17. Minnesota Vikings - DE Morgan Breslin, Vikings - The team’s defensive end situation looks solid right now, but that could change after the 2013 season. Breslin has only spent one season at the FBS level, but he made an instant impact.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DE Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas - Jeffcoat is returning from a serious injury, so he could look like a completely different player, but Jeffcoat has speed on the edge to force quarterbacks to step up into the pocket.
19. New Orleans Saints - OLB Trent Murphy, Stanford - The Saints signed Chase Thomas to a UDFA deal, but Murphy has more length, strength, and comes from the same system.
20. New York Giants - G Gabe Jackson, Miss State - The Giants added Justin Pugh, and his spot along the lined isn’t locked in, but the powerful Jackson would be a solid addition at a couple interior spots.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers - TE C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa - The Steelers need to find Heath Miller’s replacement at some point. Fiedorowicz is one of the most underutilized prospects in the country, but he is very talented.
22. Houston Texans - DE/OLB Chaz Sutton, South Carolina - Off of 2012 tape, I preferred Sutton to Devin Taylor. Sutton lined up inside and out and should only improve across from Jadeveon Clowney.
23. Atlanta Falcons - DT Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma State - The Falcons pass rushers are aging, and Barnett could continue to improve and work himself into the early round discussion.
24. Chicago Bears - CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma - Some are very wary of selecting defensive backs from Oklahoma, but many are fans of Colvin’s work.
25. Indianapolis Colts - S Craig Loston, LSU - Teams appear to love LSU defenders, even if their tape isn’t consistently great (see Eric Reid). Loston lost plenty of talent around him, but is talented in his own right.
26. St. Louis Rams (via Redskins) - OL Cyril Richardson, Baylor - The final piece of the RGIII trade, Richardson could add some nice versatility and give Sam Bradford time to locate his new weapons.
27. Baltimore Ravens - WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt - The Ravens’ board leaned towards the defensive side in 2013, but Matthews would offer a large target for Joe Flacco.
28. Green Bay Packers - OLB James Gayle, Virginia Tech - Gayle contemplated entering the 2013 draft, but decided to return to college. If he continues to show improvement, both three and four man front teams could be intrigued.
29. New England Patriots - DE Kareem Martin, UNC - It is tough to find a need to fill for the Patriots, and it will be interesting to see Jamie Collins’ role. Martin is more of a traditional defensive end.
30. San Francisco 49ers - OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech - Attaochu is a great athlete, specifically in terms of closing speed to make impact tackles, but he wastes a lot of movement.
31. Denver Broncos - CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State - Champ Bailey is only getting only older, and DRC is on a one year deal, so a cornerback could be a logical selection.
32. Seattle Seahawks - pass rusher Khalil Mack, Buffalo - This isn’t a true positional fit, but Mack is an agile pass rusher, and Seattle certainly likes to load up on those.
When reviewing large shifts in draft evaluations (Landry Jones for one), I think a large portion can be attributed to projecting these talents before actually knowing much about them. Part of that, in my opinion, is including juniors in evaluations or mock drafts before seeing enough exposures. Therefore, this mock is only made up of seniors. This will be a common theme for the next few months, as I will be focusing on prospects entering their final collegiate season.
I have used Evan Silva’s preseason rankings for the draft order, with a few changes to make sure the appropriate divisions have the correct amount of teams in the playoffs.
1. Oakland Raiders - T Jake Matthews, Texas A&M - It might have been a bluff, but the Raiders were frequently mentioned to be considering a tackle, and some already believe Matthews is a superior prospect to Luke Joeckel.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars - QB Tajh Boyd, Clemson - If Boyd continues his progression as a passer, watch out. He avoided pressure and tested downfield like a professional in 2012.
3. Buffalo Bills - T Taylor Lewan, Michigan - I like Cordy Glenn quite a bit, but this could be a best player available situation. We’ve seen the NFL doesn’t shy away from selecting two solid tackles.
4. San Diego Chargers - OLB Anthony Barr, UCLA - The Bruin pass rusher is still learning and growing into his position, but his ability to turn the corner, bend on the edge, and close is outstanding.
5. NY Jets - OLB Kyle Van Noy, BYU - The team appears set to move Quinton Coples to outside linebacker, but Van Noy would only improve the pass rush with his strength and consistency on the edge.
6. Tennessee Titans - QB David Fales, San Jose State - The San Jose State passer is not a complete product, but there are some amazing throws with excellent downfield placement he flashes on a game by game basis.
7. Arizona Cardinals - DT Daniel McCullers, Tennessee - McCullers’ evaluation could go one of two ways. One, his development could continue and the massive tackle will likely be mentioned as one of the top prospects. Two, his balance and leverage do not improve and he will be coined a project.
8. Philadelphia Eagles - LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama - Mosley is one of the top prospects in this senior class and is tremendously well-rounded and consistent. He’s an instant upgrade over Demeco Ryans.
9. Cleveland Browns - QB Stephen Morris, Miami - I know many consider A.J. McCarron and Aaron Murray superior prospects, but Morris could be viewed as having more achievable upside and a live arm to test vertically.
10. Detroit Lions - CB Jason Verrett, TCU - Even when juniors are added, Verrett could be mentioned among the top corners. The Lions added two edge pass rushers but could look to upgrade their secondary next year.
11. Carolina Panthers - S Lamarcus Joyner, FSU - The Panthers worked out plenty of receivers and defensive backs leading up to the draft, but selected neither. Joyner has plenty of range and makes a few hits abnormal for someone his size.
12. Dallas Cowboys - DT Dominique Easley, Florida - I expect Easley to bulk up and move inside in 2013, like Sharrif Floyd did last year. Many Cowboys fans were upset the team passed on Floyd, but Easley could be the answer for the new four man front.
13. St. Louis Rams - DT Will Sutton, Arizona State - Even though the Rams have solid edge rushers in Chris Long and Robert Quinn, Sutton could really disrupt things on the interior. I love his quickness and leverage to impact the line of scrimmage.
14. Kansas City Chiefs - DL Ra’Shede Hageman, Minnesota - Many suggested the Chiefs should have selected a defensive lineman to beef up their front seven. Hageman has a lot of upside that could turn into production this season and projects as a 5 technique.
15. Miami Dolphins - DT DeAndre Coleman, Cal - I understand Jared Odrick could be moved inside at some point, but Coleman is another improving defensive lineman with the frame to play inside in either front.
16. Cincinnati Bengals - LB Christian Jones, FSU - Jones is an outstanding talent who can close quickly to make plays behind the line of scrimmage. The Seminoles lost plenty of talent, but Jones will be a consistent force this season.
17. Minnesota Vikings - DE Morgan Breslin, Vikings - The team’s defensive end situation looks solid right now, but that could change after the 2013 season. Breslin has only spent one season at the FBS level, but he made an instant impact.
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - DE Jackson Jeffcoat, Texas - Jeffcoat is returning from a serious injury, so he could look like a completely different player, but Jeffcoat has speed on the edge to force quarterbacks to step up into the pocket.
19. New Orleans Saints - OLB Trent Murphy, Stanford - The Saints signed Chase Thomas to a UDFA deal, but Murphy has more length, strength, and comes from the same system.
20. New York Giants - G Gabe Jackson, Miss State - The Giants added Justin Pugh, and his spot along the lined isn’t locked in, but the powerful Jackson would be a solid addition at a couple interior spots.
21. Pittsburgh Steelers - TE C.J. Fiedorowicz, Iowa - The Steelers need to find Heath Miller’s replacement at some point. Fiedorowicz is one of the most underutilized prospects in the country, but he is very talented.
22. Houston Texans - DE/OLB Chaz Sutton, South Carolina - Off of 2012 tape, I preferred Sutton to Devin Taylor. Sutton lined up inside and out and should only improve across from Jadeveon Clowney.
23. Atlanta Falcons - DT Calvin Barnett, Oklahoma State - The Falcons pass rushers are aging, and Barnett could continue to improve and work himself into the early round discussion.
24. Chicago Bears - CB Aaron Colvin, Oklahoma - Some are very wary of selecting defensive backs from Oklahoma, but many are fans of Colvin’s work.
25. Indianapolis Colts - S Craig Loston, LSU - Teams appear to love LSU defenders, even if their tape isn’t consistently great (see Eric Reid). Loston lost plenty of talent around him, but is talented in his own right.
26. St. Louis Rams (via Redskins) - OL Cyril Richardson, Baylor - The final piece of the RGIII trade, Richardson could add some nice versatility and give Sam Bradford time to locate his new weapons.
27. Baltimore Ravens - WR Jordan Matthews, Vanderbilt - The Ravens’ board leaned towards the defensive side in 2013, but Matthews would offer a large target for Joe Flacco.
28. Green Bay Packers - OLB James Gayle, Virginia Tech - Gayle contemplated entering the 2013 draft, but decided to return to college. If he continues to show improvement, both three and four man front teams could be intrigued.
29. New England Patriots - DE Kareem Martin, UNC - It is tough to find a need to fill for the Patriots, and it will be interesting to see Jamie Collins’ role. Martin is more of a traditional defensive end.
30. San Francisco 49ers - OLB Jeremiah Attaochu, Georgia Tech - Attaochu is a great athlete, specifically in terms of closing speed to make impact tackles, but he wastes a lot of movement.
31. Denver Broncos - CB Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State - Champ Bailey is only getting only older, and DRC is on a one year deal, so a cornerback could be a logical selection.
32. Seattle Seahawks - pass rusher Khalil Mack, Buffalo - This isn’t a true positional fit, but Mack is an agile pass rusher, and Seattle certainly likes to load up on those.