2013 NFL Mock Draft
This is the first 2013 NFL Mock Draft for with the first pick. I’ll be using Sporting News power rankings to get the order for the draft. No team has traded away their 2013 1st round pick as of this moment other than the Washington Redskins in the trade up to get Robert Griffin III.
There are so many intriguing quarterback options that I almost put an inordinate number of quarterbacks in the first round, but I decided to limit it to about four or five.
1. Oakland Raiders-Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas
(no first round pick in 2012 draft)
If the Raiders are picking first overall in the 2013 NFL draft, they will have to select a quarterback. I have a feeling that b this time next year Matt Barkley will have suffered from paralysis by analysis. He doesn’t look as imposing as Tyler Wilson, Tyler Bray, or Logan Thomas and one of them is bound to pass him.
2. Minnesota Vikings-Alex Okafor, DE, Texas
(Matt Kalil, Harrison Smith)
Just changing it up a little bit here. If the Vikings are picking second it’s possible the team will look at Christian Ponder and wonder if he is the answer. Either way they need a lot of help at WR and defensive end unless they have some young players who really step it up in 2012. Most people like Sam Montgomery more, but I think Okafor has good size and is a terrific athlete and has a shot to end up very high in the 2013 draft.
3. St. Louis Rams-Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU
(Michael Brockers)
Like the Vikings, if the Rams are picking in the top three, quarterback becomes a possibility. But I think the Rams would prefer to build up all of their talent around Bradford and give him a shot to take them all the way.
4. Indianapolis Colts-Keenan Allen, WR, California
(Andrew Luck)
Robert Woods is generally listed as the #1 WR right now with good reason–but Woods will have to show that he’s so much better than players like Keenan Allen that he’s worthy of a top five pick. The WR class looks much better at the top in 2013 and Woods lacks the ideal size teams are looking for with top five picks at WR. Colts still need defensive help, but right now the Colts have nothing impressive outside of the aging Reggie Wayne.
5. Miami Dolphins-Brakevious Mingo, DE/OLB, LSU
(Ryan Tannehill)
The Dolphins find someone to pair opposite Cameron Wake. Even if the Dolphins end up picking top 5 next year they are not taking a quarterback.
6. Cleveland Browns-Matt Barkley, QB, USC
(Richardson, Brandon Weeden)
This one was tough for me. Brandon Weeden seemed almost like a reluctant first round pick at quarterback, and the Browns drafted Weeden to win NOW because of his age and are not hoping to develop him for the future. If they love a quarterback and are picking 6th overall I could see them taking one.
7. Jacksonville Jaguars-David Amerson, CB, North Carolina State
(Justin Blackmon)
I was going to have the Jaguars go quarterback here too, but decided against it. I really don’t like the talent they have at cornerback and figured this was better value–to get the cornerback of their choice as opposed to the third best quarterback. Plus the difference between the Jaguars and Browns is that the Jags moved up to get Gabbert and think he is the future. The Jaguars could still lose a lot of games even if Gabbert shows marked improvement over last year
8. St. Louis Rams (via Washington Redskins)-Robert Woods, WR, USC
(Michael Brockers–Sam Montgomery in this mock)
The Rams go best player available here with their second first round pick. Woods lacks the ideal size for a top 5 pick, but still could end up in the top 10 because of how talented he is.
9. Arizona Cardinals-Logan Thomas, QB, Va Tech
(Michael Floyd)
The Cardinals go with the uber talented Logan Thomas because they feel that Kolb is no longer the answer. Thomas has the kind of dual threat ability that is in en vogue in the NFL right now.
10. Kansas City Chiefs-Tyler Bray, QB, Tennessee
(Dontari Poe)
The Chiefs weakest position might be quarterback–I’m not the biggest Cassel fan. The roster outside of Cassel is really good and fairly deep.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers-D.J. Fluker, OL, Alabama
(Mark Barron, Doug Martin)
The Buccaneers luck out by getting the best offensive linemen in the draft because teams went quarterback heavy in the top 10.
12. Carolina Panthers-Star Lotuelei, DT, Utah
(Luke Kuechly)
I thought the Panthers might consider Coples as a DT or take Michael Brockers 9th in the 2012 nfl draft. I see no reason why they would pass up on Lotuelei if the 2013 NFL draft was today.
13. Seattle Seahawks-Marcus Lattimore, RB, South Carolina
(Bruce Irvin)
The Seahawks have Marshawn Lynch who is a good player, but not Marcus Lattimore talented. The Seahawks are one of the teams that might be in the market for a quarterback too depending on how well Flynn plays and how many games they win.
14. New York Jets-Jake Matthews, Texas A and M
(Quinton Coples)
The Right Tackle position was sieve for the Jets in the 2011 NFL Season, to which they did…nothing? If they are picking 14th in 2013 it is probably in large part because of unspectacular offensive line play. Quarterbacks like E.J. Manuel, Landry Jones, and Geno Smith might also be possible.
15. Tennessee Titans-T.J. McDonald, S, USC
(Kendall Wright)
Titans fans I know were hoping that Mark Barron would fall to them, but he went pretty high. McDonald is in the same class as Barron, but a better athlete. He’d be a terrific addition to the Titans secondar.
16. Buffalo Bills-Marquees Wilson, WR, Washington State
(Stephon Gilmore)
The Bills were linked to Michael Floyd a lot, and though drafting a WR early might not be their GM style they might take it into serious consideration in the middle of the first round next year because they have a lot of good young pieces on defense and in the trenches on offense. The Bills seem to like Fitzpatrick, but quarterback can not be ruled out.
17. San Diego Chargers-Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
(Melvin Ingram)
I’ve been clamoring for the Chargers to take a cornerback in the first round for the last two drafts. I’m not a Chargers fan, but I think that’s one area they could really improve and would like to see them make that addition.
18. Chicago Bears-Manti Te’o, LB, Norte Dame
(Shea McClellin)
The Chicago Bears find the future replacement for Brian Urlacher with the selection of the terrific Manti Te’o. I think Te’o is a better player at the N.F.L. level than Kuechly, though he’s at the same level with his instincts.
19. Cincinnati Bengals-Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas
(Kirkpatrick, Zeitler)
One of the few Bengals weak spots is at safety. Vaccaro is a terrific athlete who should rise up draft boards during the 2012 College football season. Running back, RT, pass rushing DE could all be other possibilities.
20. Atlanta Falcons-Oday Aboushi, T, Virginia
(no first round pick)
The Falcons took Lamar Holmes with their second pick this year (third round), but I would not rule out a LT like Aboushi in the first round next year. DE is also a real possibilit.
21. New Orleans Saints-Jonathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
(no first round pick)
The Saints need to improve their defense. Sedrick Ellis is a really good player, but finding consistent production next to him has been a bit of a problem for the Saints.
22. Detroit Lions-Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
(Riley Reiff)
The Lions should add players in the secondary early ever year as long as Aaron Rodgers is playing quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
23. Dallas Cowboys-Sean Porter, LB, Texas A and M
(Morris Claiborne)
The Cowboys finally get an upgrade for the very average Anthony Spencer to take the pressure off the nothing-average-about DeMarcus Ware.
24. Philadelphia Eagles-Tyler Eifert, TE, Norte Dame
(Fletcher Cox)
Definitely Not a typical Eagles pick and they generally go for linemen on both sides of the ball, but I’ve been waiting for a spot to slot the talented dual threat tight end.
25. Pittsburgh Steelers-Brandon Jenkins, OLB, FSU
(David Decastro)
The Steelers need a future replacement for James Harrison, they might have him on the roster now, but if they don’t feel confident with that they could consider the talented, productive, and well coached Brandon Jenkins. The last time the Steelers took a FSU linebacker in the first round (Timmons) it worked out pretty well.
26. Denver Broncos-Bjeorn Warner, DE, Florida State
(no first round pick)
The Broncos added Derek Wolfe early in the 2012 draft so I had them go in a different direction though I really liked some of the potential DT available here. I also considered a TE here or a WR, but instead went defensive.
27. Baltimore Ravens-Chris Faulk, OT, LSU
(no first round pick)
The Ravens have been looking for a franchise LT for awhile. The problem is when you’re a good team and picking in the mid to late twenties every year, you run into trouble finding the type of necessary talent to accomplish that goal. They take a flier here with the athlete Faulk and hope he can pass protect well enough to keep Flacco clean in the pocket.
28. Houston Texans-Barrett Jones, OL, Alabama
(Whitney Mercilus)
The Texans could use Jones in a variety of different spots along the offensive line–tackle, Guard, or center and he just seems like a Texans type player.
29. San Francisco 49ers-Johnny Adams, CB, Michigan State
(A.J. Jenkins)
Carlos Rodgers had a career year in 2011, but is getting older. The 49ers should look to add some talent in the secondary early in the 2013 NFL Draft.
30. New England Patriots-Robert Lester, S, Alabama
The Patriots enter this season with Patrick Chung and Steve Gregory and Tavon Wilson. That’s not that impressive. The most likely scenario here is the Patriots trade out of the first round for a future first round pick or extra second round picks.
31. Green Bay Packers-Kniles Davis, RB, Arkansas
(Nick Perry)
Best player available here. If Davis is healthy in 2012 and has the kind of season I expect he could go much higher than this.
32. New York Giants-Will Gholston, DE, Michigan State
(David Wilson)
The Giants get a terrific athlete at the DE position to replace Osi Umienyora who appears destined to leave via free agency.
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