The New England Patriots were shrewd to trade out of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft.
The 2013 draft class is one of the weakest in recent memory, as 10 players selected in the first round have started one year or fewer in the NFL. Many others are on their way to losing starting roles.
The Patriots actually came out of the 2013 draft looking pretty good, however. They landed Jamie Collins, one of the best linebackers in the NFL, Logan Ryan, a starting cornerback, and Duron Harmon, a valuable role player at free safety.
See where Collins and Ryan would be selected if the 2013 draft happened today.
1. Kansas City Chiefs: DeAndre Hopkins, wide receiver, Clemson (No. 27)
Actual pick: Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan
It was difficult to choose a No. 1 overall pick out of this class, but Hopkins is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, improving every season. Fisher has turned into a decent left tackle, but he hasn’t been worthy of the top pick.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Le’Veon Bell, running back, Michigan State (No. 48)
Actual pick: Luke Joeckel, offensive tackle, Texas A&M
Bell is dominant and extremely versatile when healthy. Joeckel has been a draft bust early in his career.
3. Oakland Raiders: Tyrann Mathieu, defensive back, LSU (No. 69)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Miami Dolphins, who selected Oregon pass rusher Dion Jordan
Mathieu fell in the 2013 draft because he was undersized and had off-field issues. The Cardinals clearly got a third-round steal in the versatile, play-making defensive back. Jordan, meanwhile, was suspended for the entire 2015 season.
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Sheldon Richardson, defensive lineman, Missouri (No. 13 overall pick)
Actual pick: Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma
Richardson wasn’t quite as dominant in 2015, when he moved from defensive end to outside linebacker. He’s at his best while moving along the defensive line.
5. Detroit Lions: Ezekiel Ansah, pass rusher, BYU (No. 5)
Actual pick: Ansah
It was difficult to choose between Ansah and Collins here, but the Lions have to be happy with their fifth overall choice. Ansah is improving every season, and he had 14.5 sacks in 2015.
6. Cleveland Browns: Jamie Collins, linebacker, Southern Miss (No. 52)
Actual pick: Barkevious Mingo, pass rusher, LSU
Collins is a freak athlete, and it shows on the field in his ability to cover tight ends and rush the passer. The Patriots got a steal with the 52nd overall pick.
7. Arizona Cardinals: Terron Armstead, offensive tackle, Arkansas-Pine Bluff (No. 75)
Actual pick: Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina
Armstead has emerged as one of the top left tackles in the NFL. The Cardinals threw in Cooper as part of the trade with the Patriots for Chandler Jones.
8. Buffalo Bills: Kawann Short, defensive lineman, Purdue (No. 44)
Actual pick: Traded selection to St. Louis Rams, who selected West Virginia wide receiver Tavon Austin
Short has been even better than his Carolina Panthers teammate, Star Lotulelei, who was selected one round earlier.
9. New York Jets: Travis Frederick, center, Wisconsin (No. 31)
Actual pick: Dee Milliner, cornerback, Alabama
Some experts scoffed when the Dallas Cowboys selected Frederick at the end of the first round. He’s now one of the best centers in the NFL.
10. Tennessee Titans: Kyle Long, guard, Oregon (No. 20)
Actual pick: Chance Warmack, guard, Alabama
Long has shown versatility in his first three NFL seasons, lining up at guard and tackle. He’s proven to be a better guard than tackle so far.
11. San Diego Chargers: Desmond Trufant, cornerback, Washington (No. 22)
Actual pick: D.J. Fluker, offensive lineman, Alabama
Trufant has been one of the most successful first-round selections of the 2013 draft. He has the potential to emerge as a shutdown cornerback as his career progresses.
12. Miami Dolphins: Justin Pugh, offensive tackle, Syracuse (No. 19)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Raiders, who selected Houston cornerback D.J. Hayden
Hayden flew up draft boards before ultimately being a top-15 selection. It hasn’t worked out for the Raiders, who would have been happier with Pugh, who had a breakout season at left guard in 2015.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Lane Johnson, offensive tackle, Oklahoma (No. 4)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Jets, who selected Richardson
With Richardson off the board, Johnson is a logical pick at 13th overall. He’s been a solid right tackle for the Eagles.
14. Carolina Panthers: Darius Slay, cornerback, Mississippi State (No. 36)
Actual pick: Star Lotulelei, defensive tackle, Utah
Slay is one of the more underrated cornerbacks in the NFL for the Detroit Lions.
15. New Orleans Saints: Kenny Vaccaro, safety, Texas (No. 15)
Actual pick: Vaccaro
Vaccaro has had an up-and-down three years in the NFL, but ultimately, the Saints have to be happy with the selection.
16. St. Louis Rams: Tyler Eifert, tight end, Notre Dame (No. 21)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Bills, who selected Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel
Manuel was a complete draft bust at 16th overall. Eifert begins a string of impressive tight ends taken in the 2013 draft.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jordan Reed, tight end, Florida (No. 85)
Actual pick: Jarvis Jones, pass rusher, Georgia
Reed doesn’t have Eifert’s blocking prowess, but he’s a better receiver.
18. Dallas Cowboys: Zach Ertz, tight end, Stanford (No. 35)
Actual pick: Traded selection to San Francisco 49ers, who selected LSU safety Eric Reid
Ertz broke out with 75 catches for 853 yards with two touchdowns for the Eagles in 2015.
19. New York Giants: Travis Kelce, tight end, Cincinnati (No. 63)
Actual pick: Pugh
Kelce is a dangerous receiver who caught 72 passes for 875 yards with five scores last season for the Chiefs.
20. Chicago Bears: Keenan Allen, wide receiver, California (No. 76)
Actual pick: Long
Allen had a fantastic rookie season, was down in 2014 and on his way back up in 2015 before being injured. He had 67 catches for 725 yards with four touchdowns in just eight games for the Chargers.
21. Cincinnati Bengals: Eric Reid, safety, LSU (No. 18)
Actual pick: Eifert
Reid made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and has been a solid starter for the 49ers since.
22. Washington Redskins: Star Lotulelei, defensive tackle, Utah (No. 14)
Actual pick: Selection traded to Atlanta Falcons, who selected Trufant
Lotulelei hasn’t been as dominant as expected in the NFL, but he’s a solid run stuffer.
23. Minnesota Vikings: David Bakhtiari, offensive tackle, Colorado (No. 109)
Actual pick: Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle, Florida
Bakhtiari is a solid starting left tackle. The Packers received good value by picking him in the fourth round.
24. Indianapolis Colts: Brandon Williams, defensive tackle, Missouri Southern (No. 94)
Actual pick: Bjoern Werner, pass rusher, Florida State
Williams doesn’t offer much as a pass rusher, but he’s one of the top run-stuffing nose tackles in the NFL.
25. Seattle Seahawks: Bennie Logan, defensive tackle, LSU (No. 67)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Vikings, who selected Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes
Logan is another strong run-stuffing nose tackle who went lower in the draft than he should have.
26. Green Bay Packers: Giovani Bernard, running back, North Carolina (No. 37)
Actual pick: Datone Jones, defensive end, UCLA
Bernard found his role in 2015 as a change-of-pace back. He had 154 carries for 730 yards with two touchdowns and 49 receptions for 472 yards for the Bengals.
27. Houston Texans: Logan Ryan, cornerback, Rutgers (No. 83)
Actual pick: Hopkins
Ryan shined as a rookie, took a backseat to Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner in 2014, then re-emerged as a solid starter in 2015 with the Patriots.
28. Denver Broncos: Johnathan Hankins, defensive tackle, Ohio State (No. 49)
Actual pick: Sylvester Williams, defensive tackle, North Carolina
Hankins has been more consistent than Williams since entering the NFL as a second-round pick.
29. New England Patriots: Sharrif Floyd, defensive tackle, Florida (No. 23)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Vikings, who selected Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson
The Patriots would have preferred to take Collins or Ryan here, but Floyd has been a versatile defensive lineman, capable of stuffing the run and pressuring the quarterback.
30. Atlanta Falcons: Eric Fisher, offensive tackle, Central Michigan (No. 1)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Rams, who selected Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree
Fisher looked like a first-round bust early in his career, but he started to emerge in 2015 as a dependable left tackle.
31. San Francisco 49ers: Ryan Schraeder, offensive tackle, Valdosta State (Undrafted)
Actual pick: Traded selection to Cowboys, who selected Frederick
Schraeder has been a steal for the Falcons as an undrafted free agent, emerging as a solid starting right tackle.
32. Baltimore Ravens: Latavius Murray, running back, Central Florida (No. 181)
Actual pick: Matt Elam, safety, Florida
Murray started all 16 games for the Raiders in 2015 and ran for 1,066 yards with six touchdowns. He also contributed 41 catches for 232 yards.
Thumbnail photo via Ed Mulholland/USA TODAY Sports Images
