2013 NFL Mock Draft: Conference Championship Edition
2013 NFL Mock Draft
Championship weekend is here, but it's never to early to talk about the 2013 NFL draft. I do not believe this draft carries the same mount of weight as we have seen in the past. There really is no clear number one choice right now and the Kansas City Chiefs and the rest of the bottom ten are going to have a tough choice to make come April.
Right now, there are four teams left in the NFL Playoffs. The San Francisco 49ers, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons and Baltimore Ravens will have the last four picks in the first round. For now, I will tell you what their needs are, but I will leave out the players they might draft, then I will move on to the 28 teams that are currently in their off-season.
The 49ers needs another defensive end to study the way DE Justin Smith plays the game. He is a tough player and when he retires, which could be soon, they will need somebody to take his place. His backup now will not get the job done.
The Falcons need an outside linebacker to take John Abraham's spot when he leaves the league. It doesn't have to be a first round pick, but somebody who can come in and be an impact player right away.
The Patriots' pass defense was terrible this year. They need a safety that can play some center field and just put a beating on even the biggest receivers. That is hard to find, but the Patriots seem to have the ability to find great players in the most unexpected places.
Finally, the Ravens have the most holes of all the teams left. Right now, they are running on Ray Lewis' fumes. I'm guessing their season will come to an end soon. They will face the reality that they need to replace Lewis for good. If I were the Ravens I would trade up to get a chance at LB Manti Te'o.
This mock draft covers the first two rounds. Some teams don't have a first round pick and others don't have a second round pick. The NFL draft is only a few short months ahead. Hopefully, this will help you know who your favorite team will draft at the end of April, enjoy.
Follow Kase Brammer on Twitter @KBlive33
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs will have the first pick in the NFL draft and they have a tough choice to make. Should they go quarterback or pick up an offensive linemen? Personally, I think they should trade down and try to get two first round picks, but they will probably not do that. Andy Reid will have to ask himself who he wants to work with at quarterback when he is calling plays in the 2013 NFL season.
First Round (Pick 1): Texas A&M OT Luke Joeckel
Second Round (pick 34): Stanford LB Chase Thomas
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were hurting on both sides of the ball this season, I suspect they will go defense with the second overall pick in the draft. There are a couple of defenders that will probably go top five. A defense end and an outside linebacker. I'm guessing the Jaguars will take the latter. In the second round, they could go offense, but this team really needs to focus on one side of the ball for now. A good defense is easier to build.
First Round (Pick 2): Georgia OLB Jarvis Jones
Second Round (Pick 33): BYU DE Ezekiel Ansah
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are in dire need of some help on the defensive side of the ball and that starts in the trenches. The Raiders will choose a defensive linemen with their first pick, but it really depends on where the Jaguars decide to go.
First Round (pick 3): Utah DT Star Lotulelei
Round 2: Picked Traded to the Cincinnati Bengals for Carson Palmer.
Philadelphia Eagles
Something tells me new Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Chip Kelly is going to want to stick with QB Michael Vick for the 2013 NFL season. His first pick with the Eagles will tell the tale. If he goes with QB Geno Smith in the first round, Vick will be out, but I think the Eagles are going defense in the first round, specifically defensive end. If Matt Barkley is available with their second round pick it will be hard for them not to go in that direction.
Round 1 (Pick 4): Florida State DE Bjoern Werner
Second Round (Pick 35): USC FS T.J. McDonald
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions finished in the middle of the pack in both rushing and passing yards allowed. Defense seems to be the theme of this draft, so we will stick with it. The Lions need a running back, but the past has shown they can go deep into the draft to find one of those in the fourth or fifth round.
First Round (Pick 5): LSU OLB Barkevious Mingo
Second Round (Pick 38): Wisconsin OG Travis Frederick
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns made a mistake drafting Brandon Weeden and with a new coach I can see there being some quarterback controversy going on. However, I believe it will be between quarterbacks that are already in house. So, what does a young team do? Keep building their defense and hope it will attract some big offensive names in free agency.
First Round (Pick 6): Texas A&M DE Damontre Moore
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are not as desperate as everybody keeps saying at quarterback. Believe is or not, Kevin Kolb should be a starter in this league and he showed it by beating the New England Patriots early in the season. The Cardinals need to build their offensive line and go after a veteran QB to backup Kolb when he goes down. I'm suggesting Matthew Hasselbeck, but he may be too pricey for his age.
First Round (Pick 7): Central Michigan OT Eric Fisher
Second Round (Pick 38): USC QB Matt Barkley
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills may be done with QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. He has not led them to the playoffs yet and he seems to have a knack for throwing bad passing at incredibly bad times. The Bills will probably take the first quarterback in the draft. There are a few choices, but one really stands out as the best QB the class. In the second round, they need to get more athletic up front, so I expect to see a defensive linemen chosen.
First Round (Pick 8): West Virginia QB Geno Smith
Second Round (Pick 41): Texas DE Alex Okafor
New York Jets
The New York Jets are coming off a season that could not have gone worse. Quarterback issues, injuries and other fun things ruined their season. If Rex Ryan is smart he will build his defense bigger, faster and stronger. That starts with the fat kids up front. He needs to have a lot of depth and he keep his rotation fresh so more defensive linemen are needed. In the second round, he needs a receiver; the guys Sanchez is throwing to are terrible and lack the talent needed to be a number one in this league.
Round two (pick 9): Missouri DT Sheldon Richardson
Second Round (Pick 39): Tennessee Cordarrelle Patterson
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are not in a good place right now. They have an overrated quarterback, Jake Locker, that plays the game in such a way that is not beneficial to his running back, Chris Johnson. They need more offensive lineman and a better defense. A lot of people believe they will choose a defensive lineman in the first round, but I think they are going on the other side of the line. In the second round, they will find a defensive player.
First Round (pick 10): Alabama OG Chance Warmack
Second Round (Pick 40): North Carolina State CB David Amerson
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers need more players for Philip Rivers to throw to, but they can probably wait until the second round to find one. First, they need to address their terrible offensive line. The new head coach Mike McCoy knows what he is doing on offense and I am sure that will be his first concern.
First Round (Pick 11): Oklahoma OT Lane Johnson
Second Round (Pick 41): Arkansas WR Cobi Hamilton
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins believe they have found their franchise QB in Ryan Tannehill. Now, it's time to build around him. In Miami's case it will start with the people he is throwing the ball to. The Dolphins need better receivers and a lot of them. However, I believe they are going to go defense with their second round choice.
First round (pick 12): California WR Keenan Allen
Second Round (pick 42): Oregon State CB Jordon Poyer
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are desperate for some help in the secondary. They finished dead last in the league in that category and should be looking to improve. That will be their first round pick, but I'd like to see the Buccaneers get a little more solid on the receiving end of QB Josh Freeman. They can do that pretty easily in the second round.
First Round (Pick 13): Alabama CB Dee Milliner
Second Round (Pick 43): USC WR Robert Woods
Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton is in a similar spot as Josh Freeman. He has a lot of talent, but nobody to throw the ball to outside of Steve Smith. He is getting old and will not be around for much longer. The Carolina Panthers really need give Newton better players. I don't think Smith is that guy anymore. They need a big and fast receiver and there is a kid from Clemson that might be able to bring them exactly what they need.
First Round (Pick 14):Clemson WR DeAndre Hopkins
Second Round (Pick 44): Rutgers CB Logan Ryan
New Orleans Saints
As long as Drew Brees is the QB of the New Orleans Saints the offense on this team is set. They need to attack their defensive problems as much as they can in the early rounds of the draft. Due to the situation surrounding Manti Te'o everybody is freaking out over for no reason, his draft stock will fall all the way to the Saints. Te'o is still the best linebacker in his class and the Saints should be pleased if he falls this far.
First Round (Pick 15): Notre Dame ILB Manti Te'o
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams need an offensive lineman, but I don't think there will be any good enough to take with the 16th overall pick. The Rams also have the 22nd overall pick from the Washington Redskins. The Rams need to trade both their first round picks and their second to the Chiefs for the number one pick, so they can get a real offensive tackle.
First Round (Pick 16): Ohio State DT Johnathan Hankins
First Round (Pick 22): Stanford TE Zach Ertz
Second Round (Pick 46): USC CB Nickell Robey
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of a defensive tackle. They don't have the depth they would like to be a dominant team in the trenches. With their second round pick, the Steelers need some help at receiver, but I would suggest trading this pick away. They could probably get some good value for a team that wanted a second round quarterback.
First Round (Pick 17): DT Alabama Jesse Williams
Second Round (Pick 48): Washington CB Desmond Trufant
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys need to start thinking about picking up a new quarterback. In a defensive heavy class like 2013 they should have no problem getting one of the best quarterbacks available. In the second round, it gets a little trickier here. Do they want to get an offensive linemen, or do they want to improve their defense as much as possible? Jerry Jones is determined to fix his offense, so I believe an offensive lineman will be his choice.
First Round (Pick 18): Arkansas QB Tyler Wilson
Second Round (Pick 47): Alabama RT D.J. Flucker
New York Giants
The New York Giants need to take the best player available that is not a quarterback or wide receiver. They need help in a lot of areas, but I would like to see them try to improve their team as a whole and they do that by bringing in a better athlete. In the second round, the team should focus on their needs. They need help on the offensive line, linebackers, and they need ton of help in the secondary.
First Round (pick 19): Oregon DE Dion Jordan
Second Round (Pick 49): LSU ILB Kevin Minter
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears need an offensive lineman, but I don't think there are any they want with a first round draft pick. They need someone to play opposite of Brandon Marshall, so I think they will go receiver with their first pick. In the second round, they absolutely need to take the best available tackle.
First Round (pick 20): West Virgina WR Tavon Austin
Second Round (Pick 50): Virginia OT Oday Aboushi
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals got beat hard in the Wild Card round against the Houston Texans and Arian Foster for the second year in a row. They need more big guys up front; their linebackers need to be able to run free behind them. With their second round picks, they need more help in their secondary.
First Round (Pick 21): Florida DT Sharrif Floyd
Second Round (Pick 37): SS Florida Matt Elam
Second Round (Pick 52): Oklahoma FS Tony Jefferson
Washington Redskins
The Redskins traded their pick to the Rams. Their first pick in the draft will be in the second round 53rd overall. Just like Cam Newton, the Redskins need to surround Robert Griffin III with a bunch of talent, so he does not feel like he has to do it all. I think they will go receiver with this pick, but a linebacker or more help in the secondary is not totally out of the question.
Second Round (Pick 53): Marshall WR Aaron Dobson
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings need some help on defense, so they can keep their current offensive strategy of handing the ball of to Adrian Peterson. They especially need help in coverage, so a safety and an outside linebacker are the best way to go here. They can get offensive players later in the draft and I'm thinking there will be more than a few sleepers left in the draft that are ready to play at an NFL level.
First Round (Pick 23): LSU FS Eric Reid
Second Round (Pick 51): Kansas State LB Arthur Brown
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts need some help at the corner back position. Great corners are hard to find. They can come in the late round like Seahawks CB Richard Sherman or more commonly in the earlier rounds. They do not have a second round pick and I don't expect them to trade up to get one.
First Round (pick 24): Florida State CB Xavier Rhodes
Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks are probably in the best position in the entire draft. They have very few weaknesses on both sides of the ball, but they will probably add another run stopper in the middle with their first pick in the draft. They also have the 56th pick in the draft and I think they will add more depth at the guard/center area. There was a lot of pressure on QB Russell Wilson in their playoff games and they need somebody to come in and make a seamless transition from college.
First Round (Pick 25): Georgia DT John Jenkins
Second Round (Pick 56) Arkansas C Travis Swanson
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers benched C Jeff Saturday in favor of Evan Dietrich-Smith in mid-December in hopes of getting their run game going. It might be the end of the line for Saturday even though he made the Pro Bowl. The Packers need depth and a guard/center hybrid could be the best way to go. In the second round, the need a pass rusher to play in front of Clay Matthews. We saw what the Denver Broncos and 49ers did with their dynamic duos, it's time the Packers did the same.
First Round (Pick 26): Alabama C/G Barrett Jones
Second Round (Pick 55): Michigan State DE William Gholston
Houston Texans
The Texans need help on defense, so doing anything else would be a terrible waste of a draft pick. I can see them going any position on the field outside of J.J. Watt and Brian Cushing. Next season, the Texans are going to be back and better than ever as long as they can stay healthy. In the second round, keep building that defense. They need more defensive linemen to play next to Watt, so if he is stopped they are not totally out of luck.
First Round (Pick 27): Georgia LB Alec Ogletree
Second Round (Pick 57):North Carolina DT Sylvester Williams
Denver Broncos
The Broncos need more help rushing the passer on the other side of Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil. Having said that, this team is probably second in the league in terms of no weakness. They also need a little more beef up front on the defensive line, so that is where they should go with the second pick. In the playoff game, I did not like what I saw from Veteran CB Champ Bailey. He may have one season left, but they have to bring in a third round pick so he can study Bailey; he prepares for the game better than any corner in the league.
First Round (Pick 28): LSU DE Sam Montgomery
Second Round (Pick 58): Purdue DT Kawann Short
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