2013 NFL Mock Draft: Full First Round, Titan Sized Staff Edition
By Josh Gunnels
Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
The entire staff here at Titan Sized has put on their GM hats and sat down to do a first round 2013 NFL mock draft before the start of free agency. The landscape is sure to change in the coming weeks, but this is a good run at where things stand today.
Thanks to DC Pro Report, Hail Redskins, NFL Draft Dog, WalterFootball, Sports Jabber Mock Draft Database, and Mock Draft Database for featuring the link.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at what happened.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M – The Chiefs were not sold on Geno Smith or any other potential first round quarterbacks, so they traded for Alex Smith to secure the position for the near future. Now they must draft the best offensive lineman to protect that investment. On March 4 the Chiefs will most likely franchise tag WR Dwayne Bowe instead of current LT Branden Albert, realizing they can find a more suitable and cheaper replacement for Albert than Bowe. Joeckel fits a position of need, as well as being the consensus best overall prospect in this year’s draft class. – David Flemming
2. Jacksonville Jaguars
Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon – Tough call here for new head coach Gus Bradley on which defensive lineman to take. Speaking to the media at the combine, he outlined his desire to bring his defensive scheme from Seattle to Jacksonville, and how important the defensive end position was to it. Jordan’s elite athleticism fits Bradley’s needs perfectly as he likes to show a hybrid 4-3/3-4 set on any given down. He won’t be able to pass Jordan up as he’ll look to make an immediate impact at a position of need. – Josh Gunnels
3. Oakland Raiders
Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia – Oakland is nowhere close to being a good team. But their offensive line is good, and they’ve got a fairly talented receiving corp. Dennis Allen and Reggie McKenzie are ready to signal a clear change from the old regime, and what better way to do that than take the highest rated QB on the board. I wouldn’t have called this a week ago, but Geno put on an excellent show at the combine (and threw, even though he didn’t have to) while racking up great measurables. Carson Palmer is going bye bye. – Myles MacDonald
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan – The Philadelphia Eagles are a team with a ton of talent, but also with team with many glaring weaknesses. The biggest of which being offensive line. Enter the 6’7’’ 306 lb mammoth OT Eric Fisher, who has recently shot up the draft boards, and is even considered by some to be better than OT Luke Joeckel. Yes, the Eagles have a quality LT in Jason Peters, but he is coming off injury and is over the age of 30. Fisher could hold down the RT spot until Peters leaves the team, or retires. OR Peters could switch to the RT spot. This pick would boost a weak offensive line, and help protect (most likely) Michael Vick, who was absolutely pummeled last season. – Russell Griffin
5. Detroit Lions
Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State – The Detroit Lions have shown veteran DE Kyle Vanden Bosch the door and we’re still waiting to see if DE Cliff Avril is brought back. Werner just makes sense. His high swat numbers certainly haven’t hurt his stock, considering the fact that J.J. Watt has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue after having recording an absurd 20.5 sacks and 16 pass deflections. Werner isn’t this highly rated on everyone’s board, but he is on mine. The Lions also don’t shy away from big bodies on their line and this addition fits nicely with the likes of DT Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. – Justin Stewart
6. Cleveland Browns
- Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU – Perhaps ideally, Dion Jordan would fall to the Cleveland Browns, as Jordan would be a nice fit, considering his ridiculous athleticism, in the Browns new 3-4 defense. That said, Ansah might offer higher upside, with his little experience making his on-field play all the more spectacular. Couple that with the fact that he’s incredibly athletic (ran a 4.63 without even training for the combine), and the 6’5, 270 pound specimen might be a gem at outside linebacker for the Browns for years to come. Ansah possesses rare qualities for a guy his big in both rushing the passer and taking down the ballcarrier in space. – Matias Wodner
7. Arizona Cardinals
Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina – Remember the Thursday Night Football game between the St. Louis Rams and Arizona Cardinals? Kevin Kolb was sacked nine teams. Each of the top two quarterbacks were injured at least once last season. That happens when an offensive line surrenders an NFL-worst 58 sacks. They need an offensive tackle more, but they could use an offensive guard. Only thing is that they have investments in Daryn Colledge ($27.5 million) and Adam Snyder ($17.5 million). Jonathan Cooper may get taken over Chance Warmack since new head coach Bruce Arians has previously preferred zone blocking schemes. – Joshua Huffman
8. Buffalo Bills
DaMontre Moore LB, Texas A&M- Mike Pettine is the new DC in Buffalo and he loves bringing pressure with the front seven. Jarvis Jones looked to be the pick here but news coming out about having spinal stenosis is getting teams worried about picking him. Enter Moore, yes he had a bad combine but sometimes that happens. Moore is 6’3 250 and coming off the edge could be a great pick here for the Bills. –Shawn Eagle
9. New York Jets
DeMarcus Milliner, CB, Alabama – The Jets desperately want to bring in a quarterback to compete with Mark Sanchez, but they hesitate on drafting another USC product and wisely pass on Matt Barkley at 9th overall. Instead they draft the best available defensive back in DeMarcus Milliner, allowing them to trade Darrelle Revis and his outlandish salary demands to the highest bidder. Rex Ryan gets his new shutdown corner and the Jets save face by recouping some value for the disgruntled Revis, a win-win scenario. –David Flemming
10. Tennessee Titans
Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida – Wow. Had Milliner lasted one more spot I think the Titans would have been all over him. You would also think that with Arizona paving the way and taking Cooper early, the Titans would snag Warmack in a heartbeat. They won’t. All the talk has been about the ends, but the interior play was far from stellar. There’s a lot more free agent DE’s available than DT’s and the number 1 tackle, and Scout Inc’s #2 player overall, just fell in the Titans’ lap. No way Floyd falls out of the top 10 and the Titans give Marks gets his walking papers. – Josh Gunnels
11. San Diego Chargers
Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma– Everyone knows Jared Gaither is not the answer at Left Tackle for the Chargers. Everyone also knows the Chargers are not nearly as talented a team as they used to be, especially on defense. But first things first; the Chargers want to get Phillip Rivers back on track. I don’t see the value here yet for WR, especially with so many prospects hovering around the late first, early second level. Therefore, the Chargers will go with Lane Johnson, the enormous physical talent whose tape is a lot better than you’d guess. – Myles MacDonald
12. Miami Dolphins
Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State– With the top OT’s and pass rushers off the board already, and the news that the Dolphins are almost sure to sign a No.1 WR, once free agency opens, the pick is Rhodes. The rangy cornerback is a need considering Sean Smith was left free to walk. It was hard not to put WR Cordalle Patterson here, but look for the Dolphins to sign Mike Wallace or Greg Jennings this offseason. – Russell Griffin
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Kenny Vaccaro, FS, Texas – The Bucs are frustrated that they can’t add a top CB with this pick, so they go with the next best thing and grab the best safety in the draft. The Bucs still have veteran Rhonde Barber back there and could actually look to move him to CB due to their lack of players at that position. Vaccaro could even spend some time there. Either way their backfield needed help with this pick and they get it. – Justin Stewart
14. Carolina Panthers
Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah – Judging by the way that this draft has played out, Lotulelei’s reported heart condition has scared off most of the teams that have picked so far. It’s fair to wonder whether it is a big deal or not, but the risk/reward here can be huge for the Carolina Panthers in this position. The Panthers are known to be seeking interior defensive line help, and what better fix than to pick a guy who was the consensus top defensive tackle just a few weeks back in the middle of the first round. Star played in over 90% of Utah’s defensive snaps, so give him some time to rest and hopefully he’d be good to go for the season as one of the starting defensive tackles. – Matias Wodner
15. New Orleans Saints
Sheldon Richardson, DL, Missouri – As the New Orleans Saints transition into a 3-4 defense with Rob Ryan, they need to focus on revamping their outside linebackers and defensive line. Since they only have six picks in this draft (no second rounder), they may trade down. Barkevious Mingo, Jarvis Jones, Sheldon Richardson and Jonathan Hankins are all possibilities if they stay at No. 15. We’ll put Richardson on the Saints because some scouts are comparing him to J.J. Watt. – Joshua Huffman
16. St. Louis Rams
Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama– Fisher is elated to have the draft’s best interior lineman fall to the Rams. Although tackle would have been better, upgrades are needed along the entire O-line. Warmack allows the Rams to get back to Fisher ball. – Shawn Eagle