After all the mock drafts, speculation, and waiting by the young men about to become NFL players, the 2013 NFL Draft finally got under way, and it didn’t disappoint.   The draft featured bizarre selections, great picks, and plenty of trades.

The first round seemed to be an offensive lineman only event, as the top two picks, Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel were both offensive lineman. Some teams surprised and traded their early selections away, like the Raiders, who traded down from pick #3.

The Pittsburgh Steelers would get a steal at their spot, drafting Jarvis Jones, a standout defensive player, who was expected to go earlier, but ended up falling.

One of the stories of the draft was when the quarterbacks would start to go.  The alleged consensus #1 QB going into the draft was former WVU standout, Geno Smith.  Some experts had him going as early as #5.  The teams had a different idea, and the first QB to go was EJ Manuel, Florida State, taken by the Bills at #16.  He was a guy they wanted, and with a hole at QB in Buffalo, he could be the future quarterback.

Some of the bigger surprises from the first round included Geno Smith not getting drafted at all.  He would wait the whole night and come up empty. His wait wouldn’t be too long though as he would be selected the next day in the second round by the New York Jets.  He will be added to the bizarre QB situation in New York  alongside Mark Sanchez.

Manti Te’o, linebacker from Notre Dame, and a man who has been in the spotlight the past few months due to his personal life, was taken by the San Diego Chargers in the mid second round.  They traded up and got the guy they wanted in Te’o.  This could be a steal for the chargers or a waste, as some critics say that Te’o just isn’t that good.  The Chargers hope that he will prove them wrong, as he was ranked in the top 5 of the draft earlier in the year.

Yet again another very eventful NFL draft in New York City.  Many young men’s dreams came true, and others were crushed.  Players were taken early, and some fell to the later rounds.  Couple that with the large amount of trades on draft day, it’s easy to see why the NFL Draft is such a heavily anticipated event year in and year out.