Sports - NFL Draft Preview

Football is almost here!  It's just a matter of time before the season begins.  The first step was Free Agency, the second was the schedule.  And now the Draft!  This Thursday @ 8:00 pm the 1st Round of the Draft will be on in prime time and I'll be glued to the television.  This is a very interesting draft class and it's hard to predict who each team will pick, but that doesn't mean you can't have fun trying.  So, based on the opinions of experts and my own uneducated musings (and barring any draft spot trades) here it is, Olie's 2013 Mock Draft 1.0:

1. Kansas City - Luke Joeckel, OT Texas A&M - 6'6" left tackle, a guy you build around.
2. Jacksonville - Dion Jordan, OLB/DE Oregon - 6'7" and fast, could play 4-3 or 3-4.
3. Oakland - Sharrif Floyd, DT Florida - strong, athletic, and just right for the Raiders.
4. Philadelphia -Dee Milliner, CB Alabama - a very solid corner, could start right away.
5. Detroit - Eric Fisher, OT Central Michigan - 6'8" left tackle, protection for Stafford.
6. Cleveland - Ziggy Ansah, DE BYU - a fast, light, edge rusher who can produce sacks.
7. Arizona - Lane Johnson, OT Oklahoma - 6'7", solid, athletic, and quick.
8. Buffalo - Geno Smith, QB WVU - physically gifted and a no-brainer for the Bills.
9. NYJ -Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE LSU - perfect candidate for the Jets' 3-4.
10. Tennessee - Jonathan Cooper, OG UNC - a solid guard with a strong lower body.
11. San Diego - Chance Warmack, OG Alabama -a strong guard who's hard to beat.
12. Miami - Xavier Rhodes, CB FSU - physical press corner who likes to jam.
13. NYJ - Tyler Eifert, TE Notre Dame - tall, lean, strong, and physical.
14. Carolina - Sheldon Richardson, DT Missouri - a quick tackle for his size.
15. New Orleans - Jarvis Jones, LB Georgia - can play either inside or outside.
16. St. Louis - Tavon Austin, WR WVU - 5'9" slot receiver, Rams are in dire need.
17. Pittsburgh - Cordarrelle Patterson, WR Tenn - just the WR that Pitt needs.
18. Dallas - Kenny Vaccaro, S Texas - ready to start at safety right away.
19. NYG - D.J. Fluker, OT Alabama - big, thick right tackle project.
20. Chicago - Alec Ogletree, LB Georgia - very fast inside linebacker.
21. Cincinnati - Matt Elam, S Florida - short, quick, big play safety that can cover.
22. St. Louis - Eric Reid, S LSU - tall, long, and a hard hitter with good closing speed.
23. Minnesota - Star Lotulelei, DT Utah - 6'4", 320 lbs, nose tackle or any DL position.
24. Indianapolis - Eddie Lacy, RB Alabama - a powerful, workhorse back.
25. Minnesota - Manti Te'o, LB Notre Dame - aggressive tackler and a good leader.
26. Green Bay - Montee Ball, RB Wisconsin - a reliable back good in zone blocking.
27. Houston - DeAndre Hopkins, WR Clemson - size right between slot and Top 2 WR.
28. Denver - Bjoern Werner, DE FSU - light and athletic, an edge pass rusher.
29. New England - Desmond Trufant, CB Washington - good size and athleticism.
30. Atlanta - Zach Ertz, TE Stanford - smart, big, good replacement for Gonzalez.
31. San Francisco - Jesse Williams, DT Alabama - big, tough, nose tackle.
32. Baltimore - Kevin Minter, LB LSU - good inside linebacker, could start.

Best of the rest: Arthur Brown, LB KSU, Damontre Moore, OLB/DE Texas A&M, Johnathan Hankins, DT OSU, Keenan Allen, WR Cal, Datone Jones, DL UCLA.

Notes: St. Louis has two 1st Round picks, one from Washington in the RG3 deal last year.  NYJ also has two 1st Rounds picks, one from Tampa Bay in the trade for Darrell Revis.  Minnesota also has two 1st Round picks, one from Seattle in the trade for Percy Harvin.  Consequently, neither Washington, Tampa Bay, or Seattle have a 1st Round pick.