2013 NFL Draft Recap: Top 5 Biggest Losers: One of the best things about the NFL Draft is that it temporarily gives hope to fans from every franchise. Of course, that hope is dashed for several fan bases once their teams actually take the field and start losing games. The truth of the matter is that some teams should never bother to be optimistic in the first place because there is always at least a handful of teams that just plain drop the ball during the draft, and the 2013 NFL Draft was no exception. As a result, I’m here to put a premature end to the false hope of five teams as I take a closer look at the biggest losers from this year’s draft.
1. Dallas Cowboys
Apparently, Jerry Jones still makes questionable decisions even when he doesn’t opt for the flashy playmaker. Dallas moved down in the first round and drafted center Travis Frederick, and while there is nothing wrong with bolstering the interior of the offensive line, it is an issue when you do so with a guy that would have still been around in the third round or later. Meanwhile, the Terrance Williams pick also seems sketchy since the receiver was mainly a straight line deep threat in college but posted slow times in the combine. The rest of the Cowboys’ picks probably won’t even play much this year, which is a problem for a team that perennially underachieves anyway. On the bright side, Jones didn’t draft Tyler Wilson, Knile Davis and a bunch of other Arkansas players.
2. Buffalo Bills
The grade you give the Bills pretty much depends on your opinion of first-round pick E.J. Manuel, and even though I had him ranked as the second-best QB in the draft and Buffalo traded down before getting him, I still think the Bills reached by taking him with the 16th pick. Sure, he has some special physical gifts, but he has some serious developing to do before he has a chance to become a franchise QB. In the end, Buffalo just seemed so determined to add a QB in this draft that its simply ignored the talent that was available at a lot of other positions.
3. Chicago Bears
Keeping quarterback Jay Cutler upright has been a major issue for Chicago recently, and the fact that receiver Brandon Marshall was his only reliable target a year ago didn’t help. Well, the Bears passed on some potentially helpful offensive weapons in the first round to draft offensive tackle Kyle Long, who is unlikely to provide consistent protection for Cutler until he learns some technique to match his athleticism. Granted, second-round pick Jon Bostic should become a starter for Chicago at linebacker in the near future, but the Bears still failed to fix the problems that have been holding this team back for the past couple of seasons.
4. New England Patriots
Unlike most years, the Patriots weren’t loaded with draft picks, and they decided to trade down repeatedly as a result. While there is nothing fundamentally wrong with that strategy or really with any of their picks, the consensus is that not a single one of New England’s selections are likely to make a major impact this season. With the window to add another Super Bowl title only open as long as Tom Brady can play at a high level, adding players that can help the Patriots win immediately seems to make the most sense. Instead, New England opted for what will likely be future role players at best.
5. Cleveland Browns
The Browns were already hamstrung by the fact that they didn’t have many draft picks to work with, and they took a serious swing for the fences by drafting defensive end Barkevious Mingo with the No. 6 pick. Mingo’s athleticism is off the charts, but his on-field numbers at LSU didn’t scream unstoppable pass rusher. Not to mention the fact that even if Mingo does turn out to be a defensive force, the Browns are still stuck with an offense that needs some more weapons. Cleveland is stuck in the loaded AFC North, and the Browns didn’t do much to change their status as the division’s cellar dweller in the short or long run with this draft class.
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