2014 NFL Mock Draft 3.0
As I’m writing this, there are only a few pro days left this offseason. Johnny Football impressed scouts at his pro day while the best word I can find to describe Teddy Bridgewater is meh. Blake Bortles is making a serious run for the number one spot and of course everyone’s wondering if Jadeveon Clowney will be the pick after a great pro day. Will the Texans take a quarterback or will they trade down as many people think they will? Is there a mystery team that will offer the world for the first overall pick? Why did the Patriots meet with Johnny Manziel? I hope I can predict the answers to some of these questions.
1. Houston Texans – Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina – The Texans are in an unenviable position. Do they take Bridewater when they’re not really sold on him? Do they take Johnny Manziel, the hometown boy? Do they take Blake Bortles, the rising star? Or do they take the polarizing star from South Carolina? I think the latter is a total possibility. They can take Clowney and put him opposite JJ Watt, then draft a quarterback later. They can even try to trade back into the first round. Previous pick: Johnny Manziel
2. St Louis Rams (from Redskins) – Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson – I think the Rams would be smart to take Watkins here if they don’t trade down. Watkins followed up his awesome combine performance with an equally impressive pro day. They could also go with Greg Robinson, the tackle from Auburn. Previous pick: Sammy Watkins
3. Jacksonville Jaguars – Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville – While I believe Johnny Manziel is a better prospect, I also believe the Jaguars love them some Teddy.Previous pick: Teddy Bridgewater
4. Cleveland Browns – Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M – Josh Gordon said he’d love to play with Johnny Football and he might get his wish. Another smart option would be to trade up and take Watkins and take a quarterback later, but with the depth at wide receiver, they can afford to take Manziel here and a solid wide receiver later at 26.Previous pick: Johnny Manziel
5. Oakland Raiders – Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn – The Raiders tried to get Roger Saffold in free agency and luckily failed. Saffold is back in St Louis and the Raiders clearly want to get a lineman. Robinson is the best available and would be stupid to pass on him, although another option could be on the other side of the ball as the Raiders have clearly shown they’re all in with the defense, bringing in Justin Tuck, LaMarr Woodley and Pat Sims. Previous pick: Jadeveon Clowney
6. Atlanta Falcons – Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo – The Falcons would love to have Mack fall to them and I think he might if everything happens the right way. Previous pick: Greg Robinson
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M – The Bucs traded away Mike Williams to the Bills for a 6th round pick and Evans could be a great player to pair Vincent Jackson with. He’s a big target just like Jackson and its almost exactly what Luke McCown had as targets in Chicago with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.Previous pick: Jake Matthews
8. Minnesota Vikings – Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida – The Vikings might be in the perfect position. They need a quarterback and Bortles could be the best of the bunch. Previous pick: Derek Carr
9. Buffalo Bills – Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina – The Bills could settle for Scott Chandler but they can do so much with a guy like Ebron. He’s got potential to be the next great tight end in the NFL. Previous pick: Khalil Mack
10. Detroit Lions – Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St – The former Cowboy followed up a good combine with a good pro day. This is a solid choice for the Lions. Previous pick: Justin Gilbert
11. Tennessee Titans – Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St – The loss of Alterraun Verner in free agency makes their need for a cornerback very imminent. They’d love to have Gilbert but I don’t think he’ll be available here. Previous pick: Anthony Barr
12. New York Giants – Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh – Its no secret the Giants have been busy this offseason on the defensive side of the ball. Donald is a dominant interior lineman and he’s very well decorated for it. Put him alongside JPP and everyone’s happy He’ll be a candidate for DROY. Previous pick: Taylor Lewan
13. St Louis Rams – Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M – This would be an absolute steal for the Rams. Matthews would help solidify their line and keep their quarterback (Bradford or whoever else) upright and really help out that offense. Previous pick: Zack Martin
14. Chicago Bears – Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida St – The knock on Jernigan has been the way he disappears in games. He takes plays off but when he’s motivated and playing well, he’s very quick and strong. He’s looked like a Bear all along. Just a nasty guy on the inside. Previous pick: Darqueze Dennard
15. Pittsburgh Steelers – Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA – For the second straight season, the Steelers will have a great defensive player fall into their laps. He’s very athletic and has the ability to play against the run or rush the passer. Previous pick: Mike Evans
16. Dallas Cowboys – Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri – The Cowboys have moved on from Demarcus Ware and will look to groom his successor. Ealy is good enough to fill that role now and if he loses some weight, he can probably shift to outside linebacker and rush from there. Previous pick: Aaron Donald
17. Baltimore Ravens – Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech – The Ravens signed Steve Smith, which helps them at wide receiver right away. Now they can focus on fixing their defense, specifically the secondary. Previous pick: Kelvin Benjamin
18. New York Jets – Odell Beckham, WR, LSU – The Jets signed Eric Decker, who isn’t a true number one receiver. While I like the signing, there isn’t much depth to their corps. Kelvin Benjamin is another option but Beckham is just a little more polished at this point. Beckham also has skill in the return game. Previous pick: Eric Ebron
19. Miami Dolphins – Zack Martin, OL, Notre Dame – The Dolphins traded away one Martin and will draft another. This guy is a better overall prospect and is very versatile. Plus with the way the locker room is, everyone raves about his character, which Miami really needs. Previous pick: Louis Nix III
20. Arizona Cardinals – Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St – The Cardinals don’t necessarily need a quarterback and Carr might be a bit of a reach here but the good thing is that they won’t have to rush him to play. Carr can learn while backing up Carson Palmer.Previous pick: Dee Ford
21. Green Bay Packers – Haha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama – The Packers are going with a safety no matter what. Its just a matter of preference between Clinton Dix, Jimmie Ward and Calvin Pryor. Previous pick: Calvin Pryor
22. Philadelphia Eagles – Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville – What I said for the Packers definitely goes for the Eagles. Some people might be jumping the gun with them taking a wide receiver to replace Desean Jackson but with the signing of Darren Sproles and the return of Jeremy Maclin from injury, they don’t need to panic. Previous pick: Jimmie Ward
23. Kansas City Chiefs – Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St – Cooks, who ran the fastest 40 yard dash at the combine, followed that up with a very good pro day in front of a lot of NFL scouts. I think he made himself a strong case to be a first round pick. He showed that he’s not just a straight line speed guy. He can run routes and he’s electric after the catch. Andy Reid could find another Desean Jackson type in Cooks. Previous pick: Kony Ealy
24. Cincinnati Bengals – Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St – I stand by my pick in mock draft 2.0. Previous pick: Bradley Roby
25. San Diego Chargers – Jason Verrett, CB, TCU – Verrett can cover deep, he can close, he can jam at the line and is one of the best cover corners in the draft. Previous pick: Jason Verrett
26. Cleveland Browns (from Colts) – Marqise Lee, WR, USC – This is really the only pick I’m unsure about. Or maybe the pick i’m the most unsure about. I’m sure the Browns should go wide receiver here but I don’t know if Kelvin Benjamin or Davante Adams (despite being a little more talented) fit their offense. Previous pick: Marqise Lee
27. New Orleans Saints – Dee Ford, DE, Auburn – Ford had a good pro day and I’m sure Rob Ryan will be looking forward to plugging this guy into his defense. Previous pick: CJ Mosley
28. Carolina Panthers – Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan – I know the Panthers really need a wide receiver at this point but that offensive line needs help too. After the retirement of Jordan Gross, there is a huge hole to fill at tackle. The good news is that the Panthers are going to suck next season and will likely get a top 10 pick. Previous pick: Cyrus Kouandijo
29. New England Patriots – Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech – There’s no telling what the Pats will do in the draft so I’m sticking with my original pick. Previous pick: Jace Amaro
30. San Francisco 49ers – Davante Adams, WR, Fresno St – Adams makes all the sense in the world here. He’s from the west coast, the Niners need another wideout and he can stretch the field and open things up for that offense. Previous pick: Brandin Cooks
31. Denver Broncos – CJ Mosley, LB, Alabama – The Broncos went out and got themselves a good corner in Aqib Talib, a good lineman in DeMarcus Ware and even a replacement for Eric Decker in Emmanuel Sanders. Now they can scratch linebacker off the list. Previous pick: Timmy Jernigan
32. Seattle Seahawks – Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida St – The wide receiver corps doesn’t look very deep now that Golden Tate and Sidney Rice are good. Benjamin is raw but he’s big and will be a redzone target. Previous pick: Morgan Moses
There you have it. The second version of the official Keeping It Real Sports Mock Draft. As always, you can email me at s_talouis@yahoo.com or follow me on twitter @FunnyManStan and don’t forget to support the cause – #KIRSvsTheStarters and tag @JeSkeets @TasMelas @TreyKerby and @LeighEllis so they know we’re serious about challenging them.
