Gary Heinrich Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft - 23 April 2013

1. Luke Joeckel 2. Ezekiel Ansah 3. Sharrif Floyd 4. Dee Milliner 5. Eric Fisher

Tue, 04/23/2013

Round 1
1	Kansas City	Luke Joeckel	OT	Texas A&M
This will be an extremely unpredictable draft. With most experts claiming that players 15-50 are relatively equal, we may see as many trades as 2012. The new leadership at KC opts for the experience and competition level that Mr. Joeckel faced over the upside of Eric Fisher.
2	Jacksonville	Ezekiel Ansah	DE	BYU
Jacksonville opts not to reach for a QB at this stage of the draft. They look at both DE/LB vs. DB. Is Floyd better than Milliner or do you like Jordon? In the end they chose the perceived high upside of Ansah
3	Oakland	Sharrif Floyd	DT	Florida
Oakland is thrilled that Jacksonville passed on Floyd. They only wait on delivering the card to evaluate trade offers. They will wait on a QB till later as this is too early in their opinion for Smith.
4	Philadelphia	Dee Milliner	CB	Alabama
Philly surprised many by taking Milliner. Having to face the pass happy NFC East, they see Milliner as the best option to start rebuilding the back end of their defense.
5	Detroit	Eric Fisher	OT	Central Michigan
With Milliner gone, the Lions have to decide between DE and OT. With Stafford getting hit way too much last year and both tackles from last year gone, they decide to work on the their protection and find a DE later in the draft.
6	Cleveland	Desmond Trufant	CB	Washington
Cleveland looks at the board and tries to find a trading partner. As I am not including trades in this mock, thee Browns are stuck making the pick. They review the available options and pick for need with a DB that best fits their system.
7	Arizona	Lane Johnson	OT	Oklahoma
Arizona gets the last of the top three tackles. They will take a look at C. Patterson but decide this is much too high for value and decide to shore up the left side of a porous o-line.
8	Buffalo	Chance Warmack	G	Alabama
The Geno Smith watch really intensifies at this pick. Does he have the skills that the Bills are looking for this early? I think they wait and either trade back into the end of the round or choose their player in the second round. They opt to improve the o-line with Chance Womack.
9	NY Jets	Barkevious Mingo	DE	LSU
The Jets, with two picks now in the first round, work on their defense by picking the best edge rusher on their board. Getting a top edge rusher will take the pressure off the new CBs .
10	Tennessee	Dion Jordan	DE	Oregon
The Titans find themselves with both a top guard on the board and an excellent option at DE. With the investments made in Levitre and other guards during free agency, they choose the best DE on their board.
11	San Diego	Jonathan Cooper	G	North Carolina
The Chargers need to work on their offensive line. At this point in the draft with the top three tackles gone, they need to decide if they reach for a DE or take the best offensive lineman on their board. They opt for strengthening the line with the most athletic o-lineman.
12	Miami	D.J. Fluker	OT	Alabama
The Dolphins appear to have given up on trading for Brandon Albert from KC. Albert wants more money than is available in Miami. They opt for the best tackle left on their board and hope for the best.
13	New York Jets (from TB)	Tavon Austin	WR	West Virginia
The Jets use their extra pick to give Sanchez an exciting option. Tavon will be the focus of the reworked offensive plan in NY.
14	Carolina	Star Lotulelei	DT	Utah
Carolina looks at the CB's left on the board and decides that Star is too great a talent at this point to reach for either Roades or Hayden. They believe that Lotulelei's heart issues are resolved and add a player that will have a large impact on the interior line play for years.
15	New Orleans	Alex Ogletree	LB	Georgia
The Saints need linebacker help. They opt for a former safety that will be able to move right into an outside linebacker spot from the opening of camp. They believe that they can deal with the outside issues and keep him on the field.
16	St. Louis	Cordarrelle Patterson	WR	Tennessee
The Rams need a speed receiver on the outside. They take the biggest risk/reward option on the board. If Cordarrelle can sharpen his routes, improve his focus and work hard, the Rams will have hit a home run.
17	Pittsburgh	Sheldon Richardson	DT	Missouri
The Steelers rush to the podium when they see Richardson fall to them at this pick. The trade by the Jets makes him the unexpected falling prospect in the draft. He will be a great starting point to the rebuilding of an aging Steel Curtain.
18	Dallas	Kenny Vaccaro	S	Texas
The Cowboys look to improve the back of their defense. They will consider Fluker to improve the right side of their o-line but decide that Vaccaro is too good a value to pass at this point in the draft.
19	NY Giants	Tyler Eifert	TE	Notre Dame
The Giants decide to work on their offense. They need a TE to roam the middle to give Eli a reliable target. This will give him an option not seen lately. They will also consider CB's at this point as well as Te'o, but believe this is the highest value available.
20	Chicago	Manti Te'o	LB	Notre Dame
The Bears look for the replacement in the middle. With Ogletree off the board, they pull the trigger on the potential that was seen prior to the national championship game. They will also look at OT Fluker, but work on the defense.
21	Cincinnati	DJ Hayden	CB	Houston
The Bengals chose the top CB left on their board. They like his ability to cover both in press and zone approaches. The risk-reward on Hayden, in spite of his heart vein tear, is too high to pass with the needs of the defensive backfield.
22	St. Louis (from WAS)	Jonathan Cyprien	S	Florida International
The Rams need help in the back end of the defense. Cyprien has been challenging for the top safety spot in the draft. He is a big hitter with range and has excellent coverage skills.
23	Minnesota	Sylvester Williams	DT	North Carolina
With Kevin Williams redoing his contract his week, it becomes important for the Vikings to look for his replacement. Four of the top d-linemen will be free agents next year so a DE might also be considered with this pick. Williams makes the most sense at this point in the draft.
24	Indianapolis	Xavier Rhodes	CB	Florida State
The Colts look to improve on the lower third ranking on pass defense. Rhodes is the top CB left on their board so they jump on the opportunity to fill an area of need.
25	Minnesota (from SEA)	Kevin Minter	LB	LSU
The Vikings will look to trade down from this pick trying to find someone that wants into the QB scramble. Since I am not doing trades, the Vikings will fill one of the biggest needs on their board with the best middle linebacker left.
26	Green Bay	Datone Jones	DE	UCLA
The Packers work on their d-line with a versatile pick. Jones can slide to either side of the line while adding some pass rush capacity to a weak spot in the defense last year.
27	Houston	Justin Hunter	WR	Tennessee
The Texans choose the top receiver on their board. They are looking for a tall, lanky wide-out with speed to take the pressure off of Johnson. This will allow for a more balanced passing attack opening lanes in the running game.
28	Denver	Bjoern Werner	DE	Florida State
The Broncos look to fill a need on the d-line. Werner was mocked in the top half of the draft before the combine. His production at FSU will overcome the issues that have cropped up since the end of the season in the eyes of the management.
29	New England	Robert Woods	WR	USC
The Patriots look for help for Brady in the passing game. They have been using retreads for several years at wide-out while depending on Welker and the TE's. It is time to give him a reliable option down the field that they have not had since Randy Moss left the team.
30	Atlanta	Johnthan Banks	CB	Mississippi State
The Falcon's look for additional help in the D-back field. He is a big aggressive CB that had some success in the SEC and will fill a need for the team.
31	San Francisco	Eric Reid	S	LSU
The 49ers look to fill a hole at safety after losing Goldson in free agency. Reid is the tall, rangy type of player that they like at safety. His is a big hitter who was successful in the SEC. He should be able to get on the field early in is career.
32	Baltimore	Jarvis Jones	DE	Georgia
The Ravens take production over combine/health issues. Jones has the biggest drop in the first round from where he was expected to be picked early in the process. His time in the forty and the review of the film show him to be a larger risk that originally thought. The Ravens are ecstatic.
Round 2
33	Jacksonville	Geno Smith	QB	West Virginia
I fully expect that someone will trade into the late first round to take Smith, but with no trades, he is available. Jacksonville can not believe their luck to find him available. If this happens on Friday, they will have multiple offers to consider before sending in the card.
34	San Francisco (from KC)	DaMontre Moore	DE	Texas A&M
The 49ers continue to add strength to the defense. With Moore they get a player that was much more highly rated early in the process but has been dropping due to combine tests. His playing record is strong and he will fit well into the D-line rotation.
35	Philadelphia	Justin Pugh	OT	Syracuse
The Eagles took Milliner in the first round and now need to get help on the o-line. Pugh will get a look at both guard and tackle under the new system. They need big fast linemen to get out in front of the fast paced new approach to the offense.
36	Detroit	Margus Hunt	DE	SMU
Detroit address the o-line first and now must find help for the d-line. There is little in the cupboard at DE and Hunt will get a chance to start early in camp. His size, speed and quickness will be a good match with two first round D-tackles on the roster.
37	Cincinnati (from OAK)	Arthur Brown	LB	Kansas State
The Bengals look for help on the outside with a player that dominated in the Big 12. His ability to run down players from side to side is a strength, along with the hits he puts on players. His football instincts will work well in a loaded division.
38	Arizona	Matt Barkley	QB	USC
Coach Ariens is looking for a player to spend a year on the bench learning behind Carson Palmer and be ready for 2014. The new management believes that Barkley is that man.
39	Cleveland (supplemental)

40	NY Jets	E.J. Manuel	QB	Florida State
The Jets are going to give Sanchaz one more year. They need to get someone on the roster who could take over should they lose all faith in Sanchaz. Manuel is a quarterback that could run the same offense as RGIII but be more able to take the hits. His size and strength will be an advantage versus the larger players in the league.
41	Tennessee	Kyle Long	OT	Oregon
The Titans are thrilled to find Long on the board here. He is just the type of player they are looking for. He has great blood lines and has the frame that can grow into an outstanding tackle in the future. He will slide right into the line and play for a decade.
42	Buffalo	Ryan Nassib	QB	Syracuse
Everyone expects the Bills to make this pick. I believe that they will be in the hunt to trade up in the late first round to pick their highest rated be. In a no trade draft, Nassib still makes the most sense. He has an understanding of the offense the new coaching staff will run and the skill set to make it effective.
43	Miami	Jamar Taylor	CB	Boise State
Miami gets a solid addition for their pass defense. Taylor is a fast, strong corner that has started three years at Boise State. He will work his way into the defense, likely as a nickel or dime, this year with the potential to start in 2014.
44	Tampa Bay	Kawann Short	DT	Purdue
The Bucks get a very athletic player that is extremely quick on his feet. A four year starter for the Boilermakers has had a very productive career. He has the ability to slide to any of the spots on the d-line where he is needed and will challenge for a starting role in 2013.
45	Carolina	Blidi Wreh-Wilson	CB	Connecticut
Wreh-Wilson is a an athletic corner with near perfect size and length for a corner. He is good in coverage and is effective against taller receivers. He will have to improve his tackling in the run game, but with good coaching, will be a potential starter in the near future.
46	New Orleans (forfeit)

47	San Diego	Menelik Watson	OT	Florida State
Watson will start at right tackle and work his way into the lineup. He had a productive year at FSU and improved every year he started during his stay. He has good functional strength and was very good at pass blocking. He will need to improve his run blocking to reach his full potential.
48	St. Louis	Eddie Lacy	RB	Alabama
The Rams get the best running back in the draft. Lacy will be a good replacement for Jackson. His combination of size, strength and speed, combined with the ability to spin out of tackles, makes him a first round talent in a league that no longer values backs at that level.
49	Dallas	Larry Warford	G	Kentucky
Warford is a pure guard who dominated in the SEC. He is very big man that uses strength and leverage to overpower his opponents. He is a good drive blocker but yet has the ability to pull and lead the running back through the hole. He will have a good shot at starting this year in Dallas.
50	Pittsburgh	Sio Moore	LB	Connecticut
Moore can really run and has a strong upper body with pure physical skills. He was a very productive linebacker with superior skills at his position. He will challenge for one of the outside positions in the 3-4 defense. He will have lots of chances to show his skills early in training camp.
51	NY Giants	Cornellius Carradine	DE	Florida State
Carradine played like a first round pick most of the year. He is available due to an injury that slowed him down. He is just the pass rusher the Giants are looking for. He will be in the rotation early and challenge for a starting role early in the year.
52	Chicago	Terron Armstead	OT	Arkansas-Pine Bluff
The Bears take the star of the combine at OT. He was at the top of all the measurements. He has too much potential to let pass. They looked at the available guards and decided that Terron was their best choice for the future.
53	Washington	D.J. Swearinger	S	South Carolina
Washington needs a safety and Swearinger fills the bill. He is a confident, underrated player that was SC's second best defensive player. He patrols the deep middle with speed and brings the wood to any receiver that dares enter his area.
54	Minnesota	DeAndre Hopkins	WR	Clemson
The Vikings need help at WR even with the signing of Jennings. The other receivers are still in the prove their value stages of career. With this a make or break year for Christian Ponder, they must give him more tools to stretch the defense and get room for Jennings to get open.
55	Cincinnati	Montee Ball	RB	Wisconsin
The Bengals are filling all their needs early in this draft. Ball will give them the hard running, all-around back. He is effective in picking up the blitz, which will serve him well to get on the field early. He has a burst at the hole and sees how the defense is set.
56	Miami (from IND)	Johnathan Franklin	RB	UCLA
This is the pick that I believe will go to KC for Brandon Albert, but I will pick for the Dolphins. With the loss of Reggie Bush, the Dolphins need to get a running back. Franklin is the best back left on the board. He is effective in space with quickness and a burst to the hole. He will get an opportunity to start this year.
57	Green Bay	Matt Elam	S	Florida
Green Bay needs help in the d-backfield. Elam played at a high level in the SEC. He is an instinctive player with very good ball skills. His only issue is his height, which he has compensated for well during his time at Florida.
58	Seattle	Johnathan Hankins	DT	Ohio State
Seattle is surprised to find Hankins on the board. He will be an excellent addition to a defense that is going to be one of the best in the league. He has excellent talent and plays sideline to sideline. He is a player that that will make or break your draft.
59	Houston	Dallas Thomas	OT	Tennessee
Houston needs help at right tackle. They look at options and decide that Thomas is their man. He started at left tackle for two years before moving to guard at Tennessee. The Texans believe he can be a force in run blocking and will grow into the pass protection required for the role.
60	Denver	John Jenkins	DT	Georgia
Denver looks at Jonathan Bostic at inside linebacker but opts for a mountain of a man to fill the middle of the defense. Jenkins has greatly improved his weight and quickness during the preparation for the draft. He will plug the middle and allow the linebackers to take on the backs.
61	New England	Logan Ryan	CB	Rutgers
The Patriots get a speedy cornerback to work in their defense. Logan Ryan has a knack for making plays on the ball. He could work his way into the lineup early in his career.
62	Atlanta	Khaseem Greene	LB	Rutgers
The Falcons get a tackling machine that flies all over the field. He has excellent cover skills and fits very well on the week side of the line. He plays sideline to sideline breaking up plays as an effective read and react player. He should also help on the special teams on kickoffs.
63	San Francisco	Zach Ertz	TE	Stanford
The rich keep getting richer. The 49ers find the second best TE at the end of the round. He is just what they are looking for with his ability to block, catch and spread out on occasion.
64	Baltimore	Jonathan Bostic	ILB	Florida
The Ravens get just the type of linebacker they are looking for. He is a terrific tackler that delivers the blow to the back. He is quick to the hole and was the leader of the Gator defense. He has the ability to be an every down back that does not come off the field.

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Gary Heinrich Final 2013 NFL Mock Draft - 23 April 2013

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