Eric Fisher selection earns ‘A’ grade in 2013 NFL Draft review

The fine folks at The Draft Network recently sorted through the results of the 2013 NFL Draft after nearly a full decade of results in the books, and the Kansas City Chiefs continue to come away from the event looking better than ever. Their first-round selection of offensive lineman Eric Fisher came with question marks at the time but earned them a “A’ 9 years later.

If you’ve been around as a fan for the Chiefs this long, you’ll undoubtedly remember the misery of the 2012 season, the one that resulted in only two wins under Romeo Crennel. It was the single most tragic season in team history marked but the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide and a fan movement that flew airplane banners calling for Scott Pioli’s ouster.

The Kansas City Chiefs were given an “A” grade in a redo of the 2013 NFL Draft with their pick of left tackle Eric Fisher.

As the Chiefs held the first pick in the next season’s draft, a leadership regime brought in John Dorsey as general manager and Andy Reid as head coach. Unfortunately the first pick within a new era came in the single worst draft class to come along in ages. The good news is the Chiefs grabbed one of the draft’s best overall performers in Eric Fisher.

Fisher was an Uber-athletic tackle out of Central Michigan who was the high-ceiling potential next to Luke Joeckel‘s pro-ready experience. The Chiefs went with Fisher in the end and went on to start him on the left side of the offensive line for the next eight seasons. Meanwhile, Joeckel, who was taken at No. 2 by the Jaguars, was out of the NFL by 2017.

Fisher ended up with two Pro Bowl appearances in 2018 and 2020 before being replaced this past season due to a lingering injury. The Chiefs ushered in the Orlando Brown Jr. era after releasing Fisher early in 2021, although Fisher returned earlier than expected from an Achilles tear and played nearly a full season for the Indianapolis Colts last year. This offseason, he should find work if he wants it eventually but he remains a free agent for now.