Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft: Kevin Hanson
|
|
Updated: Thursday, April 25, 2013 (12:00 AM ET)
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
1. Kansas City Chiefs (draft history) - Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
With a 2-14 record, the Chiefs did not win much last year, but they did win the tie-breaker over the Jaguars for the rights to the first overall pick in this year's draft.
Neither Matt Cassel nor Brady Quinn was the long-term answer at quarterback for the Chiefs as the team's passers combined to throw a league-low eight touchdowns and finished second behind only the Cardinals for most interceptions thrown (20) last year.
While both Cassel and Quinn are now elsewhere as backups, it's unfortunate for the Chiefs (or any other quarterback-needy team) that there is no stud quarterback in this year's draft like Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III last year.
Perhaps they gave up too much, but the Chiefs traded their second-round pick (34th overall) this year and a conditional third-round pick (that could become another second-rounder) in 2014 to the 49ers for Alex Smith.
While the Chiefs were unable to re-sign left tackle Branden Albert to a long-term deal, they used their franchise tag to keep him on the roster for at least one more season. That said, they released right tackle Eric Winston earlier this offseason and have have allowed Albert's agent(s) to negotiate a deal with the Dolphins, which means an offensive tackle is likely the pick here.
Recently, Tony Pauline tweeted that the Chiefs position coaches prefer Central Michigan's Eric Fisher over Texas A&M's Luke Joeckel.
During Senior Bowl practices, no prospect was more impressive than Fisher regardless of position. At 6-8 and 305 pounds, Fisher is the top senior left tackle prospect in this year's draft class.
In addition, Fisher was more impressive than Joeckel at the combine and it's certainly possible that Fisher could become the top overall pick Thursday night.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (draft history) - Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
The Jaguars have a myriad of needs, but no team recorded fewer sacks than the Jaguars (20.0) last season. In fact, one player within their division, Houston's J.J. Watt, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, had more sacks (20.5) than the Jaguars had as a team last year.
In other words, there is a great chance that this pick could be a pass-rusher like Oregon's Dion Jordan.
While left tackle is not an immediate need, Eugene Monroe is scheduled to become a free agent in 2014. While Joeckel can play right tackle as well, he provides insurance in the event the club does not re-sign Monroe.
Not only does Texas A&M have Johnny "Football" Manziel, the Heisman Trophy winner, but they had college football's best pair of bookend tackles last season. With the move to the SEC, the Aggies faced their share of elite pass rushers and talented defensive linemen yet Joeckel more than held his own.
Playing on the left side with the son of Hall-of-Famer Bruce Matthews on the right side, Joeckel, the top-ranked prospect on our big board, possesses the prototypical size, balance and athleticism you would want in a left tackle. While his run blocking is solid, Joeckel really excels as a pass blocker due to his technique, agility and quick feet.
[Related: Matthews was the top OT in my early 2014 NFL mock draft.]
3. Oakland Raiders (draft history) - Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
On the sixth-ranked rushing defense (96.6 yards allowed per game) in college football, Floyd led the Gators in tackles for loss and seems to be a lock as a top-five pick at this point.
Raiders defensive tackle Richard Seymour is an unrestricted free agent and the team released Tommy Kelly so Floyd should help fill their void. The Raiders ranked 28th in the NFL in scoring defense (27.7 points allowed per game).
4. Philadelphia Eagles (draft history) - Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon
Recruited as a wide receiver and having switched from tight end to defensive end only two seasons ago, Jordan (6-7, 243 pounds) is a little raw but he's an explosive and smooth athlete with plenty of upside. Jordan played outside linebacker in 2012 and even covered the slot receiver at times for new Eagles coach Chip Kelly at Oregon.
Jordan, who recently had surgery for a torn labrum, should be ready for training camp.
5. Detroit Lions (draft history) - Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
Perhaps a good problem to have, the Lions have a difficult decision as Alabama cornerback Dee Milliner, BYU defensive end Ezekiel Ansah and Oklahoma left tackle Lane Johnson all make sense here.
With left tackle Jeff Backus retiring and right tackle Gosder Cherilus signing a free-agent deal with the Colts, the Lions have a huge hole to protect Matthew Stafford's blind side.
Johnson has the frame (6-foot-6 and 302 pounds) to easily add another 20 pounds and he has great athleticism (4.72 forty at the combine) for the position. Before transferring to Oklahoma (from junior college) and switching to offensive tackle, Johnson played tight end and quarterback.
Not only did Fisher boost his draft stock among offensive tackles at Senior Bowl practices (and the combine), so did Johnson. Along with Joeckel, they are the clear-cut top trio of offensive tackles in this year's draft class.
While most view Joeckel and Fisher as better prospects at this point, you could argue that Johnson has more upside than either one.
6. Cleveland Browns (draft history) - DeMarcus Milliner, CB, Alabama
Milliner, who was the top-ranked cornerback prospect out of high school, is the (almost) consensus top cornerback in this year's draft class. Some others like Greg Cosell, Mike Mayock, etc. have Houston's D.J. Hayden ranked above Milliner, though.
He led the country in passes broken up (20) and was tied for first in passes defended (22) for the national champions. As a team, the Crimson Tide allowed only seven passing touchdowns while intercepting 19 passes last season.
Any team that was worried about Milliner's straight-line speed had those concerns erased when he ran a 4.37 forty at the combine. That said, Milliner may not be ready for training camp after recently having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.
Paired with Joe Haden on the other side, this pick would give the Browns one of top cornerback tandems in the NFL.
- POLL: How many 'Bama players will be selected in Round 1?
7. Arizona Cardinals (draft history) - Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
As bad as their quarterback play was in 2012, the Cardinals' offensive line play was just as bad as they allowed a league-worst 58 sacks last season. In an ideal situation, they would have one of the three top offensive tackles fall to them at this spot.
With that trio off the board, I think they will also strongly consider one of the top two guards here.
Drawing some comparisons to Ravens stud defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, Lotulelei was likely to be the top defensive tackle selected in April and possibly even the top overall pick before the discovery of his heart condition at the NFL scouting combine.
Since then, however, testing on Lotulelei has come back normal, which means it's still possible that Lotulelei is the first defensive tackle off the board.
As a First-Team All-Pac-12 selection in both 2011 and 2012, Lotulelei has had a strong season this year although double and triple teams prevented him from putting up eye-popping stats.
8. Buffalo Bills (draft history) - Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse
Earlier this offseason, the Bills released their turnover-prone and weak-armed starting quarterback. The Amish Rifle, who has since signed with Tennessee, was tied with Josh Freeman for a league-worst 39 interceptions thrown over the past two seasons. Although they signed Kevin Kolb, I don't think that prevents the team from drafting a quarterback here.
Perhaps this is too high for Nassib (or any of this year's crop of quarterbacks, for that matter), but I think new coach Doug Marrone will be targeting his quarterback at Syracuse and he may not be available with the 41st-overall pick, the Bills' second-round pick.
A highly intelligent quarterback, Nassib has a strong arm and threw for 3,753 yards and 26 touchdowns last season for 'Cuse. Several (Greg Cosell of NFL Films, ESPN's Jon Gruden, etc.) have Nassib rated as their top-rated quarterback in this year's draft class.
9. New York Jets (draft history) - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
With multiple first-round picks after trading Darrelle Revis to the Bucs, the Jets could use one of those picks to add a dynamic playmaker like Austin.
Not only is Austin explosive (4.34 forty), he is strong (14 reps of 225 pounds) for his size (174 pounds) and durable (never missed a practice at West Virginia). Austin has the ability to make huge plays any time he touches the ball whether he is lined up in the slot or backfield and in the return game.
Last year, Austin had six 100-yard receiving games including 215 yards against Baylor. In addition, he had a 344-yard rushing game (on 21 carries) against Oklahoma on 11/17.
10. Tennessee Titans (draft history) - Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
A few months ago, SI's Tony Pauline wrote that "Cooper received first round grades from scouts prior to the season and has surpassed expectations on the field this year. ... The athletic guard improved his power at the point of attack and now displays the ability to beat down defenders on the line of scrimmage as well as annihilating opponents blocking in motion." In addition, Pauline writes that Cooper is "unlikely to make it out of the draft's initial 15 choices." Since then, Cooper has looked impressive at the combine and his pro day as well.
Earlier this offseason, the Titans signed free-agent guard Andy Levitre, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the team won't add another elite guard like Cooper, who also has the versatility to play center.
11. San Diego Chargers (draft history) - Chance Warmack, G, Alabama
Considered the top guard prospect by many, Warmack is considered to be one of the safest prospects in this year's draft.
This pick fills a void for the Chargers as only three teams have allowed more sacks than San Diego this season. The only quarterback to have been sacked more over the past three seasons than Philip Rivers (117) was Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers (118).
Ideally the Chargers would prefer to land one of the top three tackles here, but they lost starting guard Louis Vasquez within the division as he signed a four-deal with the Broncos.
12. Miami Dolphins (draft history) - Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
The Dolphins could use another pass-rusher opposite Cameron Wake, who ranks third in the NFL with 37.5 sacks over the past three seasons.
Ansah, a former track athlete from Ghana, has freakish athleticism with a ton of upside and that has led to comparisons to Jason Pierre-Paul. Despite being raw, Ansah finished second at BYU in tackles for loss (13.0) and had 4.5 sacks.
As noted earlier, it's possible that Ansah is off the board by this point as I expect the Lions to strongly consider taking him at No. 5 (and even had him in that spot in a previous update). Some mocks even have Ansah off the board at pick No. 2 to Jacksonville.
13. (Via TB) New York Jets (draft history) - Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU
Having traded Revis, the Jets could go with Florida State cornerback Xavier Rhodes here. If Milliner falls to this spot, he think he would be a no-brainer pick. In addition, the Jets may go with Geno Smith as a long-term replacement for Mark Sanchez.
Only five teams recorded fewer sacks than the Jets (30) last season.
With Mingo, the Jets get a pass rusher loaded with potential and tremendous explosiveness. He ran a 4.58 forty at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was second among the defensive line group.
Unfortunately with Mingo, however, they also get a player that saw his year-over-year production dip. Mingo ranked first on LSU and third in the SEC in tackles for loss (15.0) and finished as a second-team All-SEC selection in 2011 as a sophomore. This year, however, Mingo had only 4.5 sacks, which was tied for second on the team, and 8.5 tackles for loss, which was fourth.
14. Carolina Panthers (draft history) - Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
Defensive tackle is arguably the deepest position in this year's draft class and Richardson's one of the best in the group and a very good value here. He led SEC defensive tackles in tackles (75) and had 10.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and three forced fumbles.
- Poll: Who will be the first defensive tackle selected in the 2013 NFL Draft?
15. New Orleans Saints (draft history) - Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
The Saints disappointed last season primarily due to their defense (or lack thereof), which set the NFL record for most yardage allowed in a season (7,042).
The most productive pass-rusher of this year's draft class, Jones led the SEC and was tied for second in the nation in sacks (13.5) and had 19.5 tackles for loss back in 2011 as a first-team All-American.
Despite missing two games this season, Jones, the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, led the nation with 14.5 sacks in only 12 games played. Seven of those sacks came in big games against Florida (three), Alabama (two) in the SEC Championship Game and Nebraska (two) in the Capital One Bowl.
In addition, Jones led the country with 24.5 tackles for loss and seven forced fumbles.
The two primary concerns with Jones are: (1) medical - his spinal stenosis and (2) the disappointing 4.9 forty he ran at Georgia's pro day. On the medical front, however, at least one of the NFL doctors that examined Jones at the scouting combine issued a report to teams that stated, 'Jarvis is cleared to play without restriction.'
16. St. Louis Rams (draft history) - D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
Sam Bradford has taken a beaten over the past few years, but the Rams have taken a first step towards bolstering their offensive line by signing free-agent left tackle Jake Long. Even though Rodger Saffold has shown up to voluntary offseason workouts, he was/is not thrilled about switching to right tackle and enters the final year of his rookie deal.
With Fluker, the Rams get the draft's best right tackle to replace Saffold after this year. Considering the offensive line needs of the teams ahead of the Rams, it's certainly possible that Fluker is (long) gone by this point.
- Continue to Picks 17-32
- Continue to Round 2
- Continue to Round 3
- Continue to Round 4
- Continue to Round 5
- Our other 2013 NFL Mocks: Brendan Donahue's mock | Collaboration with Sean Beazley
- Our 2013 NFL Draft Big Board (Top 50 Prospects)
- 2014 NFL Draft Mock
- More mock drafts: 2013 NFL Mock Draft Database | 2014 NFL Mock Draft Database
- Our 2013 Fantasy Football Mock Drafts: Standard Scoring | PPR Scoring
To keep track of our updates: (1) follow us on Twitter, (2) LIKE us on Facebook and/or (3) add us to your Google+ circle.
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
