The 2013 first round of the draft has come and gone.  Dry your eyes though NFL fans.  Most “experts” would agree this was not a first round filled earth shattering talent.  With that said, the first round had plenty of firsts.  It was the first time two tackles were taken at the no. 1 and no. 2 overall selection since 1970 and the first time in over 50 years that a running back wasn’t taken in the first round.

Additionally, Central Michigan’s Eric Fisher was only the third offensive tackle selected No. 1 overall, joining Orlando Pace (1997) and Jake Long (2008), since the 1970 merger of the NFL and AFL. He’s also the first Mid American Conference (MAC) player to ever be selected no. 1 overall in NFL draft in history.

Quite a feat when you consider such MAC standouts as Ben Roethlisberger, Byron Leftwitch, and Randy Moss.

Aside from firsts, the 2013 NFL first round also had one rather eerily similar pick that took was quite eerily similar to another a few years back  In order to explain the similarity, we will need to rewind back to the 1997 season.

In this year’s first round, John Elway and the Denver Broncos selected defense tackle Sylvester Williams from North Carolina.

No big deal right?

The 2013 draft wasn’t the first time the Broncos selected a defensive lineman with he no. 28th overall selection though. It also happened in the 1997 draft. During the draft that season, the Broncos selected defensive end Trevor Pryce at no. 28.  Prior to the '97 season, the Broncos were coming off a regular season record of 13-3 (similar to 2012) and a disappointing 30-27 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the second round of the playoffs at Mile High (also similar to 2012).

The same year Pryce was drafted, John Elway and Terrell Davis led the Broncos to their first Superbowl championship since the team’s inception in 1960.

Was the 2013 NFL First Round an indicator of better things to come in Denver? Hard to say, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Broncos aren’t hoisting a Lombardi Trophy in New York in February.