Monday, December 2, 2013

Justin's Week 13 Mock Draft

1. St. Louis Rams (6-10) - Jadeveon Clowney (DE/South Carolina)



St. Louis has Chris Long and Robert Quinn on their roster, but you can never have enough guys who can get to the quarterback in the NFL.  Clowney is one of the best defensive prospects to come out in years and is available at a steal for the Rams, who acquired this pick from Washington via the Robert Griffin III trade.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12) - Jake Matthews (OT/Texas A&M)



Donald Penn has been terrible since signing a six year $41 million contract with Tampa Bay in 2010.  He will likely be a cap casualty this offseason as the team will be able to save $7 million by releasing him.  If they do let him walk, left tackle will become the team's biggest need.  Matthews, the son of Hall of Fame tackle Bruce Matthews, has been stellar since moving to the left side.

3. Cleveland Browns (4-12) - Teddy Bridgewater (QB/Louisville)



Cleveland is a mess at quarterback and will look to provide some stability at the position during the offseason.  Bridgewater is the top quarterback available and is in the running to be selected first overall.

4. Houston Texans (4-12) - Anthony Barr (OLB/UCLA)



Houston is a team that almost always takes the top player available and in this situation it's Barr, who has become an absolute stud in the pass rush since converting from fullback last year.  Barr could take pressure off of J.J. Watt on passing downs.

5. Buffalo Bills (5-11) - Khalil Mack (OLB/Buffalo)



Buffalo has Mario Williams, but they need more in their pass rush if they want to become a contender.  Mack, a hometown prospect, tied the NCAA record for most tackles for a loss last week.

6. Atlanta Falcons (5-11) - Louis Nix (DT/Notre Dame)



C.J. Spiller torched Atlanta's defense last week, exposing the weak front seven for the Falcons.  Nix could plug up the middle lanes in Atlanta.

7. Oakland Raiders (5-11) - Mike Evans (WR/Texas A&M)



Terrelle Pryor started off hot in Oakland, but he regressed before being injured.  If Oakland wants him (or Matt McGloin) to develop into their franchise quarterback, a capable receiver will be needed.

8. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11) - Brett Hundley (QB/UCLA)



The Jaguars are another team with a mess at quarterback.  It is doubtful that Blaine Gabbert will be on their roster next season and with Maurice Jones-Drew entering free agency, the team will look to blow up the roster.  Hundley could become the new future face of their franchise.

9. St. Louis Rams (6-10) - Haha Clinton-Dix (S/Alabama)



The Rams safeties have been atrocious all season.  Clinton-Dix, the top safety available and would provide a major upgrade to the Rams secondary.

10. Tennessee Titans (6-10) - Jason Verrett (CB/TCU)



Alterraun Verner is having a career year, but he will be entering free agency this spring.  If he is not retained, the Titans will need to find a new cornerback to replace him.  Verrett shut down Antwan Goodley in last week's game against Baylor, limiting him to one catch for 12 yards.

11. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-10) - Sammy Watkins (WR/Clemson)



Pittsburgh made the right decision in letting Mike Wallace walk in free agency, but they never properly replaced him.  If a stud receiver like Watkins is available at this juncture, it will be hard for the Steelers to avoid taking him.

12. Minnesota Vikings (6-9-1) - Derek Carr (QB/Fresno State)



Minnesota reminds me a lot of the Chiefs from last season, the team has the talent to contend across their roster, except at quarterback.  Coincidentally, Matt Cassel was on both rosters.  The Vikings will look to upgrade at the position in the offseason.

13. Green Bay Packers (6-9-1) - Eric Ebron (TE/North Carolina)



Jermichael Finley will likely not be with Green Bay for two reasons: he is in his contract year and he has suffered what could be a career ending injury.  Ebron was a monster last week against Duke and has officially declared for the draft.

14. New York Jets (7-9) - Johnny Manziel (QB/Texas A&M)



Last week may have been the week that the fans and media finally turned on Geno Smith.  There were prior reports that the Jets wanted to see a dramatic improvement from Geno Smith's play during the late stretch of the season or they would plan on looking elsewhere for a new quarterback.  Smith was benched after stinking up MetLife Stadium last week against Miami, but Matt Simms has not proven that he could be the franchise quarterback in New York.

15. Philadelphia Eagles (7-9) - Davante Adams (WR/Fresno State)



Jeremy Maclin tore his ACL in the preseason and will be entering free agency this spring.  Maclin will be a free agent in the offseason and the Eagles may let him walk due to his inability to stay healthy.  Adams has been a stud all season.

16. New York Giants (8-8) - Vic Beasley (DE/Clemson)



Justin Tuck will be a free agent at the end of the season and will turn 31.  If the Giants let him walk like they did with Osi Umenyiora, they will need to bolster their pass rush which is typically a strength of the team.  Beasley is undersized, but he has a non-stop motor and makes in impact on both the pass and rush.

17. San Diego Chargers (8-8) - Marcus Roberson (CB/Florida)



San Diego's secondary has been a liability for most of the season.  Shareece Wright is also entering his contract year in 2014.  Either way, the Chargers will look to upgrade him.

18. Miami Dolphins (8-8) - Taylor Lewan (OT/Michigan)



Jonathan Martin will officially not play again this season and there is a good chance that he will be traded or released in the offseason.  Even before this scandal happened Martin's poor play forced this position to be a need.

19. Detroit Lions (9-7) - Jordan Matthews (WR/Vanderbilt)



Detroit already has the league's best receiver in Calvin Johnson, but teams will continue to double team him until they find a reliable no. 2 option.  Matthews can forces defenses to be honest against Detroit.

20. Arizona Cardinals (10-6) - Kyle Van Noy (OLB/BYU)



Arizona's pass rush has been abysmal this season.  They are playing well as a team, but if they expect to become legitimate challengers in the NFC, they need to find a way to bring down the quarterback.

21. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7) - Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (CB/Oregon)



Cincinnati has an aging Terrence Newman, an oft-injured Leon Hall and an unreliable Adam Jones at cornerback along with Dre Kirkpatrick.  Their secondary has played well this season, but this unit may be dismantled in the offseason.

22. Dallas Cowboys (9-7) - Ra'Shede Hageman (DT/Minnesota)



Dallas released Jay Ratliff earlier in the season, but they still don't have a reliable player in the middle of their defensive line.  Hageman is a terror both against the run and pass and could take away running lanes that Dallas has allowed all season.

23. Baltimore Ravens (9-7) - Cyrus Kouandjio (OT/Alabama)



Eugene Monroe was added via trade earlier this season, but he could leave the team as a free agent.  If they are unable to retain him, the Ravens will need to find a new blindside protector for Joe Flacco.

24. Chicago Bears (10-6) - C.J. Mosley (MLB/Alabama)



Cornerback is a need, but I doubt the Bears avoid Mosley if he is available.  Mosley has been a key ingredient to Alabama's rush defense and would serve as an upgrade in Chicago.

25. San Francisco 49ers (10-6) - Adrian Hubbard (DE/Alabama)



Aldon Smith has had a rough return to the 49ers, only registering two sacks in four games, both of which came against Washington.  The 49ers need to bring depth to their pass rush during the offseason.

26. Carolina Panthers (11-5) - Justin Gilbert (CB/Oklahoma State)



Carolina's secondary needs to be upgraded if they want to become legitimate contenders in the NFC.  The front seven has been bolstered in recent years by drafting Luke Keuchly nad Star Lotulelei, but Chris Gamble's retirement set their secondary back.

27. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) - Antonio Richardson (OT/Tennessee)



Eric Fisher has struggled at right tackle all season.  If Branden Albert leaves in free agency, Kansas City should be cautious about putting Fisher on the blind side.  It wouldn't be surprising to see the Chiefs double dip in the draft at tackle.

28. Cleveland Browns (4-12) - Lache Seastrunk (RB/Baylor)



Cleveland traded Trent Richardson at the beginning of the season because he wasn't the right back for their system.  Expect them to draft his replacement as early as the acquired for him.  Seastrunk has been unstoppable all season.

29. New Orleans Saints (11-5) - Timmy Jernigan (DT/Florida State)



New Orleans defense has improved with Rob Ryan, but there are still holes to fill, especially along the defensive line.  Jernigan would be an upgrade to their defensive front.

30. New England Patriots (12-4) - Cyril Richardson (G/Baylor)



New England needs to upgrade the protection of their interior offensive line.  Richardson is versatile enough to play either guard position or right tackle, something Bill Belichick covets.

31. Seattle Seahawks (14-2) - Aaron Colvin (CB/Oklahoma)




Brandon Browner is facing a year-long suspension for PED use.  With his contract expiring, there is a good chance that Seattle will move on from him.  Without him, however, finding another cornerback becomes a need.

32. Denver Broncos (13-3) - Gabe Jackson (G/Mississippi State)



The one thing that could make Denver's offense even more dangerous is if they were give better protection, especially on the interior offensive line.  Jackson would be an immediate starter on the right side in Denver.

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