Jan 4, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Texas A

Here’s a 2013 NFL mock draft for you. Since it is officially mock draft season, I figured why not share with the world my thoughts on how the top 10 picks will play out.

Disclaimer: It is ridiculously hard to get even the first 10 picks right, and my picks will probably change within the next 48 hours. 

1. Kansas City Chiefs
Luke Joeckel
OT, Texas A&M

Arguably the safest pick in the draft, Joeckel has the makings of an elite left tackle. The Chiefs need a quarterback, hence having the first overall pick, but I’m starting to believe that they take a chance on the exiled Alex Smith. Might as well draft someone to protect him every game.

2. Jacksonville Jaguars
Damontre Moore
DE, Texas A&M

It seems as though the Jaguars have been searching for an elite pass rusher for the past decade, as they always seem to need help in that area. I think they address it early, and Moore is probably the best choice. A physical monster, Moore can rush the passer as well as play the run incredibly well.

3. Oakland Raiders
Geno Smith
QB, West Virginia

There have been rumors that it’s time for the Raiders to get a new, young quarterback. Therefore, why not take the guy with the most upside out of all of them. Smith has some things to work on, such as footwork, but his anticipation and touch is very good and he looks like he could be a stud if coached correctly.

4. Philadelphia Eagles
Star Lotulelei
DT, Utah

Taking Fletcher Cox in last year’s draft proved to be a triumph, so why not pair him with a finished product like Lotulelei? It’s a match made in heaven and would give the Eagles perhaps the best defensive tackle combo in the NFL.

5. Detroit Lions
Bjoern Werner
DE, Florida State

Also a near-finished product like Star, Werner has the likings of a top-five pick. With the release of Kyle Vanden Bosch, the Lions will be looking for pass rushing help as they only have two defensive ends under contract. Werner fits here, though they may look for a cornerback as well.

6. Cleveland Browns
Barkevious Mingo
DE/OLB, LSU

With the switch to a 3-4 coming, the Browns are actually pretty solid on defense. One position they are missing, though, is the other OLB position opposite Jabaal Sheard. Many people point to Mingo’s decreased production as a warning sign, but he was at times asked to play more of a stand-up role and play the run more efficiently. He did so, and has the athleticism and talent to make the transition to the next level.

7. Arizona Cardinals
Eric Fisher
OT, Central Michigan

I’ll be honest. I haven’t seen any of Fisher’s games or tape, but he has been flying up draft boards in recent weeks. A great performance at the Senior Bowl helped his stock and he’s considered the second-best offensive tackle prospect in this draft. New coach Bruce Arians might want to rebuild from the inside out, so he could start on the offensive line.

8. Buffalo Bills
Ryan Nassib
QB, Syracuse

Some people are very high on Nassib, while others aren’t as intrigued. The Bills are in the market for a young quarterback, so look for them to pair new coach Doug Marrone with his college pupil.

9. New York Jets
Dee Milliner
CB, Alabama

I don’t think Darelle Revis will be a Jet at the start of the season, so could they be looking to find the next Revis while getting picks in return? Milliner has the physical and athletic ability to turn into a star, but he needs to be coached up. The Jets may not be able to pass on his potential.

10. Tennessee Titans
Chance Warmack
OG, Alabama

Might our beloved Titans make the safest pick of the draft? I sure hope so. The Titans have a couple of other needs, but coach Mike Munchak has vowed to repair the interior offensive line, so look for him to start by drafting one of the best guard prospects in recent memory. Warmack is the next big thing when it comes to guards, and, after passing on David DeCastro last year, he might be a Titan very soon.

Agree? Disagree? Who would you have put where? Let me know in the comments.

Jan 2, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys safety Markelle Martin (10) before the game against the Stanford Cardinal in the 2012 Fiesta Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Hilderbrand-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to review a player who couldn’t get on the field, so I’m going to focus on his positional group instead. If there’s any group from the Tennessee Titans that needs work it’s the safeties. On one side of the field we had Michael Griffin, the epitome of an enigma. On the other, it was a rotation of Jordan Babineaux, who failed to recapture his decent form of 2011, and Robert Johnson, who just isn’t very good at this point. Sprinkled in with a little Al Afalava, and this group was one of the reasons that the Titans defense was incredibly mediocre.

At times, Griffin was put in a position to fail. He isn’t an in-the-box guy. He has good range and can locate the ball in the air, so he should be put back deep. To allow this, we needed a safety that could play the run well and cover tight ends and slot receiver. Safe to say, we didn’t have that throughout the whole year. And really, for the past few years.

It would seem to be essential for the Titans to either draft a young, stud safety (Matt Elam, DJ Swearinger) or sign a proven, dependable guy, which would probably be harder to find. But if they don’t, then perhaps they believe that Markelle Martin can be the answer. He might just be. He was pretty damn good at Oklahoma State before having knee problems that caused him to drop to the sixth round of the 2012 draft and subsequently miss his first season as a rookie. Still, he might be an option. I hope he is, but we’ll find out soon enough.

GRADE: To Be Determined

Tune in Tuesday for TE Taylor Thompson’s review.

Dec 17, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) throws a pass under pressure from New York Jets defensive tackle Kenrick Ellis (93) and linebacker Bart Scott (57) at LP Field. The Titans defeated the Jet 14-10. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Seriously, everyone just needs to take a step back and relax.

Last night, and mainly over the last few weeks, I noticed a trend. That trend being the fact that people are starting to lose faith very quickly. Almost at hyper-speed. Throughout Twitter and on many blog sites, people began talking about the future. Forget about the fact that we just won a game in prime time and eliminated a team from the playoffs. That meant nothing. What meant the most is that we suck. And, most importantly, that our quarterback sucks.

Whoever has recently declared that Jake Locker is not the future-that he isn’t and won’t be a competent quarterback in this league and that we’ll have to start over at the quarterback position very soon-you need to shut up and look at everything from a logical, open-minded perspective.

Locker has appeared significantly in 11 games throughout his young, two-year career. He’s started nine of them, all this season, with one of them ending extremely prematurely when he got injured in the first quarter of the first Houston game. If you’re going to decide from this ridiculously small sample size that the guy we took eighth overall two years ago isn’t the answer, then you have to be of the most impatient variety of humans to ever grace this earth.

It took Aaron Rodgers three years to become a very good quarterback, later flourishing into one of the best we’ve seen in a while. It took Alex Smith five years to be a productive quarterback in this league. Blaine Gabbert, who was drafted two picks after Locker, has played in more games and has been even worse. At the end of Gabbert’s dreadful rookie season, the jury was still out and many came to his defense. Christian Ponder, drafted four picks after Locker, has at times this season looked worse than both of them. Still, most hold faith that he’s the future of the Vikings franchise.

Yet, with these facts, many a Titans fan are going into code red, push the big red button mode.

Locker has a better QB rating than both Gabbert and Ponder. His rating is only five points behind Cam Newton’s, who’s drawn deserved acclaim for his play in his first two seasons. He’s hit more big plays than both Gabbert and Ponder. And he’s done all of this in a little over half a season.

Are you guys kidding me?

I understand attacking the offense as a whole and the defense. They haven’t performed even close to the level that we expected this year. One thing that we’re overlooking, though, is that this is a young team. These aren’t oldies disappointing an expectant fan base. When we went 9-7 last year, it was a pleasant surprise. So, obviously we’re not happy with our underachieving team this year. But guess who else is young? Yeah, you guessed it: Jake Locker.

I’m not going to sit here and tell you that all is copacetic with this team going into the future. There are problems, some glaring. The offensive line hasn’t performed like we need it to. The receivers haven’t gotten the separation we’d like. The defense has big holes, but are improving at a good rate as of late. The quarterback hasn’t made the right decisions at many points in games. There will be growing pains and, as fans of a young team, we need to understand that.

The sooner we understand that, the quicker we’ll stop hearing nonsense like the direction that we should take in terms of the quarterback position. Give Locker a chance. A chance to at least show you something, which he has done. If anything, let him get a full season in before aborting a steady plan. I have a feeling many of you wouldn’t be that great in football front offices. Just a hunch.