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USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
When was Travis Kelce drafted? Revisiting 2013 NFL Draft
The lead-up to the 2013 NFL Draft carried with it a universal warning from talent evaluators. This year's crop of NFL prospects was not looking very good. There weren't many consensus blue-chip players in the 2013 NFL Draft. There were even fewer high-quality quarterbacks, with many wondering whether one of Geno Smith or EJ Manuel would be selected in the first round. The battle for the No. 1 overall pick turned into a battle between Jake Fisher and Luke Joeckel. At the same time, Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner and West Virginia receiver Tavon Austin were viewed as two of the class's more exciting players. All told, the warnings about the strength of the draft class proved valid. Many of the top selections in the 2013 NFL Draft ultimately proved to be busts, and few from the 254-man class went on to become consistent, high-quality NFL players. Among them was tight end Travis Kelce. The Cincinnati product wasn't selected in the first round of the draft, and most only knew him as the younger brother of Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce. Even so, the athletic prospect performed well enough to draw the interest of Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. And since being selected, Kelce has turned himself into one of the best players from the entire 2013 NFL Draft. When was Travis Kelce drafted? The Kansas City Chiefs selected Kelce in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Cincinnati product was the 63rd overall selection and the fifth tight end chosen in the draft to that point. Kelce ranks No. 1 among all 2013 draftees in total receptions (1,004) and ranks second in receiving yards (12,151) and receiving touchdowns (77) behind only DeAndre Hopkins. The two played together during the 2024 NFL season after the Chiefs acquired Hopkins via trade from the Tennessee Titans. Who was the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NFL Draft? Eric Fisher was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. The Chiefs selected the offensive tackle out of Central Michigan and planned to make him the team's long-term starter at left tackle. Fisher played 132 games (128 starts) across nine career NFL seasons, eight in Kansas City and one with the Indianapolis Colts. He was named a Pro Bowler twice, in 2018 and 2020, and won Super Bowl 55 while blocking on Patrick Mahomes' blind side. Kelce and Fisher played together for all eight of Fisher's seasons with the Chiefs. Kelce is entering his 13th season with the Chiefs in 2025. 2013 NFL Draft: Every player selected before Travis Kelce Kelce was selected atop the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Below is a look at all the players selected before him: Kelce is one of just 12 players from the 2013 NFL Draft class to be named an All-Pro first-teamer. His four All-Pro first-team nods are tied for the most in the class with Cordarrelle Patterson, who has earned his four as a return specialist.
The Herald Scotland
06-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Exclusive: Patrick Mahomes talks rebounding from Super Bowl loss
And now the Kansas City Chiefs star has a new 'do, changing his look during the offseason after having a significant amount of hair chopped off. It might make you wonder whether there's some serious superstition in the mix for a man so keen on the details. Well, not. "I was ready to get my hair cut the last three years," Mahomes, grinning, told USA TODAY Sports after a training camp practice last weekend. "We had won the Super Bowl two years in a row. I told the guys I was getting a haircut this year, even if we won. "I'm turning 30. Wanted to change it up. It worked out. I still have a little bit of curls up top. It's just not as long as it used to be." No, Mahomes, whose 30th birthday is Sept. 17, is hardly having an identity crisis. Go ahead, check his pulse. He knows that even with the Super Bowl setback ending what was arguably his most challenging season, he's still the key reason why the Chiefs are poised to make another run at a championship. Yet there's no denying how much the stinging, 40-22 loss in February has driven Mahomes in the months leading to the next season. Long months. To call it motivational fuel may seem trite, but that's how he puts it. And he's the one with three Super Bowl MVP trophies. He's the one who bemoaned his performance in the press conference after the game, then apologized on social media to Chiefs fans. He's the one who has to live out the high standard that everyone - beginning with himself - has for him. He's the one who is such a winner that, fair or not, the seasons are judged on whether or not the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. I reminded Mahomes of what he said in the days leading up to Super Bowl 59, when someone asked him if there was a game that kept him up at night. He didn't hesitate to identify the Super Bowl 55 loss against the Bucs. Now consider Super Bowl 59. It might give him nightmares. Exclusive: Jerry Jones unplugged. He talks Micah Parsons contract "When you make it that far and then you're at the end, it just hurts," Mahomes said. "You put so much hard work into it. So, losing on that final step is always hard. But it's how you respond. I thought we responded well after that last Super Bowl loss, just kind of building back and getting even better and winning a couple more championships. "So, now it's about, 'Where are we going to go now? Are we going to get even better from that loss? Are we going to find ways to make everyone better, not just one person?' I feel like we've done that in camp. But you can't prove it until you go out there and do it." Of course, as great as Mahomes is, it's never all on one player. Two of the biggest questions in the Chiefs training camp revolve around the overhauled offensive line and the development of the wide receiver corps. That Mahomes absorbed a career-high six sacks in the Super Bowl - without a single blitz, reflecting how overmatched his O-line was against Philadelphia's powerful front - was no mere aberration. He was sacked a career-high 36 times during the regular season. And the problems protecting his blind side stuck out. Kansas City started four players at left tackle last season, including All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney. The patchwork arrangements worked well enough for the Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, but the deficiency was exposed further when it mattered most. The overhauled line included the trade of Thuney to the Chicago Bears and the first-round selection of Ohio State product Josh Simmons, the projected answer at left tackle. Meanwhile, just like last year, the Chiefs hope to add punch with a consistent deep passing game. Injuries undermined the efforts last season (first to Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, then to Rashee Rice), which is one reason Mahomes didn't pass for 4,000 yards for the first time since he became a starter in 2018. Mahomes' 26 touchdown passes in 2024 tied for the lowest total of his career as a starter, and for the first time since 2018 he wasn't selected to the Pro Bowl. So, there were some significant markers that underscored the challenges for Mahomes in trying to establish a consistent rhythm. Sure, the Chiefs finished 15-2 to win a ninth consecutive AFC West title. Yet there were too many close calls for comfort, with games going down to the wire. And too often, Mahomes narrowly missed in connecting for big plays. Chiefs star Rashee Rice says he's learned following a terrible decision. But has he? "There's stuff we've got to get better at," Mahomes said. "Especially myself. There's plays on the football field that I didn't make last year, that I've made in previous years. At the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever it takes to win, whether that's passing for a lot of yards, not passing for a lot of yards. But I think if I play better, that's going to make it better for the team. So, I've got to be better at executing whenever the shots are there, making those throws. Because that's going to alleviate pressure on our defense and make them play more free and make the team play more free." Mahomes knows the formula better than most, with the Chiefs advancing to at least the AFC title in each of his seven seasons as a starter. Now add another dose of fire to the equation, flowing from the Super embarrassment. "It just gives you a little extra in some of the workouts and those film sessions, to try to find the little things to get even better," Mahomes said. "You try to do that when you have success, but at the same time when you have success you can sometimes be complacent. Obviously, you don't want to lose the game, but it can give you a little bit more motivation to be even better." Which is quite the warning for the rest of the NFL. Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@ or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell On Bluesky:
USA Today
05-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Exclusive: Patrick Mahomes talks painful Super Bowl loss (and new haircut)
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Maybe there's a message with the haircut. When last seen in live action, Patrick Mahomes had it thoroughly handed to him by the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl 59 rout. Three turnovers. Six sacks. No three-peat. It was the most crushing loss of Mahomes' magnificent career. And now the Kansas City Chiefs star has a new 'do, changing his look during the offseason after having a significant amount of hair chopped off. It might make you wonder whether there's some serious superstition in the mix for a man so keen on the details. Well, not. "I was ready to get my hair cut the last three years," Mahomes, grinning, told USA TODAY Sports after a training camp practice last weekend. "We had won the Super Bowl two years in a row. I told the guys I was getting a haircut this year, even if we won. "I'm turning 30. Wanted to change it up. It worked out. I still have a little bit of curls up top. It's just not as long as it used to be." No, Mahomes, whose 30th birthday is Sept. 17, is hardly having an identity crisis. Go ahead, check his pulse. He knows that even with the Super Bowl setback ending what was arguably his most challenging season, he's still the key reason why the Chiefs are poised to make another run at a championship. Yet there's no denying how much the stinging, 40-22 loss in February has driven Mahomes in the months leading to the next season. Long months. To call it motivational fuel may seem trite, but that's how he puts it. And he's the one with three Super Bowl MVP trophies. He's the one who bemoaned his performance in the press conference after the game, then apologized on social media to Chiefs fans. He's the one who has to live out the high standard that everyone – beginning with himself – has for him. He's the one who is such a winner that, fair or not, the seasons are judged on whether or not the Chiefs win the Super Bowl. I reminded Mahomes of what he said in the days leading up to Super Bowl 59, when someone asked him if there was a game that kept him up at night. He didn't hesitate to identify the Super Bowl 55 loss against the Bucs. Now consider Super Bowl 59. It might give him nightmares. Exclusive: Jerry Jones unplugged. He talks Micah Parsons contract "When you make it that far and then you're at the end, it just hurts," Mahomes said. "You put so much hard work into it. So, losing on that final step is always hard. But it's how you respond. I thought we responded well after that last Super Bowl loss, just kind of building back and getting even better and winning a couple more championships. "So, now it's about, 'Where are we going to go now? Are we going to get even better from that loss? Are we going to find ways to make everyone better, not just one person?' I feel like we've done that in camp. But you can't prove it until you go out there and do it." Of course, as great as Mahomes is, it's never all on one player. Two of the biggest questions in the Chiefs training camp revolve around the overhauled offensive line and the development of the wide receiver corps. That Mahomes absorbed a career-high six sacks in the Super Bowl – without a single blitz, reflecting how overmatched his O-line was against Philadelphia's powerful front – was no mere aberration. He was sacked a career-high 36 times during the regular season. And the problems protecting his blind side stuck out. Kansas City started four players at left tackle last season, including All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney. The patchwork arrangements worked well enough for the Chiefs to reach the Super Bowl, but the deficiency was exposed further when it mattered most. The overhauled line included the trade of Thuney to the Chicago Bears and the first-round selection of Ohio State product Josh Simmons, the projected answer at left tackle. Meanwhile, just like last year, the Chiefs hope to add punch with a consistent deep passing game. Injuries undermined the efforts last season (first to Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, then to Rashee Rice), which is one reason Mahomes didn't pass for 4,000 yards for the first time since he became a starter in 2018. Mahomes' 26 touchdown passes in 2024 tied for the lowest total of his career as a starter, and for the first time since 2018 he wasn't selected to the Pro Bowl. So, there were some significant markers that underscored the challenges for Mahomes in trying to establish a consistent rhythm. Sure, the Chiefs finished 15-2 to win a ninth consecutive AFC West title. Yet there were too many close calls for comfort, with games going down to the wire. And too often, Mahomes narrowly missed in connecting for big plays. Chiefs star Rashee Rice says he's learned following a terrible decision. But has he? "There's stuff we've got to get better at," Mahomes said. "Especially myself. There's plays on the football field that I didn't make last year, that I've made in previous years. At the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever it takes to win, whether that's passing for a lot of yards, not passing for a lot of yards. But I think if I play better, that's going to make it better for the team. So, I've got to be better at executing whenever the shots are there, making those throws. Because that's going to alleviate pressure on our defense and make them play more free and make the team play more free." Mahomes knows the formula better than most, with the Chiefs advancing to at least the AFC title in each of his seven seasons as a starter. Now add another dose of fire to the equation, flowing from the Super embarrassment. "It just gives you a little extra in some of the workouts and those film sessions, to try to find the little things to get even better," Mahomes said. "You try to do that when you have success, but at the same time when you have success you can sometimes be complacent. Obviously, you don't want to lose the game, but it can give you a little bit more motivation to be even better." Which is quite the warning for the rest of the NFL. Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@ or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell On Bluesky:
USA Today
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Buccaneers add another flavor of 'Creamsicle,' bring back original road jersey
If you love a little bit of 'Creamsicle' during the sweltering days of July, then you're in luck. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are bringing back another flavor of their famous/infamous uniforms featuring 'Florida Orange' and the winking pirate, 'Bucco Bruce,' that they featured for the first 21 seasons of their existence, beginning in 1976. However, in honor of their upcoming 50th anniversary campaign, the Bucs will also wear their white creamsicle road jerseys, which had not seen the light of day in any form since 1996. The uniforms are among the most notable in league history, the Buccaneers losing their first 26 games while being widely ridiculed for their appearance – both sartorially and from a football perspective. They only won one postseason game in Creamsicle before becoming something of a routine playoff entry in their current garb, which features red, pewter, a pirate flag helmet logo and a ship on the sleeve. Both of the organization's Super Bowl triumphs have come with the contemporary look. However the "Bucco Bruce" insignia − a winking pirate emblem calling back swashbuckling actor Errol Flynn − and the Florida Orange have taken on a nostalgic feel in recent decades, serving as a delightful throwback option from the 2009 through '12 seasons and returning anew in 2023 and '24 now that the NFL has relaxed its rules by permitting teams to use multiple helmet shells. 'If (Bucco Bruce) is the guy who's in charge of losing, let's get rid of him,' John McKay, the club's original coach, cracked when the logo was first retired in 1997. Since returning, Creamsicle and Bruce have been appreciated for breaking the mold of the NFL's fairly traditional uniforms when they were introduced. Bucco Bruce even occasionally took on the visage of Tom Brady, who quarterbacked Tampa Bay from 2020 to '22 and led the Bucs to victory in Super Bowl 55. Like their 1976 expansion brethren Bucs, the Seattle Seahawks are similarly expected to resurface their classic white road uniforms to celebrate their 50th season in 2025. All NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.
Mint
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Ndamukong Suh retires: Veteran NFL player announces exit on his father's death anniversary; shares heartfelt post
Ndamukong Suh, veteran NFL defensive lineman announced his retirement on Saturday (July 12). He declared his decision with an emotional post on his social media account, marking the one-year anniversary of his father's passing. After 13 seasons of relentless play, a Super Bowl title, and a reputation as one of the most dominant figures in football, Suh decided to step away from the game to focus on new ventures. Ndamukong Suh's journey began at Nebraska, where he established himself as one of college football's most dominant defensive tackles. Selected second overall by the Detroit Lions in the 2010 NFL Draft, Suh made his mark with his remarkable skills. His rookie season earned him the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award and a first-team All-Pro nod. Over his career, Suh claimed five All-Pro selections. Suh's path took him from Detroit to Miami, where he signed a record-breaking contract as the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history at the time. Later, he joined the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Philadelphia Eagles. He played in Super Bowls with three different teams during his career, a rare feat shared by only a few players like Rod Woodson and Bill Romanowski. His crowning achievement came in 2020, winning Super Bowl 55 with the Buccaneers, a moment he cherishes as part of his 'countless battles in the trenches.' Ndamukong Suh's retirement announcement was deeply personal, tied to the loss of his father on July 12, 2024. In his X post, he described his father as 'my idol, my coach, and my anchor,' crediting him for instilling the values that fueled his career. Before his father's passing, he advised Suh to move on from football: 'It's time to let football go. You've done everything you set out to do. Now it's time for the next chapter.' Honoring that advice, Suh chose the anniversary of his father's death to retire, closing one chapter and beginning another. Suh's career wasn't without controversy. His aggression and old-school style led to multiple fines and two suspensions, including a highly publicized incident involving Aaron Rodgers that was later overturned. While his hard-hitting approach drew criticism from opponents and the league office, it also cemented his reputation as a throwback defender in an era increasingly focused on player safety. Suh's retirement marks not an end but a transition. He's already looking ahead, focusing on 'impact, purpose, and legacy.' Through his *No Free Lunch* podcast, Suh aims to share lessons from his journey, offering 'real conversations, real strategy, and real education' to athletes, entrepreneurs, and young people. 'Freedom doesn't come from fame, it comes from knowledge and how you move,' he wrote, emphasizing his mission to help others build wealth and lead with intention.
