Free agency has been a very active time for many teams early this offseason, and it appears things are slowing down a bit now. So the next thing on the schedule for the NFL is the draft. Many moves have forced me to tweak this mock from the last one I did, as expected though. This time I will include a mock of the second round as well. This is the second of three mocks I will put together for this upcoming draft. The last will be posted mid-April.
1. Kansas City Chiefs- Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M: Although the Chiefs brought back LT Branden Albert, the team might still want to draft Joeckel, as he is the top player in this year's draft. Two scenarios could occur in this situation: either the Chiefs make Joeckel the LT and move Albert to guard where he played in college, or keep Albert at LT and move Joeckel to RT. Either way, the Chiefs will find improvement in this pick.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars- Bjoern Werner, De, Florida St.: The Jaguars must find a pass rush. They can't go through every season finishing in the bottom five in sacks. They finished last season with 20 sacks and leading sacker was DT Tyson Alualu with 3.5 sacks. Werner will give a large boost in the pass rush.
3. Oakland Raiders- Shariff Floyd, DT, Florida: The Raiders are perhaps the toughest team to mock for, as they have hinted towards selecting Geno Smith. However, the DT position is a very weak spot on a weak roster. Floyd is also a high-riser on the draft boards, and may be too difficult to pass on for a defensive minded coach like Dennis Allen.
4. Philadelphia Eagles- Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan: The Eagles had difficulties protecting the quarterback last season. It wasn't necessarily a talent issue, it was an injury issue. Jason Peters is considered one of the best LT's in the league, however, he may need to be replaced after suffering an Achilles Tendon tear. Fisher is another high-riser on draft boards and may be selected on talent alone to give relief in pass protection.
5. Detroit Lions- Ezekial Ansah, DE, BYU: The pass rush for Detroit is very poor on the edge. Cliff Avril going to Seattle in free agency is a loss. The current DE's on the Lions' roster had a combined 3 sacks last season (all by new acquisition Jason Jones). Ansah only had 4.5 sacks last season for BYU and is a very raw prospect, bu his athleticism is very intriguing to develop him next to the good tandem at DT in Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley.
6. Cleveland Browns- Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon: The Cleveland Browns are starting over (again). Now switching back to a 3-4 from a 4-3 defense. Jordan is the best fit for the 3-4 in this draft. Very athletic to play either defensive end or outside linebacker. The Browns already added one pass rusher in free agency in Paul Kruger, now they add another one with Jordan, who could end up being better than Kruger.
7. Arizona Cardinals- Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama: For the first time in over 30 years, an interior offensive lineman goes in the top 10. Not taking anything away from Warmack, because he is an excellent guard, but a guard in the top 10 tells you how bad this draft is. However, the Cardinals help themselves with this pick, as the current offensive line is perhaps the worst in the NFL. Warmack was a road-grader at Alabama and should fit in just fine on an NFL team.
8. Buffalo Bills- Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia: It is very unlikely that Smith falls to the Bills at #8. In fact, Buffalo will probably have to trade up to be able to select him. However, I don't mock trades, so the Bills get lucky in my scenario. Cutting Ryan Fitzpatrick, along with GM Buddy Nix making it public for a franchise QB, makes it inevitable for a quarterback to be selected by this team whether at #8 or earlier.
9. New York Jets- Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma: The Jets have many holes to fill, but the draft is set up to fix those holes one pick at a time. Lane Johnson is another high-rising offensive lineman and can help fill the hole at tackle for New York. QB Mark Sanchez only had success when his offensive line and running game was excellent, so filling the wide open gap at RT should be priority #1. But, I don't make the decisions, so I wouldn't be surprised if the Jets want to grab a pass rusher.
10. Tennessee Titans- Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama: The Titans were in the market for a top rated CB in last year's draft. The top corners were taken before Tennessee selected, so they went WR with Kendall Wright. This year, they are in position to take the top corner on the board. Milliner may not be as talented as the CBs that were drafted last season, but he is still athletic to play corner in this league and the Titans will look into that.
11. San Diego Chargers- Johnathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina: The Chargers protection has broken down considerably the last couple of seasons, so to aid in that standpoint, the Chargers will take the best available lineman in Cooper. Might be a tad high to select him, but Cooper will definitely help in both the run game and pass game.
12. Miami Dolphins- Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah: Shouldn't fall this far, but might due to an issue with his heart. The issue is only a potential problem, but he has been cleared and is very talented and will be a great addition to the overhaul the Dolphins have already done this season through free agency. Lotulelei will be a force in the middle of this defense such as Haloti Ngata and Ndamukong Suh.
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida St.: The Buccaneers are in the process of overhauling their secondary. They added Dashon Goldson in free agency to pair with Mark Barron at safety and have shown major interest in trading for Darelle Revis. Regardless of whether or not Revis is added (reports are out that Tampa Bay has backed out of the trade), the Bucs may still add Rhodes to finish the overhaul.
14. Carolina Panthers- Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri: The Panthers found a star last year in LB Luke Keuchly. There still remains a hole on the interior defensive line. Richardson will fill that void and can help the defense in many ways. First, he can help make it so opponents can't blast through the middle of the defense and make it to the second level. Secondly, he would help open up opportunities in the pass rush for Charles Johnson and allow Keuchly and Jon Beason make easier tackles.
15. New Orleans Saints- Barkevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU: New Orleans is now switching to a 3-4 defense with new coordinator Rob Ryan. The Saints will need to bring in players that Ryan's previous teams could not provide, pass rushers (He did have DeMarcus Ware in Dallas, but no one else). Mingo fits perfectly with what the Saints are trying to do and will aid in the pass rush.
16. St. Louis Rams- Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia: A slight surprise, as expectations are that the Rams will use both first round picks to upgrade the offense around Sam Bradford. Adding Jake Long to be the LT in St. Louis might open up the possibility of selecting a top player like Jones. Jones, like Lotulelei, has a potential life-altering condition with his spine that could end his career. Another similarity from Lotulelei, Jones has been cleared by doctors and is a top pass rushing linebacker in this draft. He resembles Denver's Von Miller in his ability to rush the passer in a 4-3. Jones would make the pass rush very scary along with DEs Chris Long and Robert Quinn.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers- Margus Hunt, DE, SMU: Hunt has been up and down on mock drafts thus far this draft process. Pittsburgh is going to look to keep getting younger on defense. Might have to try Hunt at OLB, but there will be a niche for him on this team.
18. Dallas Cowboys- DJ Fluker, OT, Alabama: Dallas has had problems on the offensive line for a few years now. I am sure the Cowboys would really like to have North Carolina's Jonathan Cooper, but since I have him going higher to San Diego, the Cowboys will gladly take Fluker. Fluker was part of a dominant offensive line at Alabama and should be a fixture at right tackle for the Cowboys.
19. New York Giants- Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia: Ogletree has had a couple off-field issues in college, as he did have a suspension last season. However, Ogletree is a fine athlete. Has great speed from being a converted safety, and has a toughness to him that the Giants need in their LB corps. Would be among the best picks in the draft in this situation.
20. Chicago Bears- Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas St.: The Brian Urlacher era is over in Chicago. Now only one thing left to do and find his replacement. Brown has risen on some boards. DJ Williams was signed from Denver to fill the void at MLB, for now that is. Williams is expected to eventually go to strong side LB and Brown would fill in at MLB.
21. Cincinnati Bengals- Manti Teo, LB, Notre Dame: A little run on LBs ends with the controversial Teo. I really don't care about the whole "fake girlfriend is dead" fiasco, and it shouldn't drop his stock. Neither should his poor performance in the National Championship against Alabama, but of course, both instances have affected his stock drastically. You play defense against that offensive line in Alabama and tell me how it goes. Teo hasn't helped himself in his workouts, but Cincinnati would gladly take a chance on him. The Bengals always take chances on players who are in the news negatively.
22. St. Louis Rams*- Cordarelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee: Now the Rams start building around Sam Bradford, and they manage to land the best receiver in the draft. The Rams will like the young receiving corps they have with Patterson and last year's second round pick Brian Quick. Now Bradford will have to use these young talents to his advantage to develop them quicker.
23. Minnesota Vikings- Jonathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State: Hankins has fallen recently, but the talent is there. The Vikings are looking for another interior lineman to pair with Kevin Williams and Jared Allen. Hankins can eat up blockers and get nice penetration, so he would fit in this spot nicely.
24. Indianapolis Colts- Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi St.: The Colts traded for Vontae Davis last season, but they are still looking for another CB on the other side. Banks would fill that gap so nickel corners aren't starting.
25. Minnesota Vikings**- Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia: The Vikings use their second pick they got in the Percy Harvin trade by selecting his replacement. Austin is built in the mold of Austin, as he has great speed that can take the top off the defense. Austin along with Greg Jennings would give QB Christian Ponder legitimate receivers that are healthy to help out in the passing game.
26. Green Bay Packers- Tyler Eiffert, TE, Notre Dame: Jermicheal Finley will return to the Packers this year, but he is running out of the team's favor with all the injuries and all the drops. Regardless, Eiffert is an excellent TE that would give yet another weapon to Aaron Rodgers, and this weapon would be a red zone target.
27. Houston Texans- Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee: The Texans just missed out on Tavon Austin, but they will still go receiver to try and find that number two next to Andre Johnson. Houston has been looking for a number two receiver Johnson's entire career, and it is getting to be too late since Johnson is nearing the end of his career. If the Texans want to have a chance to compete, they need to build more of a down-field offense to compliment the defense.
28. Denver Broncos- Tank Carradine, DE, Florida St.: Guess what? The Broncos now need a DE since they apparently don't know how to use a fax machine. Carradine might be a reach, but like many other players in this draft, he is a high riser. Was a top pass rusher in college and should give a consistent rush opposite Von Miller.
29. New England Patriots- Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M: Moore is in free fall. He had an awful combine and hasn't helped himself in workouts. The Patriots might not even look towards him. Or they might to help their pass rush. Moore has had bad workouts, but the tape doesn't lie, and he had a great year at A&M.
30. Atlanta Falcons- Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford: Tony Gonzalez is coming back for one last season. Doesn't mean the Falcons should stray away from looking for his replacement for another year. Ertz is a very talented TE, and to have him learn from one of the best in NFL history would do wonders.
31. San Francisco 49ers- Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas: The 49ers lost Dashon Goldson in free agency. So they replace him with the best safety in the draft. Vaccaro would make it feel like Goldson never left. The 49ers have plenty of picks in this draft to get younger on the defensive line, so Vaccaro makes the most sense.
32. Baltimore Ravens- Keenan Allen, WR, California: I have had pass rusher mocked here in the past, but with Anquan Boldin being traded away, the Ravens may want to replace him to give the Super Bowl MVP another target to throw to. Allen has very good speed and to match his with Torrey Smith's would be a scary receiving corps.
2nd Round:
33. Jacksonville Jaguars- E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida St.
34. San Francisco 49ers***- Kawann Short, DL, Purdue
35. Philadelphia Eagles- Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
36. Detroit Lions- Larry Warford, OG, Kentucky
37. Cincinnati Bengals****- DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
38. Arizona Cardinals- Mike Glennon, QB, North Carolina St.
39. New York Jets- Kevin Minter, LB, LSU
40. Tennessee Titans- Kyle Long, OL, Oregon
41. Buffalo Bills- Quinton Patten, WR, Louisiana Tech
42. Miami Dolphins- Eric Reid, S, LSU
43. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
44. Carolina Panthers- Matt Elam, S, Florida
45. San Diego Chargers- Alex Okafor, DE/OLB, Texas
46. St. Louis Rams- Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama
47. Dallas Cowboys- Bennie Logan, DT, LSU
48. Pittsburgh Steelers- Jamar Taylor, CB, Boise St.
49. New York Giants- Justin Pugh, OL, Syracuse
50. Chicago Bears- Menelik Watson, OT, Florida St.
51. Washington Redskins- Datone Jones, DL, UCLA
52. Minnesota Vikings- Corey Lemonier, DE, Auburn
53. Cincinnati Bengals- Giovani Benard, RB, North Carolina
54. Miami Dolphins*****- Robert Woods, WR, USC
55. Green Bay Packers- Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International
56. Seattle Seahawks- Khaseem Greene, LB, Rutgers
57. Houston Texans- Stedman Bailey, WR, West Virginia
58. Denver Broncos- Blidi Wreh-Wilson, CB, Connecticut
59. New England Patriots- Terrence Williams, WR, Baylor
60. Atlanta Falcons- DJ Hayden, CB, Houston
61. San Francisco 49ers- Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama
62. Baltimore Ravens- Jamie Collins, DE/OLB, Southern Mississippi
*Rams receive Redskins 1st round pick in the Robert Griffin trade
**Vikings receive Seahawks 1st round pick in the Percy Harvin trade
***49ers receive Chiefs 2nd round pick in the Alex Smith trade
****Bengals receive Raiders 2nd round pick in the Carson Palmer trade
*****Dolphins receive Colts 2nd round pick in the Vontae Davis trade
Browns and Saints do not have 2nd round pick. Browns gave it up by drafting WR Josh Gordon in supplemental draft. Saints lose their 2nd round pick as punishment for the bounty allegations.
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