Every tight end selected before Travis Kelce in 2013 NFL Draft

Looking back on the 2013 NFL Draft, Travis Kelce wasn't the one who was supposed to be the future Hall of Famer. Not that anyone was slamming his draft stock, since he was widely applauded as a top-five prospect at his position. Rather, there were a few other noted pass catchers with higher grades and loftier quotes from NFL scouts with the leader of the pack being Tyler Eifert—a dynamic receiver from Notre Dame who looked as ready for the NFL as any kid can be.

Fortunately for Chiefs Kingdom, general manager John Dorsey held out until the third round of his first-ever NFL Draft to take care of a tight end position that had been struggling since the trade of Tony Gonzalez. Then, at No. 63 overall in the third round, Dorsey submitted a draft card with Kelce's name in order to secure the services of the Cincinnati Bearcats tight end.

It's impossible to say whether Dorsey would have made that pick had any of the four tight ends taken ahead of Kelce were available, but we'd like to think so. So who were those picks and why were they made? Let's look back at the 2013 NFL Draft to see who was taken before Kelce and how things turned out.

1. Tyler Eifert (No. 21 overall)

Selecting Team: Cincinnati Bengals

Why he was selected so high?

Looked like a potential Tony Gonzalez in terms of adding a playmaking pass-catcher at the position. Could line up inside or wide and his fluid movements, route-running, incredible hands, and ability to make the contested catch were all considered pro-ready. Widely considered the top TE in his draft class.

How did the pick turn out?

No one seemed overly worried about Eifert's health coming into the league (he did have a back injury during his freshman season at Notre Dame), but he was unlucky as a player can get in the NFL. A stinger robbed him of his final two games during his rookie season and he missed all of 2014 with a torn labrum among other things.

In 2015, Eifert enjoyed his finest season and made the Pro Bowl after catching 13 touchdowns for the Bengals, but an injured ankle in the NFL's all-star game kept him out through Week 8 of the following season. He'd end that same year (2016) on IR with a back injury and would play only 6 games over the next two seasons with back and ankle injuries.

In the end, Eifert would always flash enough potential when he played to earn another look from a Bengals team hoping to squeeze something from their original investment but the ride ended in 2019. He'd end his career with one final season in Jacksonville in 2020 before the team declined their option for a second season.

2. Zach Ertz (No. 35 overall)

Selecting Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Why he was selected so high?

Ertz had a stellar final season at Stanford with 69 catches for 898 yard and 6 touchdowns, leading the Cardinal in receiving yards as well as all FBS tight ends. He entered the draft as a solid blocker as well, making him an instant plug-and-play starter as a rookie with no real weakness except an overstated penchant for drops if scouts wanted to get too in the weeds looking for reasons to avoid taking a tight end.

How did the pick turn out?

Zach Ertz is no Travis Kelce, but that's an unfair judgment call on this pick for the most part. Yes the Eagles passed on adding a second Kelce to the roster, but Ertz is still an active player in the NFL who has enjoyed a helluva career himself.

Ertz has played in 151 regular season games to date with 709 catches for 7.434 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns to his credit—good for No. 12 all time among tight ends. He would also go on to make three Pro Bowls for the Eagles in 9 years with the team and the Super Bowl win in 2017 is the cherry on top.

3. Gavin Escobar (No. 47 overall)

Selecting Team: Dallas Cowboys

Why he was selected so high?

Escobar was a decorated performer at San Diego State who declared early for the 2013 NFL Draft after earning comps to Jared Cook or Jacob Tamme. He had 122 catches for 1,646 catches and 17 scores through his junior season and worked especially well against zone coverage.

How did the pick turn out?

This is the only true bust on the list, a player who just couidn't hack it at the professional level despite staying healthy. Escobar lasted all four seasons in his rookie deal with the Cowboys, to his credit, but he was consistently passed by better blockers each year before being let go after 2016.

Escobar was Jerry Jones' attempt to enhance the offense with another pass catcher instead of shoring up the trenches. Unfortunately, despite a productive three seasons at San Diego State, Escobar was too slow for the next level and his blocking prowess could never stave off the competition.

Chiefs fans might remember the team taking a flyer on Escobar as well only to see him unable to beat out Ross Travis for the TE3 role in the team's offense—a perfect summation of Escobar's career. Further tryouts with the Ravens, Dolphins, and Browns would come and go without ever making another NFL start again.

4. Vance McDonald (No. 55 overall)

Selecting Team: San Francisco 49ers

Why he was selected so high?

Every year features a prospect at most positions in the pre-draft season that rockets up big boards, and that was Vance McDonald in the spring of 2013. He turned heads at the Senior Bowl after a nice final season at Rice—being named All-Conference USA after switching from wideout to tight end.

With a 6'4, 260 lb. frame, a 4.6 second time in the 40-yard dash, and a Combine leading 31 reps on the bench press, scouts were projecting all kinds of things for McDonald despite his limited body of work. The 49ers bought into that potential and traded up with the Green Bay Packers to get him.

How did the pick turn out?

To his credit, McDonald enjoyed a nice career with eight years split between the Niners and the Pittsburgh Steelers. While he never broke out as a franchise tight end, as a prospect with limited experience coming into the NFL, he developed well at the pro level and became a nice auxiliary target with 181 catches in 101 career games, including 15 touchdowns. With career earnings of over $28 million, McDonald is likely feeling just fine as well.