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The Oakland Raiders traded the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft to the Miami Dolphins, then quarterback prospect E.J. Manuel heard his phone ring.
There was little doubt that Manuel was shocked at the phone call, but ironically enough he wasn’t the one that the Dolphins were looking for. Miami was on the phone, but they were looking for Dion Jordan. At that point, Manuel knew that they had the wrong number.
E.J. Manuel said his green room hotline phone rang at pick 3. He got excited, then the voice asked if they could talk to Dion Jordan.
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) April 26, 2013
Jordan was selected with the No. 3 selection after the Dolphins seemingly figured out the right number to reach him at. Manuel was forced to hang tight after the false hope. The Florida State quarterback did hear his name called at No. 16 overall to the Buffalo Bills and that’s came with some instant surprise and scrutiny, simply considering that Manuel was the first and only quarterback to be selected on Thursday night.
Some fans and analysts quickly believed that the Bills made a bad decision in choosing Manuel, especially with prospects such as Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and Ryan Nassib on the board. However, it was clear that the Bills wanted Manuel and had been targeting him, no matter who was on the board at No. 16.
So all seriousness aside from draft night in the NFL, Manuel had a little awkward situation within the first hour of its start. It’s a situation though that he can now look back at and laugh. Actually that’s really his only option as Manuel now has a lot of work to do in proving those naysayers wrong.
For the Top 10 Winners and Losers of the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft, click here.
For instant analysis on all 32 first round selections in the 2013 NFL Draft, click here.
Follow Paul Seaver on Twitter: @PaulSeaverRS
