It has been referred to as one of the best NFL drafts of all time. Six Hall of Famers taken in the first round, seven overall through the most recent inductee class. In honor of the 30th anniversary of this historic draft, let’s attempt to examine just how dominant a draft class this was, and additionally, figure out if it is indeed the best of all time.
Understandably, the legacies of most draft classes rely heavily on its quarterbacks (2012, anyone?). For those that paid attention to the rookie quarterbacking brilliance of last season from Andrew Luck, RGIII, and Russell Wilson, the obvious comparison to three young signal callers leading their teams to success so quickly was the Class of ’83. Needless to say, the 2012ers have a lot of work to do to catch up to the likes of Marino, Elway, and Jim Kelly, all of who were taken in the first round of ’83.
That’s right. Marino. Elway. And Kelly, all in the first round. Interestingly enough, it was Marino, the most statistically accomplished of the three, who was taken latest, 27th overall in a 28-pick round. Let’s not forget, either, that just two picks beforehand, it was Ken O’Brien (who was not a bad QB by any means) selected by the Jets instead of Marino, who would come to haunt the team for nearly two decades. Up until Brett Favre showed up to the NFL party, and then of course, stayed too long, Marino held just about every quarterbacking record out there. If you want to talk about value, end of the first round for a guy like Marino isn’t bad.
The team that picked John Elway was ultimately not the one that benefitted from his Hall of Fame greatness. In a move rivaled only by Eli Manning’s defiance in 2004 to play in San Diego, Elway threatened to stick to his baseball career with the Yankees unless the Colts, then located in Baltimore, traded him after selecting him first overall. So off Elway was shipped to Denver, where he would lead the Broncos to 5 Super Bowl appearances, highlighted by championships in his final two seasons. You would be hard pressed to find a player that is more the face of a franchise’s history than Elway is for Broncos.
Of these three quarterbacks, Jim Kelly is the least appreciated (at least outside of Buffalo) of the group, but is nonetheless still a Hall of Famer with an impressive resume. Four consecutive trips to the Super Bowl from 1990-1993, all losses of course, but still a feat that has never been matched in league history. Kelly’s career was the shortest of this trio (he played in the USFL for three years after being selected by the Bills), but he is certainly still an iconic figure in his own right in Bills and NFL history. He remains the only player in Buffalo history to have his number retired.
While few can argue with the credentials of Elway/Marino/Kelly, it is entirely possible that the best player from this draft doesn’t come from that group. The Los Angeles Rams (for you youngin’s out there, yes, there used to be football played in Los Angeles) had the second pick and were graced with Eric Dickerson, quite possibly (probably) one of the top 3 running backs of all time. To this day, the Southern Methodist legend still holds the NFL record for rushing yards in season at 2, 105, a record that was almost eclipsed by Adrian Peterson in 2012. Some of Dickerson’s headlining accomplishments: Six-time Pro Bowler, Five-time All-Pro, and Four-time rushing champion. Not bad. So, in conclusion, the Colts had a shot at Elway and Dickerson, and wound up with neither. Ouch.
Is the 1983 NFL Draft the best of all time? Possibly. Is the 1st round of that draft the best of all time? With four of the greatest impact position players to ever play being amongst that class, it would be hard to say no.
