2013 NFL Mock Draft

Will Rossmiller wross460@uwsp.edu

The first round of the 2013 NFL Draft will be held Thursday night. Since the draft becomes more popular every year, here is a mock draft of the first round.

1. Kansas City Chiefs:Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M: Not a flashy pick, but a safe one. The Chiefs take debatably the best player in the draft, and it fits a need for them as well.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars:Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon: The Jaguars only had 20 sacks as a team last season. J.J. Watt had 20.5 sacks. The team needs to get to the quarterback more, and Jordan is arguably the best pass rusher in the class.

3. Oakland Raiders:Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida: The Raiders have holes all over the field and need to take a player that they think has the most talent. Floyd has great potential to be a pro-bowler someday, and the Raiders need an inside presence for their defense.

4. Philadelphia Eagles:Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan: New head coach Chip Kelly needs his quarterbacks healthy to run his system. Fisher is the most athletic offensive lineman in the draft and will start from day one.

5. Detroit Lions:Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU: Ansah is an athletic freak and is too good for the Lions to pass up here. Pairing him with Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley is almost unfair for NFC North teams.

6. Cleveland Browns:Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah: The Browns really want to trade out of this spot, but if they stay, it’s hard to see them passing up possibly the best defensive player in the draft class. Lotulelei has speed and size that should spell success in the NFL.

7. Arizona Cardinals:Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma: The Cardinals get their protector for new quarterback Carson Palmer. Johnson will play one of the bookends on the offensive line.

8. Buffalo Bills: Ryan Nassib, QB, Syracuse:The Bills need a quarterback, and Nassib will probably be the one, just maybe not in this spot. New head coach Doug Marrone coached Nassib at Syracuse. The Bills may trade back and still get their guy.

9. New York Jets: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama:After trading away Darrell Revis, the Jets could use another cornerback, and Milliner is the best in this class. Milliner isn’t as flashy as some former cornerback prospects, but he gets the job done.

10. Tennessee Titans: D.J. Fluker, OL, Alabama:The Titans get protection for Jake Locker and a battering ram offensive lineman for Chris Johnson. Fluker is the pick for overall offensive lineman because he can play right tackle and both guard positions.

11. San Diego Chargers:Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina: The Chargers get Cooper here, who will help keep Phillip Rivers on his feet more often in the 2013 season.

12. Miami Dolphins:Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida St: After trading away Vontae Davis during training camp, the Dolphins have a hole to fill at their cornerback position. Rhodes is a big physical corner that fits well with the Dolphins defense.

13. New York Jets:Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU: He has a funny name, but Mingo is no joke. He will be a pass-rushing beast off the edge for the team that takes him.

14. Carolina Panthers:Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri: The Panthers have a need at defensive tackle, and Richardson is one of the best players available.

15. New Orleans Saints:Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas: The Saints need to help a defense that just didn’t play up to expectations last year. Vaccaro is the best safety in the class and should help the Saints immediately.

16. St. Louis Rams:Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia: The Rams get one of the best play-makers in the draft class in Austin. This speedy receiver and return man is a born play-maker.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers:Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia: Jones replaces the departed James Harrison. Jones is great at getting to the quarterback, and that’s exactly what he will be asked to do.

18. Dallas Cowboys:Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina: One of the more underrated prospects in my mind, Williams is fast off the snap and is great at getting to the quarterback. Eli Manning better watch out next year.

19. New York Giants:Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama: Warmack is considered a top ten prospect, and if he falls this far, you better believe that the Giants will scoop him up.

20. Chicago Bears:Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia: The Bears find their replacement for Brian Urlacher with Ogletree, a fast and athletic linebacker that can cover sideline to sideline.

21. Cincinnati Bengals:Jonathan Cyprien, S, Florida International: Cyprien has flown up the draft boards of late and would fill a need for the Bengals. He possesses a great skill set of size, speed and overall athleticism.

22. St. Louis Rams:DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson: The Rams add another weapon to Sam Bradford’s arsenal. Hopkins was a play-maker last year at Clemson.

23. Minnesota Vikings:Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee: Patterson only played one year at Tennessee, but it was a memorable one. Patterson could fill Percy Harvin’s role as the do-it-all player for the Vikings.

24. Indianapolis Colts:Dante Jones, DE, UCLA: Jones has also been a late riser on many boards and fits well with the Colts’ defensive scheme. He has the ability to come in and start right away.

25 Minnesota Vikings:Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame: Te’o will finally find his landing spot in Minnessota. The Vikings need a middle linebacker and have been known to take their fair share of Notre Dame players.

26: Green Bay Packers:Menelik Watson, OT, Florida State: The Packers must protect Aaron Rodgers at all costs. If that means drafting another offensive lineman, then so be it.

27. Houston Texans:Robert Woods, WR, USC: The Texans finally find a receiver to pair with Andre Johnson. Woods isn’t a flashy player, but he has good hands and runs good routes.

28. Denver Broncos:Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida St: Werner comes in and replaces the departed Elvis Dumervil. Werner was once predicted in the top ten but has really fallen as of late.

29. New England Patriots:Keenan Allen, WR, California: Besides recently signed Danny Amendola, the Patriots have nobody at wide receiver. Allen can come in and make plays right away.

30. Atlanta Falcons:Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington: After two of their players departed for free agency, the Falcons desperately need a play-maker in their secondary.

31. San Francisco 49ers:Matt Elam, S, Florida: The 49ers add another play-maker to their defense. The team really doesn’t have any needs, so Elam is a luxury pick here.

32. Baltimore Ravens:Arthur Brown, LB, Kansas St: The Ravens draft an underrated, undersized, middle linebacker at the end of the first round. Sound familiar? While Brown may not be the second coming of Ray Lewis, he can still come in and make a difference on day one for the Ravens.