| Round 1 | |||||
| 1 |  | Kansas City | Matt Barkley | QB | USC |
| This pick will probably raise a lot of eyebrows considering how far Barkley's stock has fallen. I still think Matt Barkley is a good quarterback that can become a franchise guy. With the premium on quarterbacks in the NFL, the Chiefs need to pull the trigger. | |||||
| 2 |  | Jacksonville | Luke Joeckel | OT | Texas A&M |
| Jacksonville can use help anywhere. In fact, they may look at quarterback at some point. But backup Chad Henne has played well. They need to protect him with the best tackle available. The Jags have allowed 42 sacks and 91 quarterback hits, both top four in the league. | |||||
| 3 |  | Oakland | Bjoern Werner | DE | Florida State |
| Oakland is a lot like Jacksonville. They could use help anywhere. Here they concentrate on defense with a value pick. Werner is a freak athlete with a relentless knack for finding the quarterback. | |||||
| 4 |  | Philadelphia | Jake Matthews | OT | Texas A&M |
| Philadelphia is in a transition period. No matter who their quarterback is, they need some guys to protect him. They lost most of their line to injury and who knows how those guys will play upon their return. They solidify their line with the strong Matthews. | |||||
| 5 |  | Carolina | Star Lotulelei | DT | Utah |
| Lotulelei is considered the best player in the draft according to a lot of people. Carolina needs more beef up front and Lotulelei instantly improves their ability to thwart offenses. He could be a sack threat from the interior as well. | |||||
| 6 |  | Tennessee | Jarvis Jones | DE | Georgia |
| Jones was one of the best defensive players in the country in 2011. Tennessee gets a great player at six. Pair him up with Derrick Morgan, their draft pick from a few years ago, and they are closer to forming a formidable pass rush. | |||||
| 7 |  | Arizona | Geno Smith | QB | West Virginia |
| This is a no-brainer for Arizona, who seems to have used every quarterback on their roster. It is possible that Geno Smith ends up being the best quarterback in this class. He's athletic with a strong arm. Arizona needs stability at quarterback for the first time since Kurt Warner. | |||||
| 8 |  | Detroit | Dee Milliner | CB | Alabama |
| Detroit took a step back in 2012. They could not figure out a way to stop anybody. They lack significant playmakers in the secondary. Here they snag the best corner on the best defense in the country. | |||||
| 9 |  | San Diego | Marqise Lee | WR | USC |
| Philip Rivers and the Chargers had a disappointing season. That's mainly because Rivers had no go-to guy after the departure of Vincent Jackson. As good of an option as TE Antonio Gates is, Rivers needs a playmaker on the outside. Lee was a stud at USC. They may also look at a lineman. | |||||
| 10 |  | Buffalo | Manti Te'o | LB | Notre Dame |
| Buffalo scores with Manti Te'o at 10. Undoubtedly the most productive linebacker in college this year, Buffalo bolsters the middle of their porous defense with a relentless tackler who can also play the ball. He'll be the leader there before too long. | |||||
| 11 |  | Miami | Chance Warmack | OL | Alabama |
| Miami does not know the future of left tackle Jake Long, so it behooves the Dolphins to bolster their line and protect their investment in Ryan Tannehill, who has looked good. They are also in desperate need of a wide receiver and could look at that here. | |||||
| 12 |  | Cleveland | Sam Montgomery | DT | LSU |
| Cleveland is a young team that is up-and-coming, especially on defense. They drafted Phil Taylor just last year, but Montgomery can add some depth and even push to the outside. You can never have too many playmakers on the defensive line. | |||||
| 13 |  | New Orleans | Barkevious Mingo | DE | LSU |
| Montgomery's teammate Mingo comes off the board directly after him. New Orleans' defense is dreadful and they need to do whatever they can to improve their epically bad numbers. Mingo can rotate with Cam Jordan or whomever to add an edge threat. | |||||
| 14 |  | Tampa Bay | David Amerson | CB | NC State |
| Tampa's secondary was the worst in the league by far. Mark Barron is a great young player, but Ronde Barber is older and Aqib Talib is no longer with the team. David Amerson was one of the best ball hawks in the ACC last year. They could use him. | |||||
| 15 |  | NY Jets | Eric Fisher | OT | Central Michigan |
| The Jets need to add something to what was once one of the best lines in the league. Now that line is getting shredded. Whoever is at quarterback for them next year needs to stay standing. Fisher is a good fit here. | |||||
| 16 |  | St. Louis | Taylor Lewan | OL | Michigan |
| Once again, the Rams need to find ways to protect their $50 million investment in Sam Bradford. They are starting to build something there under Jeff Fisher, and they would like Bradford to be healthy as they bring in some weapons for him. Lewan may finally help beef up that front. | |||||
| 17 |  | Cincinnati | Johnathan Hankins | DT | Ohio State |
| Cincinnati has a strong defense that always seems to stock defensive linemen. They add one to the rotation here as well. Johnathan Hankins is a huge guy that can play the run. He works well in the 4-3 front that Mike Zimmer utilizes. | |||||
| 18 | | St. Louis (from Was) | Justin Hunter | WR | Tennessee |
| Now that they have protected Bradford, St. Louis tries to bring in a receiver that can emerge as a number one guy for their quarterback. He has not had one since he's been under center. Justin Hunter was one of the most productive receivers in the country last season. | |||||
| 19 |  | Dallas | Matt Elam | S | Florida |
| After signing Brandon Carr and drafting Morris Claiborne, Dallas just needs to get a young safety or two to form one of the best young secondaries in the league. Elam could be that guy. Jerry Jones values tall, athletic playmakers. Elam fits the bill. | |||||
| 20 |  | Minnesota | Dion Jordan | DE | Oregon |
| Minnesota takes Jordan here as a value pick. Jordan is massive at 6'7" and he has to be accounted for on every play. Minnesota adds to their defensive line who face Aaron Rogers, Jay Cutler, and Matthew Stafford twice every season. | |||||
| 21 |  | Pittsburgh | DaMontre Moore | DE | Texas A&M |
| Pittsburgh could probably use a lineman right here, but there is better value in a defensive end of Moore's caliber. He was fourth in the nation in sack totals in 2012, and he led A&M in tackles. They find a viable replacement for Brad Kiesel. | |||||
| 22 |  | Chicago | C.J. Mosley | LB | Alabama |
| Chicago also needs offensive line help, but their defense is starting to age. Brian Urlacher is getting injured more and more often now. Alabama linebacker Mosley could be groomed into the future playmaker that Urlacher currently is. | |||||
| 23 |  | Seattle | Terrance Williams | WR | Baylor |
| Russell Wilson has been a revelation for the Seahawks this season. He has not thrown for very many yards, but he can make off-schedule plays. Perhaps if they add Williams here to pair up with Sidney Rice, Seattle becomes a legitimate passing offense. | |||||
| 24 |  | Indianapolis | Alex Okafor | DE | Texas |
| Indy's defense is getting older. They need valuable rotation guys to help get after the quarterback. Alex Okafor, the best of the front seven for the Texas Longhorns, would add a fresh set of legs to a pass rush that needs a boost. | |||||
| 25 |  | NY Giants | Johnathan Banks | CB | Mississippi State |
| It seems every year that the Giants draft defensive linemen and cornerbacks. This year is no different. After a suspect secondary got exploited a few times this season, Johnathan Banks adds some depth to a secondary that seems to catch the injury bug every year. | |||||
| 26 |  | Green Bay | Giovani Bernard | RB | North Carolina |
| Green Bay has not had a good running back since Ryan Grant was actually productive for them. Giovani Bernard came on strong this year for the Tar Heels, including a 267 yard performance against Virginia Tech. Now the Packers get stronger with a balanced offense. | |||||
| 27 |  | Baltimore | Barrett Jones | C | Alabama |
| Should the Ravens choose to stick with Joe Flacco, they are going to have to strengthen all areas of the offensive line. They are not spring chickens anymore. Barrett Jones was one of the big boys on Alabama's line, and he automatically adds some youth and beef up front. | |||||
| 28 |  | Denver | Eric Reid | S | LSU |
| Denver is a good team that does not appear to need much help all around. Safety would be one of the first positions to address though. Eric Reid was a playmaker for the Tigers last year and would immediately compete for a starting spot. | |||||
| 29 |  | San Francisco | Xavier Rhodes | CB | Florida State |
| San Francisco continues to add to their stellar defense with this pick. They could go a number of directions, but Rhodes gives them great value here. He breaks up plays and is a strong tackler, which are all things that Jim Harbaugh values. | |||||
| 30 |  | New England | Kenny Vaccaro | S | Texas |
| New England's pass defense has not been great statistically this season, though they have made game-changing plays. But they draft Vaccaro in order to keep teams honest when they think about going deep. | |||||
| 31 |  | Atlanta | Kawaan Short | DT | Purdue |
| Atlanta is a strong offensive team, so they look for defense here. Their rushing defense has been a problem in 2012. They add a player in the middle of the defensive front to try and pop runners before they reach the second level. | |||||
| 32 |  | Houston | Keenan Allen | WR | California |
| Houston needs a good receiver other than Kevin Walter to play second banana to Andre Johnson. Keenan Allen averaged over six catches a game at Cal. Johnson is getting older so they could also use someone to transition to a new receiving corps in a few seasons. | |||||
| Round 2 | |||||
| 33 | | Jacksonville | Sheldon Richardson | DT | Missouri |
| After addressing the offensive line, Jacksonville hits the defensive line with Richardson who was a productive tackler up the middle for the Tigers. | |||||
| 34 | | Kansas City | John Jenkins | DT | Georgia |
| This may be a little low for Jenkins, but the big man goes to Kansas City to help try and improve a poor defense that has not gotten a lot out of Glenn Dorsey. | |||||
| 35 | | Cincinnati (from Oak) | Da'Rick Rogers | WR | Tennessee Tech |
| Rogers is a perfect compliment to AJ Green on the other side. Rogers has had his issues off the field, but the Bengals are known for taking guys with past problems. | |||||
| 36 | | Carolina | Johnathan Cooper | G | North Carolina |
| Though Cam Newton is a tank, he could use some protection up front. Also, the line needs to create holes for their multi-million dollar running backs. | |||||
| 37 | | Tennessee | Tyler Eifert | TE | Notre Dame |
| Eifert is most likely going to be an upgrade from Jared Cook. Locker could use another pass catcher and blocker up front. | |||||
| 38 | | Arizona | Arthur Brown | LB | Kansas State |
| Arizona has a good defense, but they take a linebacker for depth in this position. Offensive line is also a very strong possibility. | |||||
| 39 | | Detroit | Tony Jefferson | S | Oklahoma |
| Detroit once again goes with the secondary and this time at safety. Jefferson finds the ball better than a lot of safeties in the country. | |||||
| 40 | | Philadelphia | Anthony Barr | LB | UCLA |
| Philly looks to improve a defense that gives up a ton of yards by adding to their linebacking corps. Barr really came on strong this season to be a leader for the UCLA defense. | |||||
| 41 | | Buffalo | Robert Woods | WR | USC |
| Buffalo gets a receiver opposite of Stevie Johnson to finally create a legitimate receiving corps. Robert Woods is a productive guy with good hands and NFL receiver height. | |||||
| 42 | | Miami | Tavon Austin | WR | West Virginia |
| Miami gets their playmaker in the passing game with Tavon Austin. He gets yards in chunks and he will be a matchup problem for defenses throughout the league. | |||||
| 43 | | Cleveland (supplemental) | Zach Ertz | TE | Stanford |
| Cleveland grabs a tight end to go with a really young offense. With Ertz, they can add another dimension to the passing game. | |||||
| 44 | | New Orleans (forfeit) | Chase Thomas | LB | Stanford |
| New Orleans goes defense again to help the worst unit in the league. Chase Thomas is a tackling machine all over the field. | |||||
| 45 | | San Diego | Montee Ball | RB | Wisconsin |
| Based on Ryan Matthews recent performances, San Diego might think about taking Monte Ball here. Rivers was his best when he had a great running back (LaDanian Tomlinson). | |||||
| 46 | | NY Jets | Mike Glennon | QB | North Carolina State |
| The Sanchez-Tebow drama is put to rest as the Jets finally get out from under the circus. Glennon is a tall guy with an NFL arm who will compete for the starting job right away. | |||||
| 47 | | Tampa Bay | Logan Ryan | CB | Rutgers |
| Tampa once again goes after cornerbacks to improve their pass defense. Ryan tied for 27th in the country in interceptions. | |||||
| 48 | | St. Louis | Sharif Floyd | DT | Florida |
| St. Louis keeps improving their defense to stop the likes of Marshawn Lynch, Frank Gore, and Beanie Wells. | |||||
| 49 |  | Washington | D.J. Fluker | OT | Alabama |
| The Redskins first pick of this draft is used to help protect an at-risk RGIII by taking a big boy from Alabama to line up across from Trent Williams. | |||||
| 50 | | Dallas | Oday Aboushi | OT | Virginia |
| Dallas also needs to address their line so Tony Romo isn't constantly running around. Aboushi out of Virginia has gotten a lot of praise this season. He's a good addition to this unit. | |||||
| 51 | | Minnesota | DeAndre Hopkins | WR | Clemson |
| Christian Ponder needs help to create some production in the passing game. Minnesota can't win strictly relying on Adrian Peterson. Hopkins gives them speed and production. | |||||
| 52 | | Cincinnati | Andre Ellington | RB | Clemson |
| Ellington gives Cincinnati a one-two punch in the running game. BenJarvus Green-Ellis has been very good. Ellington can spell him and churn out some more yards on the ground. | |||||
| 53 | | Pittsburgh | Lane Johnson | OT | Oklahoma |
| The Steelers get their lineman. Big Ben has gotten battered this season on a line that has played subpar for the better part of two seasons. | |||||
| 54 | | Seattle | Louis Nix | DT | Notre Dame |
| Seattle drafts a rotational player for Red Bryant in the middle. Seattle could go offensive line or linebacker here as well. | |||||
| 55 | | Chicago | Justin Pugh | OT | Syracuse |
| Chicago tries again to draft some protection for Cutler. Pugh is not the highest rated prospect, but depth means a possibility to find a good combination of starters. | |||||
| 56 | | Miami (from Ind) | T.J. McDonald | S | USC |
| McDonald is an athlete and a leader on defense. He is an instant upgrade from Rashad Jones. | |||||
| 57 | | NY Giants | Jesse Williams | DT | Alabama |
| The Giants hit the defensive line in the second round with great value in Jesse Williams who is a force over the nose of the center. | |||||
| 58 | | Baltimore | Desmond Trufant | CB | Washington |
| Baltimore addresses their defense, which has been unlike Ravens defenses of the past. Trufant has pedigree and pairs up well with Jimmy Smith. | |||||
| 59 | | Green Bay | Ricky Wagner | OL | Wisconsin |
| Green Bay has to keep defenders from flushing Aaron Rogers out of the pocket. They stay home and draft Wagner out of Wisconsin. | |||||
| 60 | | Denver | Jordan Poyer | CB | Oregon State |
| Denver again goes defense by taking Jordan Poyer out of Oregon State, who ranked second in the country in interceptions. They may look at a tight end here if one is available. | |||||
| 61 | | San Francisco | Dallas Thomas | OL | Tennessee |
| The 49ers add some depth to an already good offensive line. Mike Iupati has been injured and they could use someone to plug-and-play. | |||||
| 62 | | New England | Jackson Jeffcoat | DE | Texas |
| Jeffcoat was an animal at Texas and New England would jump to add a pass rusher to go with Chandler Jones and Rob Ninkovich. That's all of a sudden a scary rotation. | |||||
| 63 | | Atlanta | Larry Warford | G | Kentucky |
| Matt Ryan has come into his own this year as a top quarterback. Atlanta makes sure he is protected by taking an interior lineman as a rotational player. | |||||
| 64 | | Houston | Bacarri Rambo | S | Georgia |
| Houston has a great defense but they got carved up as the season wore on. Rambo was one of the better safeties in the country that makes an already scary defense even better. | |||||
Dan Levine 2013 NFL Mock Draft - 18 December 2012
1. Matt Barkley 2. Luke Joeckel 3. Bjoern Werner 4. Jake Matthews 5. Star Lotulelei
Tue, 12/18/2012
