NFL Mock Draft 2013: Pre-Pro Bowl Edition
By Josh Hill
Each week Fansided.com will have a new mock draft to preview and showcase this upcoming April’s draft. For more in depth analysis of each pick, be sure to visit the Fansided site of your favorite team and check back each Monday for a new and updated Mock Draft.
NOTE: This is as accurate a draft order as possible. Currently, the top 30 spots are set. The remaining picks will be determined as team’s are eliminated from the playoffs.
1.
– Luke Joeckel, OT/Texas A&M
The Chiefs need a signal caller, but they can easily get on later in the draft. With Andy Reid in town, the Chiefs will be going in an entirely new direction (well actually it’ll just be nice for them to be going in a direction), plus both Reid and new GM John Dorsey have said the Chiefs will draft the best player available with the first pick, and that’s Joeckel. Reid lost his job because his offensive line in Philly couldn’t block and now that he’s in Kansas City, it has got to be in the forefront of his mind. If the Chiefs go with Joeckel here, expect Landry Jones or Matt Barkley to come off the board at the start of the second day.
2
.The Jaguars are under new leadership from top to bottom but don’t think that means they’re going to take a quarterback. The Jaguars need a pass rusher to come off the edge and get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Werner is hands down the best edge rusher in this years class and he’s quickly risen to the top of the draft. Had the Chiefs a need for a pass rusher, Werner would be in discussion for the No. 1 pick, so Jacksonville’s getting a stud in the former Seminole.
Moore’s a monster of a prospect and he’s in the top 5 of both Mel Kiper Jr., and Todd McShay’s big boards. It’s only January and Moore has insane hype, hype that should only build over the months and boost his already high draft stock. The Raiders need a boost on defense, and if nothing else, Moore can be a menacing edge rusher for the Raiders, something they desperately need.
Just because Chip Kelly is in town does not mean Geno Smith will be taken here. Kelly will likely try Nick Foles out for a season before making a decision on replacing him. With a lack of top-teir offensive tackles available, the Eagles will look to shore up a defense what was pretty abysmal this season. Jarvis Jones is a top 5 prospect that many view as the best impact player in the draft. Injury concerns aside, he may end up being one of the better picks of his class.
The Lions would love to draft an edge rusher at No. 5, but if Damontre Moore is off the board, they could opt for a guy like Barkevious Mingo. We don’t note trade downs in this mock, but the Lions are a real candidate to move back in this scenario, pick up a few more draft picks and grab Mingo a little lower in the order. But if the settle (and I use that term lightly) for Milliner, they’ll be sitting pretty. Detroit needs a boost in the secondary and Milliner is the best corner in the draft.
Little did the Lions know, that whoever they didn’t pick between Mingo and Milliner, the Browns were taking the unwanted selection. Milliner works in the Browns secondary to beef it up, but Mingo almost works better. Ray Horton is likely going to run a hybrid scheme that moves players around and plugging Mingo in at defensive end avoids a lot of headaches for the Browns and causes them for opposing offenses.
I really want to plug an offensive guard in here like Chance Warmack, but No. 7 seems a little high for a team to draft him and Bruce Arians is ging to want to get a quarterback for the future in Arizona. He’s had Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh and Andrew Luck in Indianapolis,
The Bills need a quarterback, but they won’t be reaching to get one. Unless Mike Glennon’s value shoots up between now and April –which it very well could– the Bills might want to opt for a pass rusher to compliment Mario Williams. Ansah is a guy who has seen his draft value skyrocket, and is now cracking the top 10 in most mocks. He’s got raw talent, is quick off the line and will be a menace when paired with Williams
While many of their fans want to entertain the idea of going quarterback in the first round, the Jets could use some upgrading on their front line, particularly with a dominating edge rusher. Dion Jordan is a name quickly climbing mock drafts and big boards and it’s not for no good reason. He’s got Jason Pierre-Paul potential as Jordan is fast, athletic and his stock is only going up. It might be a better option to stop the other team from scoring rather than trying to outscore them.
If Star Lotulelei is here for the Titans, they are going to seriously consider taking him, but after watching Jake Locker get abused last season, they’ll want to find a way to protect him in the future. Warmack is one of the best players in the country and he could go higher than No. 10 come April. The Titans would love help on the defensive line, but Warmack ensures Locker will be protected in 2013.
This now seems to be the universal pick for the Chargers in most mocks. San Diego could go for an edge rusher here, but Mike McCoy will want to protect Philip Rivers as well as he can next season. Fisher is one of those guys virtually no one heard of until December when mocks started coming out more frequently, but by the time we hit April, Fisher might be so hyped up he could be gone by No. 11, so the Chargers are not simply drafting for need here, they’re getting a stud.
Again, this seems to be the consensus pick across the board for the Dolphins. Patterson’s a huge deep threat that Ryan Tannehill will be able to make his No. 1 target in Miami. It’s a flashy pick too, so fans should fully be behind it, something Dolphins management won’t mind after last offseason. Patterson’s got great height, he can go up for balls and he’ll make Tannehill even better next season.
Everyone knows the Buccaneers need a cornerback, but there simply isn’t one good enough to take at No. 13 without reaching. Kenny Vaccaro, however, is top 15 talent at safety and will give the Buccaneers one of the most ferocious tandems in the NFL. Mark Barron literally burst his way onto the scene and into the minds of offenses in the NFL during his rookie season, and with Vaccaro along side him in the secondary, the Buccaneers will have two vicious safeties for Greg Schiano to play with. They could trade down and select Alec Ogletree as well, so just because they need a corner, doesn’t mean they’re reaching to get one.
He might not fall this far but if he somehow makes it to the Carolina Panthers, he’s not falling any further. Carolina needs to upgrade their defensive line, and Lotuleleli is the best in the draft at defensive tackle. Scouts say Lotulelei is the most complete and NFL-ready tackle in the draft and he’d help plug a terrible run defense in Carolina as well as penetrate the line.
When it comes to Richardson, scouts are absolutely high on him and he’s got a lot of evidence to back up all the hype. He’s got a lighting fast first step and can penetrate backfields like some of the top defensive tackles in the NFL. He’s fluctuating in value right now, but all signs are pointing to Richardson seeing his value take a jump as we get closer to the draft. The Saints need to beef up their front line and Richardson will be something running backs don’t want to deal with on Sunday’s.