BACK TO THE FUTURE PICKS
An interesting conversation cropped up a few weeks back with other “veteran” NFL supporters who fell in love with the game in the early 1980s. The conversation was in relation to the 2021 NFL Draft. As we all know, five quarterbacks were taken in the first round, with eight going in the first three rounds.
We soon turned our attention to previous drafts, from the era we first started following football and inevitably the 1983 draft was mentioned where six quarterbacks were drafted in the first round. A few comments later and we began to discuss how those players would fair in the modern day draft.
The decision was taken to hold a draft, using the 2021 draft order.
The collection of “veteran” fans tried to get people to draft from teams they supported, which in some cases was difficult so we had neutrals.
I was honoured to be drafting for "my" Washington Football Team.
Cue, the Back To The Future Picks draft.
There were simple rules:
The draft order would be the 2021 teams, no in-draft trading allowed
One round mock draft using 1983 players out of college
The draft to be conducted honestly and conducive to the current needs of that NFL team in a specific draft slot.
The selection of the 1983 players would also be based on ‘what we know of them now’ given their history in the NFL and playing career.
“I officially declare the 2021, from 1983, NFL draft open. And the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the clock.”
Dan Marino - QB - Pittsburgh
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
1983 - Jacksonville did not exist as a franchise in this year and therefore no draft pick applicable.
John Elway - QB - Stanford
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
John Elway was selected with the first pick in the 1983 draft by the Baltimore Colts, but had his rights traded to Denver. He spent the rest of his career at the Broncos winning two Super Bowls and going to the Pro Bowl nine times. Let us just assume that in 2021 he would have wanted to play for the Jets.
1983 - The Jets took Ken O’Brien - QB - California-Davis with the 24th pick.
PICK #3 - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (from Houston via Miami)
Jim Kelly - QB - Miami (FL)
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
The man who was drafted by Buffalo, then went to play in the USFL, only to return to Buffalo but ultimately lost in four Super Bowls. He went to the Pro Bowl five times and is a legend for the Bills. In 1983 he did not get to the dizzy heights of a number three pick and was actually taken by the Bills at pick number 14, after they had taken Tight End Tony Hunter with the their first of two picks in the round.
1983 - San Francisco had no first round pick in 1983, trading their 5th and 22nd pick to the San Diego Chargers.
PICK #4 - ATLANTA FALCONS
Don Mosebar - C - USC
A Super Bowl champion and three times Pro Bowler during his career with the Raiders and was only the third starting centre for the Raiders from 1960 to 1994. He was selected with the 26th pick in round one by the Raiders.
1983 - Atlanta selected Mike Pitts - DE - Alabama with the 16th pick.
PICK #5 - CINCINNATI BENGALS
Jim Covert - T - Pittsburgh
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
Considered by many to be one of the best offensive lineman of his era, Covert would win the Super Bowl with Chicago and go to the Pro Bowl twice. Jim Covert was selected at number six in the first round of the 1983 draft. One of his many fans was Bill Parcells who considered him equal to blocking Lawrence Taylor.
1983 - Cincinnati took Dave Rimington - C - Nebraska with the 25th pick.
PICK #6 - MIAMI (from Philadelphia)
Eric Dickerson - RB - SMU
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
In a career which spanned 11 seasons with the Rams, Colts, Raiders and Falcons, Eric Dickerson is highly regarded as one of the best running backs to grace the NFL. He was selected with the second overall pick by the Rams in 1983, a pick they had acquired from Houston via Seattle. He never won a Super Bowl, but he did make six Pro Bowl appearances.
1983 - Miami took Dan Marino - QB - Pittsburgh with the 27th pick.
PICK # 7 - DETROIT LIONS
Bruce Matthews - OL - USC
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
Bruce Matthews played every position on the offensive line and also at Long Snapper, he was that versatile and never missed a game through injury. He was selected with the 9th overall pick by the Houston Oilers and remained at the “franchise”, retiring as a Tennessee Titan in 2001. He never won a Super Bowl, but he did go to the Pro Bowl 14 times.
1983 - Detroit selected James Jones - FB - Florida with the 13th pick.
Darrell Green - CB - Texas A&M
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
On a personal note, I was gutted with this pick as I was hoping that the legend, Darrell Green, would fall to me so I could make a homer pick. A literal Washington icon, the man they called the ‘Ageless Wonder’ won two Super Bowls and went to the Pro Bowl on seven occasions. He was selected with the 28th pick by Washington in 1983.
1983 - Carolina did not exist as a franchise in 1983 so this is not applicable.
PICK #9 - DENVER BRONCOS
Charles Mann - DE - Nevada
I was even more upset as the next player off the board was another Washington player, Charles Mann. He was a three times Super Bowl winner and four time Pro Bowler on a dominant 1980s Washington defense. He was actually selected at 84th in the third round of the 1983 draft by Washington.
1983 - Denver had selected Chris Hinton - G - Northwestern, but those rights were traded to the Colts as part of the Elway deal.
PICK #10 - PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (from Dallas)
Richard Dent - DE - Tennessee State
Pro Football Hall Of Fame
1983 - Philadelphia selected Michael Haddix - RB - Mississippi State with the 8th pick.
PICK #11 - CHICAGO BEARS (from NY Giants)
Dave Duerson - S - Notre Dame
He was a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Bears and the Giants, ironically the two teams who traded for this 2021 pick and he went to the Pro Bowl on four occasions. Regarded as one of the best secondary players of his era, he held the record for the most sacks by a defensive back in a season. Duerson was selected with the 64th pick in the third round by Chicago in 1983. Sadly, Dave Duerson passed away in 2011. He requested his brain be donated for research in relation to CTE.
1983 - Chicago selected Jim Covert - T - Pittsburgh with the 6th pick.
PICK # 12 - DALLAS COWBOYS (from San Francisco via Miami and Philadelphia)
Bill Pickel - DT - Rutgers
Bill Pickel was selected with the 54th pick in the second round of the 1983 draft by the LA Raiders and went on to win a Super Bowl with them. He finished his career with the Jets and was known for his four-point stance, instead of placing just the one hand down.
1983 - Dallas selected Jim Jeffcoat - DE - Arizona State with the 23rd pick.
PICK #13 - LA CHARGERS
Terry Kinard - S - Clemson
Kinard was born in West Germany and was a 10th pick in the first round of the 1983 draft out of Clemson. The Giants were the team to select him and he went on to win a Super Bowl as well as a Pro Bowl appearance in 1988. He finished his career with the Houston Oilers and was inducted in the College Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2001.
1983 - The Chargers were based in San Diego in 1983 and had three picks in the first round:
Billy Ray Smith - LB - Arkansas with the 5th pick
Gary Anderson - RB - Arkansas with the 20th pick
Gill Byrd - CB - San Jose State with the 22nd pick
PICK #14 - NY JETS (from Minnesota)
Chris Hinton - G - Northwestern
A seven time Pro Bowler who was selected with the fourth pick in the first round of the 1983 draft out of Northwestern by Denver, but ultimately had his rights traded to the Colts as part of the John Elway situation. He went on to play for Atlanta and Minnesota in a 13 season career.
1983 - The Jets took Ken O’Brien - QB - California-Davis with the 24th pick.
PICK #15 - NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
Roger Craig - RB - Nebraska
Roger Craig won three Super Bowls and was selected to four Pro Bowls. A 49th pick in the second round out of Nebraska, he is renowned for his time at the 49ers, but went on to play for the Raiders and Vikings. Craig appeared in the playoffs every season of his career and on announcing his retirement from football he signed a one day contract with San Francisco so he could retire as a 49er.
1983 - New England selected Tony Eason - QB - Illinois with the 15th pick (he is the father of Jacob Eason).
PICK #16 - ARIZONA CARDINALS
Greg Townsend - DE - TCU
A two-time Pro Bowler, Greg Townsend was selected in the fourth round by the Raiders in the 1983 draft. He won a Super Bowl with the Raiders and went on to play for Philadelphia before returning to the Raiders where he finished his career. He was suspended twice during his career, he is 23rd on the all-time sack list and is the Raiders all-time sack leader.
1983 - As the St. Louis Cardinals they selected Leonard Smith - CB - McNeese State with the 17th pick.
PICK #17 - LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Darryl Talley - LB - West Virginia
Talley was selected by the Buffalo Bills with the 39th pick in the second round and appeared in four Super Bowls, without winning a ring. He was a two-time Pro Bowler who also played for Atlanta and Minnesota, where he finished his career. He is the Bills all-time leader in tackles and never missed a game during his 12 year career in Buffalo. His quarterback, Jim Kelly, states that Talley should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame.
1983 - Based in Los Angeles, the Raiders selected Don Mosebar - C - USC with the 26th pick.
PICK #18 - MIAMI DOLPHINS
Henry Ellard - WR - Fresno State
Ellard was selected by the Rams with the 32nd pick in the second round of the 1983 draft and went on to play for Washington and New England. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and moved into coaching after his career finished. Another accolade for Ellard came in that he qualified for the Olympic trials in 1992 at triple jump, but was unable to compete due to a hamstring injury.
1983 - Miami took Dan Marino - QB - Pittsburgh with the 27th pick.
PICK #19 - WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
Karl Mecklenburg - LB - Minnesota
My pick and I had seen three players I wanted to select go off the board. There was only one person at this point I could take, Karl Mecklenburg. He was an important part of the Broncos team in that era and appeared at six Pro Bowls. In 1983 Mecklenburg was selected 310th in the 12th round of the 1983 draft by Denver. He is considered one of the greatest Denver players of all-time and by I regard him as one of the great linebackers also.
1983 - Washington selected Darrell Green - CB - Texas A&M with the 28th pick.
PICK #20 - NEW YORK GIANTS (from Chicago)
Mark Clayton - WR - Louisville
A 223rd in the 8th round by Miami, Mark Clayton went on to be selected for five Pro Bowls in his career. He is in the top 50 of the NFL receiving yards and it was during this era he formed a potent partnership with Dan Marino. During Dan Marino’s hall of fame induction speech he ran through the crowd to catch one last pass from his quarterback.
1983 - The Giants selected Terry Kinard - S - Clemson with the 10th pick.
PICK #21 - INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Leonard Marshall - DE - LSU
He was selected in the second round of the 1983 draft by the New York Giants, spending 12 seasons in the league where he won two Super Bowls and was selected to two Pro Bowls. He was part of a formidable defense and is famously remembered for his tackle on Joe Montana in the 1991 NFC Championship game which forced Montana out of the game.
1983 - The Colts, then based in Baltimore selected John Elway with the first overall pick but then traded his rights to Denver.
PICK #22 - TENNESSEE TITANS
Joey Browner - CB - USC
Joey Browner was a first round pick for the Minnesota Vikings in 1983 and was selected for six Pro Bowls. He holds the record of three fumble recoveries in a Pro Bowl and during his career totalled 1,100 tackles and leads the Vikings in nine defensive categories. He finished his career with Tampa Bay in 1992.
1983 - As the Houston Oilers they selected Bruce Matthews - T - USC with the 9th pick.
PICK #23 - MINNESOTA VIKINGS (from Seattle via New York Jets)
Carl Lee - CB - Marshall
He was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1983 also, with the 186th pick in the 7th round. He played all but one season of his career with the Vikings, finishing off at New Orleans. He was selected for three Pro Bowls and of his career 31 interceptions, two of those were pick-sixes. After retiring from football he moved into coaching and was head coach at West Virginia State until 2005.
1983 - Minnesota in the first round selected Joey Browner - CB - USC with the 19th pick.
PICK #24 - PITTSBURGH STEELERS
Nate Newton - T - Florida A&M
Newton was undrafted by the NFL in 1983, instead he was selected by the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL but decided to sign as a free agent with Washington. He was cut and eventually played two years for the Bandits in the USFL. When that league folded he signed with Dallas. He was moved from guard to tackle and went on to win three Super Bowls and was selected to six Pro Bowls. He spent his last season with the Carolina Panthers.
1983 - Pittsburgh selected Gabriel Rivera - DT - Texas Tech with the 21st pick.
PICK #25 - JACKSONVILLE (from the LA Rams)
Willie Gault - WR - Tennessee
Willie Gault was a first round selection for Chicago in 1983 and was part of their Super Bowl winning team. He is considered as one of the fastest wide receivers of all-time and was selected for the U.S. Olympic team which then boycotted the 1980 Olympic Games. His personal best in the 100m was 10.10 seconds and he won a 1983 World Championship gold medal in the relay. After leaving the Bears he played for the Raiders from 1988 to 1993.
1983 - Jacksonville did not exist as a franchise in this year and therefore no draft pick applicable.
PICK #26 - CLEVELAND BROWNS
Bill Bates - S - Tennessee
Bill Bates went undrafted in the 1983 NFL Draft, this was reported due to his poor showing in the combine. He was selected by the New Jersey Generals in the USFL Draft but decided to sign as an undrafted free agent with Dallas. Bill Bates would win three Super Bowls and have a single Pro Bowl selection. After his playing career he was assistant coach at Dallas, special teams coach at Jacksonville and now coaches High School football.
1983 - Cleveland had no first round pick in 1983
PICK #27 - BALTIMORE RAVENS
Anthony Carter - WR - Michigan
Carter was selected in Round 12 by Miami in 1983 after being one of Michigan’s most productive receivers in a run-heavy offense. Though Miami had secured his rights, Carter decided to play in the new USFL and would not return for the Dolphins until 1985. However, he was subsequently traded to Minnesota where he played until 1993 before joining Detroit. He would be selected for three Pro Bowls.
1983 - As a franchise in itself, Baltimore did not exist in 1983.
PICK #28 - NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Johnny Rembert - LB - Clemson
New England drafted Rembert in the fourth round of the 1983 draft. After winning the AFC Championship he was on the Patriots Super Bowl team who lost to Chicago. Rembert was a two-time Pro Bowler and went on to be a Quality Control Representative for the NFL.
1983 - New Orleans did not have a first round pick in 1983.
PICK #29 - GREEN BAY PACKERS
Gill Byrd - CB - San Jose State
This two-time Pro Bowler was selected in the first round of the 1983 draft by the San Diego Chargers. Inducted into the Chargers Hall Of Fame, Byrd moved into coaching after his playing career and is more recently known for being the Defensive Backs coach at the University of Illinois.
1983 - Green Bay selected Tim Lewis - CB - Pittsburgh with the 11th pick.
PICK #30 - BUFFALO BILLS
Tim Krumrie - DT - Wisconsin
Krumrie was selected in Round 10 of the 1983 draft by the Bengals where he would spend the rest of his NFL career. He was selected for two Pro Bowls but is known for suffering a broken leg in Super Bowl XXIII. He did return to play for the Bengals and totalled over 1,000 tackles before retiring. He moved into coaching with the Bengals, Kansas City and then in the UFL with the Hartford Colonials.
1983 - Buffalo had two first round picks in 1983:
Tony Hunter - TE - Notre Dame with the 12th pick
Jim Kelly - QB - Miami (FL) with the 14th pick (Kelly went to the USFL but returned to play for the Bills)
PICK #31 - BALTIMORE RAVENS (from Kansas City)
Albert Lewis - CB - Grambling
He was selected in round three of the 1983 draft by Kansas City and went on to be selected in four Pro Bowls. Although he made it to an AFC Championship game, he was never in a Super Bowl. He became the oldest player to score a defensive touchdown in 1998 aged 38 years of age. He is inducted into the Chiefs Hall Of Fame.
1983 - As a franchise in itself, Baltimore did not exist in 1983.
PICK #32 - TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Jesse Sapolu - C - Hawaii
The Samoan was selected in the 11th round of the 1983 draft by San Francisco where he would spend his entire playing career. He is a four time Super Bowl winner and selected to the Pro Bowl on two occasions. After playing 192 games he retired in 1997 and is still active in the San Francisco football community.
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SUMMARY OF 1983 PICKS IN 2021
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A total of eight players from this draft have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame and there are some who consider this the greatest draft of all-time to date.
As drafts go, that was a new form of drafting for me and not only did I enjoy it very much, the whole process was a trip down memory lane where I was able to see names of players from those days as a teenager first getting into the sport I love.
There may well be other retro drafts on the cards, but for the moment that was the Back To Future Picks from 1983, with a 2021 twist.
Simmo.
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