1. Kansas City Chiefs - Luke Joeckel (OT/Texas A&M)
- The Chiefs need a QB, but there is not an elite pivot in this draft as in years past. Look for the Chiefs to take the draft's best lineman and overall player, Luke Joeckel or trade the 1st pick away and move down the draft.
- The Jaguars could use a QB or RB as well, but they will not draft either one of those this high in the draft. Look for the Jaguars to address their defensive woes by drafting either Bjoern Werner or Georgia's Jarvis Jones. I'm leaning towards Werner, who isn't as dynamic as Jones, but provides solid output without a significant injury history.
- The Raiders have plenty of holes to fill, but none is more important than the offensive line. The failure of the line saw Carson Palmer get drilled often & provided very little running room for Darren McFadden (when he happened to be healthy). Warmack comes from a storied Alabama program, and is a consummate professional. Fits the bill for the new Raiders under Dennis Allen.
- On paper, the Eagles looked like a force to be reckoned over the last couple of years, yet in reality, they have fallen well short of expectations. Offensive genius Chip Kelly took over the reigns as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles this winter, but don't expect him to take a offensive play maker with his first pick. One of the biggest shocks was the sudden aging of star corner Nnamdi Asomugha. The 3-time Pro Bowler was beaten by opposing team's wide outs often. Signs of Father Time catching up. The Eagles should use their pick to select Alabama's Dee Milliner, the top ranked corner-back in this draft. But if Chance Warmack doesn't go to the Raiders at #3, look for the Eagles to snap him up as their is a huge need on the O-line as well.
- While a running back is what the Lions need the most, this draft doesn't have a Trent Richardson that can crack the top 5 (or even the top 20 for matter). So look for the Lions to address their pass rush in the first round. The Lions released Kyle Vanden Bosch earlier this month, which opens the door for them to select Texas A&M's Moore, who had 85 tackles and 12.5 sacks this past season.
- If Jones isn't picked by the Jaguars, expect him to slide to the Browns at number 6. New head coach Rod Chudzinski needs some help on the offensive side of the ball, but without any elite play makers in this draft, look for the Browns to take Jones who will vastly improve their defense. The Browns struggled to stop the run this past year, Jones could be an immediate help in that department.
- The biggest need for the Cardinals is at the quarterback position. There is no doubt about that. But, neither Geno Smith or Matt Barkley are worth an early first round gamble. So, look for the Cardinals to improve their rush defense by taking Utah's defensive tackle, Star Lotulelei. There is plenty of room for improvement as the team allowed an average of 137 yards per game on the ground this season.
8. Buffalo Bills - Barkevious Mingo (DE-OLB/LSU)
- Another team that is looking for a QB, but I just cannot see one going this high in 2013. Another place the Bills can vastly improve is at the linebacker position, where they were incredibly thin last year. LSU's Mingo would be a good fit here as he can play at the end or linebacker position. Mingo could help the Bills at either position as they were in the middle of the pack with 36 sacks last year and possessed the 2nd worst rush defense in the league, allowing over 145 rushing yards per game.
9. New York Jets - Sheldon Richardson (DT/Missouri)
- The Jets need help with the pass rush. While the young duo of Quinton Coples & Muhammad Wilkerson have played well, look for the Jets to draft another defensive player in the 1st round in 2013. With Damontre Moore, Jarvis Jones & Barkevious Mingo all gone, the Jets should opt for Missouri's Sheldon Richardson to play up the middle. While he is a little further down on some draft boards, Richardson is ranked as #2 defensive tackle (behind Lotulelei), so the Jets would be wise to snap him up before he is gone.
10. Tennessee Titans - Kenny Vaccaro (FS/Texas)
- The Titans defense surrendered a league worst 29.4 points per game to opponents last year, a good chunk of which was allowed on big plays given up by the secondary. Look for the Titans to address this need in the draft by taking Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro with the 10th pick in the draft. Picking this extremely athletic, hard hitting and intelligent player would be a good start to improving the Titans' secondary.
11. San Diego Chargers - Eric Fisher (OT/Central Michigan)
- The Chargers had a lot go wrong for them last year: a shaky Philip Rivers, an injured Ryan Mathews and bad luck all around. As a result, both GM A.J. Smith & coach Norv Turner were let go, and replaced by Tom Telesco & Mike McCoy, respectively. So where do McCoy and Telesco start with their first draft pick? It has to be an offensive lineman. The Chargers were putrid when within their opponents 10 yard line all year long, only scoring touchdowns in 55.6% of their visits within the 10. A push on the goal starts with a solid offensive line, without that, your offensive doesn't stand much of a chance. Look for the Chargers to take big Eric Fisher of Central Michigan to address this need.
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| Keenan Allen: The upgrade at wide receiver the Miami Dolphins are in need of? |
12. Miami Dolphins - Keenan Allen (WR/California)
- No need to try to drag O.J. McDuffie out of retirement Dolphins' fans. It looks like your team will finally address the need at wide receiver. Greg Jennings, Dwayne Bowe, and Mike Wallace are being touted as possible additions via free agency and trades, but the team requires a long-term target for Ryan Tannehill as well. California's Keenan Allen is the highest ranked wide out in this draft and compares to Anquan Boldin in terms of style. Potential dream scenario for Dolphins' fans: possession receiver Allen lining up alongside speedster Mike Wallace.
- No surprise here. The Bucs had the worst pass defense in the league last year. Rookie safety Mark Barron and corner Eric Wright were picked on for big plays all year long. Those two need some help in the secondary. Enter Xavier Rhodes. Aside from having one of the best names in the draft (2nd only to Barkevious Mingo), Rhodes is a physical corner with great ball hawking skills.
- The Panthers need to get some more help on the pass rush and this is the draft to do it. With a number of high quality defensive tackles available this year, look for Ron Rivera and his team to take Florida's explosive tackle Shariff Floyd. The Panthers could trade down in the draft and hope Floyd drops to a lower position or take Alabama's Jesse Williams, but that would be a risky move as a number of teams are looking for defensive help.
15. New Orleans Saints - Ezquiel
Ansah (DE/BYU)
- After courting Romeo Crennel for a few minutes, the Saints decided on signing the lesser Ryan (Rob, not Rex) as their defensive coordinator. Humor aside, Rob Ryan will bring swagger back to a New Orleans defense that is in desperate need of it. The team will be playing a 3-4 defense & will look to address a need at the DE position in the first round. Look for Ghana born Ezquiel Ansah to head south to Louisiana. Ansah has been compared to Jason Pierre-Paul (slightly slower, but better against the run).
The rest of the draft:
16. St. Louis Rams – Lane Johnson (OT/Oklahoma)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordarelle
Patterson (WR/Tennessee)
18. Dallas Cowboys - Johnathan
Cooper (OG/North Carolina)
19. New York Giants - Desmond
Trufant (CB/Washington)
20. Chicago Bears - D.J Fluker
(OT/Alabama)
21. Cincinnati Bengals - Alec Ogletree
(OLB/Georgia)
22. St. Louis Rams - DeAndre Hopkins
(WR/Clemson)
23. Minnesota Vikings - Jesse
Williams (DT/Alabama)
24. Indianapolis Colts -
Johnathan Hankins (DT/Ohio State)
25. Seattle Seahawks - Sam Montgomery (DE/LSU)
26. Green Bay Packers – Alex Okafor
(DE/Texas)
27. Houston Texans - Kevin Minter
(ILB/LSU)
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| Expect Te'o to slide in the draft |
28. Denver Broncos - Manti Te'o
(ILB/Notre Dame)
29. New England Patriots - Johnthan
Banks (CB/Mississippi State)
30. Atlanta Falcons - Eddie Lacy
(RB/Alabama)
31. San Francisco 49ers - Geno Smith
(QB/West Virginia)
32. Baltimore Ravens – Matt Elam
(S/Florida)
Happy with your team's projected pick? Comment below!
Happy with your team's projected pick? Comment below!
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