NFL Mock Draft #2

With the NFL Draft only a few short days away, I’m revisiting the first half of my initial mock draft (March 22), and finishing up the second half. All the major free agent signings are done at this point, and the major trade of the offseason we have been waiting for happened last week; i.e. Darrelle Revis being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here’s how I see the draft playing out at this point:


1. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M – The Chiefs draft who I believe to be the most NFL ready, and best overall player on the board to protect Alex Smith’s blind side.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida – The Jaguars are terrible. This would help generate a little in-state buzz and make the team better at the same time.

3. Oakland Raiders: Dee Milliner, DB, Alabama – The front office in Oakland is much smarter than it used to be, and they take the best player for them in this slot, or trade down.

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan- An athletic blindside protector, the Eagles and either Fisher or Lane Johnson would be a great fit.

5. Detroit Lions: Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU – Must replace Cliff Avril and Kyle Vandenbosche. Ansah is a good start.

6. Cleveland Browns: I originally had Cordarrelle Patterson (Tennessee, WR) here, and I’m going to stick with that pick. His stock has fallen quite a bit on some draft boards, but I think he has the potential to be the most dynamic receiver out of this class. I don’t think he’ll reach that potential in Cleveland, but it is possible.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah – I still think the Cardinals could go with a QB here, even with the addition of Carson Palmer, but I don’t have a good sense of which direction they would go. That leads me to believe they draft a key member of their defense for years to come.

8. Buffalo Bills: Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma – Johnson could be off of the board at this point, in which case I think the Bills either trade down or draft Jonathan Cooper a little above slot and solidify their line. With a line as solid as they would have with either of these picks, any QB they have would feel much safer.

9. New York Jets: Dion Jordan, OLB, Oregon - I honestly have no idea where the Jets will go with this pick, but with two picks in the first 13, the Jets have a little bit of flexibility. Their needs are so glaring at so many positions, and their only real positions of strength lie on the offensive line. The best available player here, in my opinion, is Dion Jordan.  It makes sense both as an area of need, and from a value standpoint. I think that is the pick here.

10. Tennessee Titans: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas – Best player on the board, good value, position of need.

11. San Diego Chargers: Chance Warmack, G, Alabama – The Chargers really need a left tackle, and will probably overdo a trade up and get one, but if they stick here, Warmack is the pick.

12. Miami Dolphins: My guess is this pick will be traded to Kansas City, who will give up Brandon Albert to Miami in return. However, if they do not trade for Albert, I think the Dolphins take the first real “reach pick” of the first round and draft Johnathan Jenkins, the huge DT out of the University of Georgia.

13. New York Jets (From Tampa Bay Buccaneers): Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU – The Jets get their two bookend OLB’s for the foreseeable future with their two first round picks. The Jets need to upgrade their aging defense, and adding two pass rushing athletic linebackers like Jordan and Mingo is a great start.

14. Carolina Panthers: Keenan Allen, WR, Cal – Allen is a good fit for the Panthers. He's a bigger, disciplined, solid route-running WR who will work well in that offense. Cam Newton will be pleased.

15. New Orleans Saints: Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri – The Saints would love it if Richardson fell to them. They need a big-bodied DT to clog up the middle and help to get their linebackers free. This would be great for them.

16. St. Louis Rams: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia – Tavon Austin would be a great option for Sam Bradford to have in the slot, and with Danny Amendola gone, the Rams have a need at that spot. Austin fits it.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia – James Harrison out, Jarvis Jones in. It’s a great fit and great value. Look out AFC north QB’s!

18. Dallas Cowboys: D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama – A Larry Allen clone size-wise, Fluker would be a good value pick at a position of need for the Cowboys.

19. New York Giants: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame – Eifert could be long gone by this time, as Todd McShay predicts, but if he’s here, he is a perfect fit in New York, especially after losing Bennett to the Bears.

20. Chicago Bears: TRADE with Buffalo: Buffalo selects Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse. Chicago acquires Buffalo's 2nd, 4th, and 6th round picks.

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina – Great get if Cooper falls this far.

22. St. Louis Rams (From Washington): Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama – Drafted to replace the departure of feature back Stephen Jackson.

23. Minnesota Vikings: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State – The Vikings chose to let Antoine Winfield go with the idea in mind to draft his replacement. Rhodes is their man.

24. Indianapolis Colts: Bjoern Werner, DL, Florida State – Werner has the flexibility to play 3-4 or 4-3 and is a solid character guy and a good fit for this team.

25. Minnesota Vikings: Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame – With their second pick this round, another upgrade on defense will be done. Teo is a slightly more instinctive version of Chad Greenway and will add a little bit of star power to the defensive side of this team.

26. Green Bay Packers: Matt Elam, S, Florida – Great fit here. Will help solidify the back end of this defense and make teams fear throwing the ball over the middle against the Packers.

27. Houston Texans: Quinton Patten, WR, Louisiana Tech – One of my favorite players in this draft, Patten will thrive opposite Andre Johnson.

28. Denver Broncos: Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia – Denver lost D.J. Williams to the Bears in free agency, but they draft a younger, more athletic linebacker that can really cover to replace him. I nearly went with Montee Ball here, but I think Denver can nab him in the second round to solidify their running attack.

29. New England Patriots: D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston – The best pure cover corner in this draft, Hayden falls to a team that will really utilize his skills opposite Aqib Talib.

30. Atlanta Falcons: Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State – Thomas Dimitroff knows what Tony Gonzalez has done for Matt Ryan, Escobar is as close to Gonzalez as you can get in a different human being.

31. San Francisco 49ers: Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford – Jim Harbaugh gets one of his old recruits to replace Delanie Walker and will really make the 49ers offense even more potent.

32. Baltimore Ravens: Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington – Ravens lost a ton on the defensive side of the ball, and Trufant is a starter from day 1. This is a solid pick for them.

So that’s how I see the first round. As we all know, things get unpredictable as teams reach, trade, and change their minds. It’s going to be fun!

By: Greg Branda