Rob Christy-USA TODAY Sports
While it seems a near-certainty that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith will go in the first round, there’s a wide variety of mock-draft projections as to exactly where he goes, and it turns into even more of crap-shoot in trying to project the rest of the 2013 NFL Draft quarterback class.
Only two quarterbacks were slated for the first round in Sports on Earth NFL writer Mike Tanier’s aggregation of expert mocks, with each quarterback receiving just 25 percent consensus. The 25 percent sending Smith to the Arizona Cardinals at No. 7 has since been invalidated by the Carson Palmer trade, while Matt Barkley to the Buffalo Bills at No. 8 isn’t worth betting on, as Ryan Nassib and Smith are also projected to the Bills by many experts.
This sentiment is not carried by NFL Network’s Mike Mayock, however, who argues against taking anyone from this QB class in the top 10.
“From a value perspective, I don’t think Geno Smith makes sense in Buffalo,” Mayock said on a Thursday conference call with media. “I saw him play in cold weather in the bowl game, I saw him play in cold weather at Iowa State and I don’t see him fitting in in an outdoor arena in Buffalo.”
Mayock went on to say he’d rather add a top prospect who could improve the team immediately at No. 8 like Alabama guard Chance Warmack, an offensive tackle or an edge rusher. Mayock added that if he needs to trade up from the early second-round into the late first at a reasonable price to take as his quarterback, then he’d pull the trigger.
A majority of the top 10 is either desperate for a quarterback or could use another one so if each drops, it may tell us something about how front offices truly perceive this class.
Thomas Emerick is a Senior Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @ThomasEmerick, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
