1. OT from Texas A&M – Luke Joeckel – He’s the best OT in the draft and could very well be the first pick in the NFL draft depending on what direction Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs go. Standing at 6’6 and 310 pounds, he was meant to be a teams’ franchise left tackle.
2. DT from Utah – Star Lotulelei – In my opinion he’s the best all around defensive lineman as he can be a perfect nose tackle for a 3-4 defense or he can fit just fine in a 4-3 defense. He can stop the run and still get after the quarterback. I think the Oakland Raiders could benefit a lot with a guy like this.
3. DE from Florida State – Bjoern Werner – The best pass rusher in the draft would be Werner. He does what he needs to do to get after the quarterback. Size isn’t an issue for him as he stands 6’4 and weighs 260 pounds. To add to my best pass rushing statement, he had 13 sacks this season.
4. OLB from LSU – Barkevious Mingo – If you want a perfect hybrid defensive end then look not further than Mingo. Coming out of college as a redshirt junior he is a raw talent but can still be very productive. I can only imagine what happens when he reaches his full potential.
5. OG from Alabama – Chance Warmack – If you need help on your interior offensive line then take a chance with Chance. He’s the best guard I’ve seen since Logan Mankins or Carl Nicks. Warmack is dominant in between the tackle and center.
6. CB from Alabama – Dee Milliner – Reminds me a lot of Morris Claiborne but better. Milliner is very physical and is great at finding the ball in the air to make a play on it. Whether he intercepts the ball or swats it away, the majority of pass plays he’ll be making a play on the ball.
7. OLB from Georgia – Jarvis Jones – Jones is bigger than most people give him credit for and I’ve read a lot about how he’d be a perfect fit in a 3-4. This may be true but I think he’ll be just fine as an OLB in a 4-3. Jones has rare skill as a tackler and is very fast. The Detroit Lions could be a good fit for him.
8. DE from Texas A&M – Damontre Moore – Very overrated in my eyes but you can’t ignore what he did in college. Each year his sack numbers increased. My problem with that is that he’s too inconsistent and his pass rushing skills disappear in big games.
9. QB from West Virginia – Geno Smith – Matt Barkley is overrated and Smith is a great option at quarterback as he’s very accurate and can also get out of the pocket and gain yards that way. I believe the Chiefs would love having him.
10. WR from California – Keenan Allen – Perfect size and perfect speed to be a solid number one wide-out. Miami is being projected to take him but I think Cleveland might take a risk with him at the 6th overall spot.
11. OT from Central Michigan – Eric Fisher – With Taylor Lewan staying at Michigan, Fisher steps in and becomes the 2nd best overall OT in the draft. He has the ability to be a left tackle but I think his best bet is to play the right tackle. Fisher could go to a team like the St. Louis Rams and help protect Sam Bradford who was hurt last year or open up running lanes for the oft-injured Steven Jackson.
12. DT from Ohio State – Johnathan Hankins – This mans nickname is Big John or Big Hank and it’s for good reason. He’s 6’3 and 320 pounds of just force. Teams in the first round from picks 10-20 are likely to take Hankins and he could come in and start right away or fit into a teams rotation.
13. CB from Mississippi State – Johnathan Banks – His numbers in college were very good but there are going to be receivers who simply just run by him which hurts. Banks could fall to the second round but I doubt it as plenty of teams in this draft are looking for secondary help.
14. DE from Texas – Alex Okafor – I’m all about Okafor in this draft. I think he’s a first round pick without question and has the ability to be a difference maker coming off the end. He’s not as good as Werner or Moore coming out of college but I think he has a better career than Damontre Moore.
15. OG/C from Alabama – Barrett Jones – A three time national champion, Jones played a different offensive line position in all three of those games. Jones is a monster on the interior part of the line and will start right away for a team. Some say he could fall into the second round but I think he’s a first rounder.
16. QB from USC – Matt Barkley – After hurting his shoulder his stock nosedived from being in the top 10 to 17 for me. I haven’t liked one tape of Barkley and I don’t think I will. If it wasn’t for his receivers I don’t think he would have been that good. He should have went pro last year but didn’t and now he’s paying for it. He’ll be a first round pick but I don’t think he should start right away. The Philadelphia Eagles could trade down to take him or even the Arizona Cardinals.
17. WR from USC – Robert Woods – We just talked about his quarterback and now we’re talking about him. Woods is a sleeper in my eyes and I think he’ll be a first rounder as some experts believe he’ll be available in the 2nd round. He’s not the biggest receiver in the league but he can score touchdowns. Attach him to an average quarterback with a good running game or a great quarterback and no run game and I think he’ll have a pretty good career.
18. OG from North Carolina – Jonathan Cooper – A nice size guard coming from the Tar Heels here. He’s not like Warmack but he’ll fit nicely in a teams offensive front. The possibility for him to fall into the second round is there but that’s only if his pro day or combine is bad.
19. DE from LSU – Sam Montgomery – Another player I’m sold on. In his career he’s had 18 sacks with LSU and runs a 4.6 40-yard dash time. Whatever defense you run, put this guy on the end and tell him to get the quarterback. He’ll take care of it.
20. DT from Missouri – Sheldon Richardson – As good as Lotulelei and Hankins are, Richardson is good too. Richardson is a perfect fit for teams like Indianapolis who will be drafting in the low 20’s of the draft. Richardson reminds me of a smaller Vince Wilfork but just not as powerful as Vince. However he can serve as a big presence for a team’s defensive line.
21. CB from Florida State – Xavier Rhodes – Look no further for a big corner that gets physical. The most physical corner in the draft in my opinion but that could end up hurting him in the pros. Another thing that could hurt him is the speed he lacks. He’s an experienced corner who could fit well into an experienced secondary like Pittsburgh.
22. TE from Notre Dame – Tyler Eifert – For the teams who are pass heavy such as Green Bay and Atlanta they’ll be looking at this young man. A big body that can come off the line and serve as a nice vertical threat or as a nice option in short passing patterns. Many teams are going to pass on a very good tight end. Expect some teams to trade back into the first round for him (Cleveland).
23. S from Florida – Matt Elam – The best safety in the draft and I’m extremely high on his ability at playing that position. He led the Gators in tackles for loss as a safety. He’s being considered a late first round pick or an early second rounder. No way though does he fall into the second round.
24. ILB from LSU – Kevin Minter – Plays with great speed and can recognize plenty of running and passing plays. He creates plays with his quickness to the ball carriers and can be a lock-down middle linebacker.
25. WR from Baylor – Terrance Williams – If you’re looking for a solid number two on your offense then take a look at this 6’2 wide out who can run a 4.45 40 yard dash time. Creating space is something he does very well and could be a good addition to an experienced receiving core.
26. WR from West Virginia – Tavon Austin – Size is somewhat of an issue as he’s only 5’9 but he’ll be hard to find in crossing patterns and at that point he’ll be too fast to try and catch. Austin can be a great slot receiver for pass heavy teams like New England, Atlanta or Green Bay.
27. DE from Oregon – Dion Jordan – Reminds me a lot of Michael Johnson from Georgia Tech a few years back because of his speed and long frame. Jordan can be a stand up end or OLB for a 3-4 defense. Maybe a team like Denver will take a look at him to play opposite of Von Miller.
28. WR from Tennessee – Cordarrelle Patterson – Didn’t produce the same numbers I projected for him before the season started. I think going to draft is a bold move on his part but he still has first round talent. I have him going in the first round but could very well fall into the second round because his route running isn’t great and still is a very raw talent. However he can add a presence in the backfield for reverses as well as in the return game.
29. FS from LSU – Eric Reid – Reid has first round talent but could fall into the second round with FS from Texas Kenny Vaccaro gaining a lot of attention from scouts. I think Reid could be a difference maker for a teams defense as he is a big hitter but doesn’t always follow through with his tackles and he isn’t that fast which means him playing man to man coverage is a huge risk. I still like him for any defense at the end of the first round.
30. DE from BYU – Ezekiel Ansah – Pretty good at getting after the quarterback with 4.5 sacks this season but he’s still a very raw talent with only two years of football experience at BYU. He can play all over the defensive line and is quite versatile and has power.
31. OT from Alabama – DJ Fluker – For sure Fluker is a right tackle because of his size but he’s a big body who can take up a lot of space to prevent pass rushers at getting the quarterback. He’s made the smart choice of going pro especially after Taylor Lewan returned to Michigan for his senior season. Fluker is also being considered as a guard instead of a tackle.
32. WR from Clemson – DeAndre Hopkins – A player I totally forgot about. Hopkins had the most productive season out of any receiver with 82 receptions, 1400 yards and 18 touchdowns. I wouldn’t be surprised he jumps up to the number one wide receiver spot after the combine and pro days. I really like him and would be an absolute steal if people let him fall into the second round. Odds of that happening are slim though.
I’d like to make this very clear that players like DJ Fluker, Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Hopkins are jumping into my top 32 because of the falling Manti Te’o. Yes I like those three players at the end but it would be a guarantee that one of them wouldn’t be there, hadn’t this Manti Te’o hoax came about.
