Mike White’s Mock NFL Draft v4.0
It’s not long now until Commissioner Goodell takes to the podium in New York to read out the first player to be taken in the 2013 NFL Draft, and after months of speculation, fans across the globe will know who will be suiting up in their team’s uniform for the upcoming season.
There have been the usual smokescreens, misdirection and overhyping, but now it’s time for teams to put their money where their mouth is, and as many teams will be doing everything they can to get their targets, I will mock some trades that could happen if the cards fall right.
And now that ‘The Trade That Had To Happen’ has happened, the Jets will pick at 9 and 13 as Tampa gave up their 1st rounder this year (and more) for Darrelle Revis.
Here’s the final mock of 2013.
(1st Round only)
1. Kansas City Chiefs
OT – Luke Joeckel (Texas A&M)
Branden Albert is reportedly in talks with the Miami Dolphins over a trade. This locks in the fact that KC will choose one of the top two LT’s in the Draft, and although Eric Fisher’s stock is on the rise, the consistent, solid, high quality protection that Joeckel should offer is the safest option.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
OT – Eric Fisher (Central Michigan)
Fisher doesn’t have to wait long to be picked, as the Jags spoke of the two players they were considering in very similar terms, making me think that they were similar players not only in quality, but in position. Fisher provides an upgrade in protection with pro-bowl upside, something Blaine Gabbert (or whoever else QB’s for the Jags) will need this year.
3. Oakland Raiders
DT – Sharrif Floyd (Florida)
The Raiders have a lot of holes on their roster, but the hole at DT is beyond gaping. I can’t believe that they would consider any other position else here, but trading down isn’t out of the question because they have so many needs. Floyd is a player with so much talent, he could become special.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
OLB/DE – Dion Jordan (Oregon)
I have made no secret of the fact that I love Dion Jordan’s potential. He is a 3-down player who has the ability to do anything he wants. This kind of talent cannot slip past the man who coached Jordan in college, and I think Chip Kelly would run to the podium to hand in the card himself.
5. Detroit Lions
OLB/DE – Ezekiel Ansah (BYU)
The Lions have fallen head over heels with Ansah and his athletic ability and potential. They coached him in the Senior Bowl when he blew the game up and on his pro day, had private workouts with him and the Lions gushed about Ziggy after the Combine too. Of course this could be a monumental smokescreen, but this seems like a case of love at first sight.
6. TRADE – San Diego Chargers
OT – Lane Johnson (Oklahoma)
Now that Miami seem set on using one of their second round picks on Albert from KC, the only team desperate enough to trade up here to stop the Cardinals getting Johnson is the Chargers. Their new GM/HC team will begin their reign by overpaying, as is the custom in San Diego, but they would fill a big need with the athletic LT.
7. Arizona Cardinals
OLB/DE – Barkevious Mingo (LSU)
With the top three offensive lineman and the top two pass rushers gone already, the Cardinals would probably be shopping their pick here. But then they would see that if they traded down, they would miss out on their no.1 pass rush target. Mingo fits the Cardinals’ scheme and his athleticism could well make the already good defensive unit scary. Taking him at 7 wouldn’t be deemed such a high price with Ansah gone at 5, a player with less high-level college production.
8. Buffalo Bills
WR – Tavon Austin (WVU)
Although I thought Chance Warmack would have made sense here, Buddy Nix has shot down the idea of drafting a Guard this high. So it’s pretty clear now that Nix wants to add something that will excite the Bills’ fanbase, and who better to do that than Tavon Austin, a player being labelled as the most explosive in the class. Although this is a bit high for him, he instantly gives Kevin Kolb a target who has the ability to score TD’s from anywhere on the field.
9. New York Jets
DT – Star Lotulelei (Utah)
This pick is making more and more sense to me. The trade of Darrelle Revis necessitates either more pressure on opposing QB’s or going after another corner. I’m not sure Dee Milliner is worth a no. 9 pick, but a healthy Star Lotulelei could well be. The chaos he could generate inside would open things up for last year’s 1st round pick Quinton Coples to fulfil his potential.
10. TRADE – Miami Dolphins
CB – Dee Milliner (Alabama)
The Titans trade back two spaces knowing that one of the top two guards they covet will be there for them, while Miami jump up a bit to beat the Browns and address their main need at cornerback. Milliner may not be an ‘elite’ prospect, but his cover skills will surely help in the AFC Tom Brady Division. A win/win trade for these two franchises.
11. Cleveland Browns
DT – Sheldon Richardson (Missouri)
But the Browns have other plans, they shoot down many teams’ plans here by taking a DT who fits perfectly into Cleveland’s scheme as a disruptive 3-4 DE. Richardson is one of those players who just seems to be a lock as a top-15 pick and a straight-away NFL starter, and the Browns are very comfortable selecting him with the 11th pick.
12. Tennessee Titans
OG – Chance Warmack (Alabama)
After dropping back, the Titans are left with a choice, the proven road-grader Warmack, or the more versatile, athletic Cooper. The under-pressure front office goes with the safest option. Warmack at 12 is good value, trust me.
13. New York Jets
S – Kenny Vaccaro (Texas)
The Jets have so many needs, but Rex Ryan will be pulling the strings in this draft after the front office engineered the Revis trade, and if Rex is on the clock, Rex helps his defense. There is a real gaping hole at safety with Dawan Landry as their current no.1. Vaccaro is a better player than the other options presented to the Jets, so it wouldn’t make sense to pass on a talent like the man from Texas.
14. TRADE – St Louis Rams
ILB – Alec Ogletree (Georgia)
When you look at Carolina, there are a few more holes than GM Dave Gettleman will admit to, so trading down a couple spots makes sense. For a team to trade up here, they have to really like a player, and someone will love Alec Ogletree despite his off-field concerns. His talent level is off the charts, and a strong Franchise like the Rams will see that, Jeff Fisher gets a real football player and keeps two 1st round selections.
15. New Orleans Saints
OLB/DE – Jarvis Jones (Georgia)
Tape doesn’t lie. The ‘Underwear Olympics’ do. Jones may have health issues, but he was the best defensive player in college and that kind of talent won’t just go away. The heat in New Orleans should help his back and the Saints get a player who fills a need and will be productive instantly.
16. Carolina Panthers
OT – DJ Fluker (Alabama)
The Panthers fill a huge need now and a soon-to-be huge need in the future as LT Jordan Gross is 33. This may be a little high for DJ Fluker, but top class offensive linemen are at a premium, and speaking of premium, Carolina need to keep their premium QB upright. GM Gettleman has said that he may target linemen early on.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers
DE – Cornelius Carradine (Florida St.)
The Steelers are so desperate for some pass-rush, I believe that they will take the best player who can rush the passer who is left on the board. At this juncture, in this scenario, I think that would be Cornelius Carradine. His reported 4.75 40-yard dash time at his personal ‘pro-day’ indicates the ACL injury hasn’t affected his speed and explosiveness and that he’s recovering well. Pittsburgh could be getting a steal, even at 17. I really like ‘Tank’, and if he’s healthy, he could be a star.
18. Dallas Cowboys
OG/C – Jonathan Cooper (North Carolina)
No-one needs to be told how much the Cowboys need O-line help, and if Cooper falls into their laps, they should be delighted. He is versatile, athletic and intelligent, therefore a huge upgrade on anyone else that Dallas has on their line.
19. New York Giants
DE – Bjoern Werner (Florida St.)
The Giants’ famous pass rush looks like it is beginning to slow down, so GM Jerry Reese will be looking to upgrade this position along with linebacker and offensive tackle in the Draft. This is too low for one of the best OT’s and too high for many of the LB’s, so Bjoern Werner of Florida State makes a lot of sense for Big Blue.
20. TRADE – Minnesota Vikings
DT – Sylvester Williams (North Carolina)
The Vikings pull off a little inter-divisional trade to hop up 3 spots to make sure they address their DT hole with a rising, disruptive talent in Williams The Bears are comfortable with this as their targets won’t change much at 23.
21. Cincinnati Bengals
S – Eric Reid (LSU)
The Bengals could think as I do, that they are a solid safety away from being a real AFC challenger. If that is the case, then fixing their need here will not be considered a reach if there is a player they like. Marvin Lewis loves playmakers with an attitude, and Reid fits that brief.
22. St Louis Rams
WR – Cordarelle Patterson (Tennessee)
The Rams need to give Sam Bradford all the weapons possible, and Patterson is just that from anywhere on the field. He’s tall, fast and has great hands. He can work underneath, over the top and from the backfield. His potential is limitless, but he needs an arm like Sam Bradford’s to fulfil it.
23. Chicago Bears
TE – Tyler Eifert (Notre Dame)
The Bears’ trade works out, as the same player they considered at 20, falls to 23. Eifert will bring a reliable, athletic intermediate target to Jay Cutler’s arsenal, and could herald the start of something very special at Soldier Field if Chicago’s o-line makeover works.
24. Indianapolis Colts
CB – Xavier Rhodes (Florida St.)
The Colts couldn’t defend the pass at all last year, partly due to an anaemic pass rush and partly due to poor coverage. The signing of LaRon Landry should help, but taking Xavier Rhodes could take the secondary from a weakness to a strength for Indy. Along with Vontae Davis, Rhodes’ size and speed could help form a very good cover pairing indeed.
25. Minnesota Vikings
WR – Keenan Allen (California)
The Vikes were worried about a run on receivers before their second pick, but some of the best options have just fallen into their lap. If Christian ponder is to succeed, he has to have a reliable no.1 target to get the ball to now Percy Harvin has gone to the Seahawks. Greg Jennings is a good player, but he is getting on and injuries are starting to creep in. The Vikings need a reliable set of hands. Keenan Allen will provide them.
26. TRADE – Atlanta Falcons
CB – Desmond Trufant (Washington)
The Falcons take advantage of the Packers’ willingness to move down and are, as promised by their GM Tom Dimitroff, aggressive in the draft by hopping teams with a need for CB’s to get their man. Desmond Trufant is a physical, competitive cover corner who will instantly strengthen the Falcons on D.
27. Houston Texans
ILB – Kevin Minter (LSU)
The Texans could go all in for their compliment, and eventual replacement for Andre Johnson. But with the draft playing out the way it is, there will be a bevy of options in round 2 to fill that need. So it falls to the ILB position, where Houston desperately need a 3-down player to compliment Brian Cushing. Kevin Minter is undersized, but he can cover, and that could well solve a huge problem in Texas.
28. Denver Broncos
DE – Damontre Moore (Texas A&M)
Moore has had questions levelled at him in terms of his work ethic, but when you look at the tape, you can see that a pairing with Von Miller, under the close eye of John Fox and John Elway, Moore could make a very big impact, very quickly. Elvis Dumervil may not be so missed after all.
29. New England Patriots
WR – Justin Hunter (Tennessee)
Bill Belichick doesn’t have a great record with early round picks on receivers, but this fit is just so good. Tom Brady will think he’s 10 years younger when Justin Hunter walks in the room, as I see him as a quicker version of Randy Moss. This is the pick Pats fans were praying for, the big, quick, deep threat that could push New England on towards another Superbowl win.
30. Green Bay Packers
S – Matt Elam (Florida)
I was tempted to give the Packers Eddie Lacy here after their trade down, but the RB position is just not valued as much in the NFL any more. So instead, I’ll mock them some help in a secondary severely lacking in depth. In the wake of Charles Woodson’s departure, a safety is needed, and Matt Elam’s potential could well be too good to pass up.
31. San Francisco 49’ers
DT/DE – Datone Jones (UCLA)
Justin Smith is ageing and is beginning to struggle with injury, so the Niners will be seriously thinking about drafting his replacement sooner rather than later. Datone Jones fits the 3-4 very well as a DE, and could be a very nice value pick for the 49’ers, who will surely accumulate 3 or 4 picks in the 2nd and 3rd rounds with their abundance of Draft currency. This could be a very scary team next year.
32. Baltimore Ravens
WR – DeAndre Hopkins (Clemson)
The Ravens have mercilessly and without sentiment set about rebuilding the team that won them the Superbowl. GM Ozzie Newsome loves drafting safe, solid picks in the first round, and if he watches the tape, he can fill a need with the safest receiver prospect in the draft. DeAndre Hopkins catches everything thrown his way, and under the guidance of this organisation, can be a great replacement for Anquan Boldin.
