The 1983 NFL Draft is best known for the quarterbacks that it produced. Six were taken in the first round. John Elway, Todd Blackledge, Jim Kelly, Tony Eason, Ken O'Brien, and Dan Marino. Three of those are now honored in Canton for their Hall of Fame careers. Elway, Kelly, and Marino. The first round of the 1983 NFL Draft provided a lot more than six quarterbacks. And a lot more.
1. Baltimore Colts-John Elway, QB, Stanford-traded to the Broncos*
2. Los Angeles Rams-Eric Dickerson, RB, SMU
3. Seattle Seahawks-Curt Warner, RB, Penn State
4. Denver Broncos-Chris Hinton, G, Northwestern-traded to the Colts*
5. San Diego Chargers-Billy Ray Smith, LB, Arkansas
6. Chicago Bears-Jim Covert, T, Pittsburgh
7. Kansas City Chiefs-Todd Blackledge, QB, Penn State
8. Philadelphia Eagles-Michael Haddix, RB, Mississippi State
9. Houston Oilers-Bruce Matthews, T, USC
10. New York Giants-Terry Kinard, S, Clemson
11. Green Bay Packers-Tim Lewis, CB, Pittsburgh
12. Buffalo Bills-Tony Hunter, TE, Notre Dame
13. Detroit Lions-James Jones, RB, Florida
14. Buffalo Bills-Jim Kelly, QB, Miami
15. New England Patriots-Tony Eason, QB, Illinois
16. Atlanta Falcons-Mike Pitts, DE, Alabama
17. St. Louis Cardinals-Leonard Smith, CB, McNeese State
18. Chicago Bears-Willie Gault, WR, Tennessee
19. Minnesota Vikings-Joey Browner, S, USC
20. San Diego Chargers-Gary Anderson, RB, Arkansas
21. Pittsburgh Steelers-Gabriel Rivera, DT, Texas Tech
22. San Diego Chargers-Gill Byrd, CB, San Jose State
23. Dallas Cowboys-Jim Jeffcoat, DE, Arizona State
24. New York Jets-Ken O'Brien, QB, California-Davis
25. Cincinnati Bengals-Dave Rimmington, C, Nebraska
26. Los Angeles Raiders-Don Mosebar, C, USC
27. Miami Dolphins-Dan Marino, QB, Pittsburgh
28. Washington Redskins-Darrell Green, CB, Texas A&I
One thing that immediately jumps out is the team movement since this draft. Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis. Rams from Los Angeles to St. Louis. Oilers from Houston to Tennessee and a name change. Cardinals from St. Louis to Arizona. The Cleveland Browns didn't have a pick in the first round but that Browns team is now in Baltimore as the Ravens. And the current Browns are more expansion than the team that started in the AAFC in 1946. For now all that movement is beside the point. How about this draft?
3 Hall of Fame quarterbacks. 3 more Hall of Fame players in Eric Dickerson, Bruce Matthews, and Darrell Green. The Chicago Bears selected another future Hall of Fame player in the 8th round in Richard Dent. Joey Browner had his career cut short by injuries but he could and should get some Hall of Fame consideration. He was recently inducted into the Vikings Ring of Honor. He was a great football player. 15 of the 28 players selected in this first round received Pro Bowl recognition. That rate of success doesn't happen often. There might have been even more if not for tragic events on and off the football field. Tim Lewis was a terrific player for the Packers until a severe neck injury ended his playing career in 1986. He's been a football coach ever since. He's currently the secondary coach for the San Francisco 49ers. Gabriel Rivera was starting to making an impact as a rookie when he was paralyzed in a car accident. Even non-Hall of Fame, non-Pro Bowl players like Billy Ray Smith, Tony Eason, Mike Pitts, Willie Gault, Jim Jeffcoact, and Dave Rimmington had productive NFL careers. Eason even defeated his more celebrated 1983 quarterback brother Dan Marino in the 1985 AFC Championship game. Eason played in and lost as many Super Bowls as Marino.
The 1983 NFL Draft will always be remembered for those quarterbacks. So much so that a player like Eric Dickerson is forgotten. Anyone can name the draft that produced Elway, Kelly, and Marino but who can name the draft that produced Dickerson? Quarterbacks get far too much love. This draft was much more than a quarterback draft.
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