson, but Sharrif Floyd falling to the Vikings at No. 23 is a gift. By bringing in Floyd, Xavier Rhodes and Patterson, the Vikings added three immediate starters at positions of need. Again, they gave up a lot to do so, and won’t get the middle linebacker they needed, but they come away big winners from the night.
Loser: Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys traded down to the bottom of the first round, only to take center Travis Frederick? Centers generally aren’t valued very high in the draft and they almost certainly could have gotten Frederick a round or two later, but it wouldn’t have mattered that much if they had missed on him. Dallas definitely didn’t get value from this pick.
Winner: Carolina Panthers
The Panthers got great value at No. 14 and filled a position off need by ending up with Utah’s Star Lotulelei. Lotulelei was one of the top defensive players on the board and will fit in nicely on the Panthers defensive line. Four or five years from now there will be 13 other teams who will be regretting passing on him.
Loser: Manti Te’o
Mar 26, 2013; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish former players Manti Te
Te’o’s fall from grace continued as he fell out of the first round. He did himself no favors with the fake girlfriend scandal and poor 40-time at the Combine. I’m not nearly as high on Te’o as some. He’s simply not that good and his athleticism isn’t on par with most middle linebackers in the NFL right now. With that being said, he’s likely a first rounder without all of the distractions as some teams needed a middle linebacker and they would have taken him. His skill set says he is a second rounder. That’s where he belongs and that’s where he will be selected.
Winner: New England Patriots
The Patriots do it better than almost every other NFL team. There wasn’t much value at No. 29 and they wisely moved down and managed to get four additional picks. New England needed the picks this draft and will end up with quality talent at the end of the day. They never reach on players that don’t meet the value of the pick and now they can address multiple positions of need.
Loser: Geno Smith
It’s almost unthinkable that Smith fell out of the first round. It wasn’t a big night for the quarterbacks, but he was the only one that came close to carrying a first-round grade. I don’t think he’s that good and personally wouldn’t have used a first rounder on him, but if one signal caller was going to go, it was going to be Smith. Unfortunately he had to stick it out in the green room for the duration and suffer the disappointment.