Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier is hoping to strike gold when the team selects 13th overall in Thursday night’s NFL draft at Lambeau Field.
When it comes to players and their jersey numbers, the Miami Dolphins have struck gold twice when it comes to the supposedly unlucky 13. Of course, there’s Pro Football Hall of Fame signal-caller Dan Marino. The 27th overall pick in 1983 was the last of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round that year.
Just over a decade earlier, the franchise achieved perfection with the team’s fabled 17-0 season and Lombardi Trophy. The MVP of the Dolphins’ 14-7 victory in Super Bowl VII was safety Jake Scott, who also wore No. 13.
Numerous Pro Football Hall of Famers were drafted with the 13th overall pick
There are five players who were selected 13th that have a bust in Canton, Ohio. The first was quarterback/running back Clarence “Ace” Parker, a second-round pick way back in 1937 when the league housed only 10 teams.
Then there was TCU defensive tackle Bob Lilly, taken 13th overall by the Dallas Cowboys in 1961 in the NFL draft. Those were the days when the league and the rival American Football League conducted separate drafts, which changed in 1967. The AFL’s Dallas Texans (now the Kansas City Chiefs) selected Lilly at No. 14.
In 1972, the Pittsburgh Steelers struck gold with Penn State running back Franco Harris. During his rookie season, he helped lead the franchise to their first-ever playoff win courtesy of the “Immaculate Reception.” He and the team would win four Super Bowls in a six-year span (1974-79), and Harris was the MVP of Super Bowl IX.
Then there were tight ends Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez. The former was grabbed by the Chargers in 1979, and in only nine seasons was a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. Meanwhile, only Jerry Rice and Larry Fitzgerald caught more passes than Gonzalez, who also ranks in the NFL’s Top 10 in receiving yards and touchdown grabs.
For what it’s worth, and if the Dolphins hold onto the selection, it would mark the fifth time the team chooses a player with the 13th overall pick. The newcomer would join defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (2019), tackle Laremy Tunsil (2016), running back David Overstreet (1981), and defensive end/linebacker A.J. Duhe (1977) on a very interesting list.