Live First Round Blog
Picks from my mock draft are in parentheses.
Picks from my mock draft are in parentheses.
7:55 - Just saw that the Steelers re-signed QB Byron Leftwich.
Trades
- 7:20 - The Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings have completed a trade. They swapped first round picks, with the Browns leap-frogging the Vikings. The Browns received the Vikings third round pick and the Vikings got two fourth rounders, a fifth, and a seventh. The NFL Network guys are saying that they think it's to protect someone else from trading to three to pick RB Trent Richardson. I don't know that this makes WR Justin Blackmon the unlikely pick.
- 8:20 - Jacksonville has traded with Tampa Bay to jump up to five.
- 8:30 - Dallas has traded with St. Louis to jump up to six.
- 9:05 - Philadelphia has traded with Seattle to jump to twelve.
- 10:00 - New England has traded with Cincinnati into the twenty first position.
- 10:15? - New England traded up to #25, swapping picks with the Broncos. This got glossed over, so I'm not sure what time it happened at.
- 10:35 - Minnesota traded with Baltimore to get back into the first round.
- 10:50 - Tampa Bay trades with Denver to get back into the first round.
No surprise here. Luck has been the projected pick here since last season's draft.
(QB Andrew Luck, Stanford)
2 Washington Redskins - QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor
Another pick with little suspense. Griffin had an outstanding season, earning the Heisman Trophy. The Redskins traded up for the pick so that they could get their Franchise Quarterback.
(QB Robert Griffin III, Baylor)
3
It was a little surprising that the Browns traded up to get Richardson. If Minnesota would have stayed put, they likely would have picked OT Matt Kalil. The Browns wanted to make sure no one who coveted Richardson would jump in front of them. They gave up a decent bit to get him though. They gave the Vikings five picks in exchange for two.
(OT Matt Kalil, USC)
4
Kudos to the Vikings for getting some extra picks to move back only one spot. They still land their man in Kalil, and they received three extra picks. Kalil should be a pro-bowl blind side tackle for the long haul. QB Christian Ponder has to be smiling about this one.
(RB Trent Richardson, Alabama)
5
The Jaguars wanted to give QB Blaine Gabbert a go-to-guy. He gets that with Blackmon. This is bad news for St. Louis who I had Blackmon falling to. St. Louis will either trade back now and take WR Michael Floyd or stay put and select the best player available. At this point, that would probably be CB Morris Clayborne.
(CB Morris Clayborne, LSU)
6
The Cowboys just went a long way in fixing their secondary troubles. They made a free agent signing at the cornerback position (Brandon Carr), but Clayborne has the potential to be a special player.
(WR Justin Blackmon, Oregon State)
7
I was holding my breath with this pick. I worried that Tampa would take Kuechly. That would push Hightower up. The Bucs needed some defensive help and it was either going to be safety or linebacker one Clayborne was off the board.
(WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame)
8 Miami Dolphins - QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M
The Dolphins tried to cover up the fact that they would be taking Tannehill. However, they couldn't afford to pass him up. It was a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for them. They take Tannehill and get crucified for a reach. They don't take him and they get flack for not trying to improve their quarterback position.
(QB Ryan Tannehill, Texas A&M)
9 Carolina Panthers - ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College
Kuechly did go higher than I was hoping, but maybe low enough that it won't affect Hightower's position. He's an awesome player. He has great instincts and is a three down linebacker in the NFL. The Panthers will be very happy with this pick.
(DE/OLB Melvin Ingram, South Carolina)
I was surprised by this one. I expected an offensive lineman for Buffalo. Reiff would have been my suggestion, or even DeCastro. However, Gilmore was rising up the draft boards since the combine. Cornerback was a need for the Bills, and linemen can be found later.
(OT Riley Reiff, Iowa)
11 Kansas City Chiefs - DT Dontari Poe, Memphis
I thought that this was going to be a toss-up between DeCastro and Poe. I'm not surprised by this pick as the Chiefs' run defense was ranked 26th last season. Poe is an incredible athlete for a big man. However, he has been questioned for his lack of production.
(G David DeCastro, Stanford)
12
The Eagles were pleasantly surprised that Cox was still on the board here, so they had to make the leap. Cox will take up some blocks so that new LB DeMeco Ryans can fly to the ball. The Philadelphia defense should be much improved next season with these additions.
(ILB Luke Kuechly, Boston College)
13 Arizona Cardinals - WR Michael Floyd, Notre Dame
The Cardinals could have improved their offensive line with OT Riley Reiff, but Floyd is a quality pick too. If Kolb cannot improve with Floyd on one side and Fitzgerald on the other, Arizona will know they need to look elsewhere for a QB.
(OT Jonathon Martin, Stanford)
14
With a ton of holes, the Rams are choosing to build from the inside out. It has been well documented that Brockers is a very good run stuffer, but he is not a stand out pass rusher. He has the potential to improve in that area, though. He is still pretty young, coming out after his redshirt sophomore season.
(DE Quinton Coples, UNC)
(DE Quinton Coples, UNC)
15
Wow! I was shocked by this one. Irvin is a 3rd rounder in my eyes. He doesn't even make an appearance in my top 100. He is still quite small, but he is very quick on the outside. I also thought his off the field issues would have pushed him down further. These are the types of kids that Head Coach Pete Carroll likes to take, though. This is probably the best possible landing spot for Irvin.
(DT Dontari Poe, Memphis)
(DT Dontari Poe, Memphis)
16 New York Jets - DE Quinton Coples, UNC
Coples fell due to a lackidaisical senior season. He was an animal in his junior season, though. This does not fill a big need for the Jets, but he may have been the top player on their draft board. I'm a bit surprised they didn't solidify their O-line with G David DeCastro.
(SS Mark Barron, Alabama)
17 Cincinnati (from Raiders) - CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama
The former Alabama CB is a quality selection at this point. He is physical, has good ball skills, and is a solid team player. The Bengals needed a counter-punch to the wide receivers in the AFC North. Kirkpatrick makes a good defense even better.
(CB Dre Kirkpatrick, Alabama)
18 San Diego Chargers - DE Melvin Ingram, South Carolina
Ingram was my highest rated defensive player yet to be drafted. I expected an offensive lineman, though. DeCastro is my highest rated player still on the board. His slide could be excellent for the Steelers.
(G Cordy Glenn, Georgia)
I figured it would be a defensive end. However, I thought Mercilus would have been a better fit in Chicago. McClellin is a more consistent player, but Mercilus has a much higher ceiling in my eyes. McClellin will be a steady player for the bears.
(DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois)
*Tennessee would have liked to have had a CB available. I'm expecting WR Stephen Hill to be the pick now.
20 Tennessee Titans - WR Kendall Wright, Baylor
Again, I had the position, but not the correct player. Wright looks like a very good slot receiver. I don't know how good he will be on the outside, however. The Michaels (Mayock and Irvin) disagree with me. They see him as a good outside receiver as well. Only time will tell.(CB Stephon Gilmore, South Carolina)
21
I had to look at my board a couple times to find Jones. I can't believe I left him way down at #72. I assure you, that was a mistake. He is a very solid player. It was a good move by the Pats to jump up and take him.
(DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi State)
22 Cleveland Browns - QB Brandon Weeden, Oklahoma State
Weeden would have been a good second round pick. This is a bit high for me. If I were making the decisions in Cleveland, I would have taken WR Stephen Hill and went after Weeden in the second round. It's possible he wouldn't be there, but it's a risk I would have taken.
(WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech)
(WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech)
23 Detroit Lions - OT Riley Reiff, Iowa
I cannot express my astonishment that Riley Reiff lasted this long. I had him going to the Bills at #10. This is a very, very good pick for the Lions. They get a possible LT at 23. Was it a huge need? No. Was it a good idea? Heck Yes!
(CB Janoris Jenkins, North Alabama)
24 Pittsburgh Steelers - G David DeCastro, Stanford
I could not have dreamed of this happening. DeCastro is a stud pulling LG. He will start immediately and Doug Legursky will move to a backup G/C. This one selection improved the Steelers' offensive line ten-fold. There are a lot of players on the board that would look good in a Steelers' uniform.
(ILB Dont'a Hightower, Alabama)
25
Once the Patriots realized that the Steelers weren't taking Hightower, they pounced on him. He is a mobile big guy. He can move around and play many different positions for the Patriots. Hightower is a very good fit for the Patriots. I would have liked to have seen him in a Steelers' uniform, but DeCastro was the correct selection.
(DT Michael Brockers, LSU)
26 Houston Texans - DE Whitney Mercilus, Illinois
The Texans decided to replace the departed Mario Williams. Mercilus will allow the Texans to continue to be a solid pass rush team. The Texans must look for a WR later in the draft, though. They need to find some help for WR Andre Johnson.
(WR Kendall Wright, Baylor)
*My guess here is G/T Cordy Glenn. The Bengals need a solid guard.
27 One of these times I'll chose the right player. I'm surprised so many people are passing over Glenn. I had Zeitler as a second round prospect, but you know he has had quality coaching. Wisconsin always produces very good lineman. He will be a road-grader for the Bengals.
(DE/OLB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama)
This was an easy pick. The Pack needed to improve their pass rush. Clay Matthews was out there by himself last season. Their defense struggled because of it. If they can get Perry to play with a little more consistency, their defense will improve quite a bit.
(DE/OLB Nick Perry, USC)
*Gotta be WR Stephen Hill here. The Vikings need another receiver for QB Christian Ponder.
29 That's a surprise! It's a very good pick, but I didn't really see a big need at safety for the Vikings. Perhaps they are not planning on re-signing Tyrell Johnson. They still need a bunch of help on the offensive side of the ball.
(C Peter Konz, Wisconsin
*Cordy Glenn?
30 San Francisco 49ers - WR AJ Jenkins, Illinois
Really? I don't like this pick for the 49ers. I feel like there were better wider receivers available. They also would have been better off getting a guard and helping out their offensive line. Their pass offense was not great last year, though so we'll see if Harbaugh is smarter than the rest of us.
(DT Jerel Worthy, Michigan State)
31
The Bucs needed a running back because they don't trust LeGarrette Blount to handle the load. Martin is a solid pick, but I didn't see the need to jump back into the first to get him. They took SS Mark Barron at #7 to improve their defense. Martin will provide a nice boost to their offense.
(DT Devon Still, Penn State)
32 New York Giants - RB David Wilson, Virginia Tech
Well, the Giants just proved me wrong. They might have taken Martin if he was still here. That makes the move by the Bucs look much better. The Giants did need a RB with the exit of Brandon Jacobs, but I did not expect them to pick one this early. A nice first round. See ya'll tomorrow.
(OT Mike Adams, Ohio State)
Best remaining:
G/T Cordy Glenn, Georgia
OT Jonathon Martin, Stanford
DE/OLB Courtney Upshaw, Alabama
WR Stephen Hill, Georgia Tech
TE Coby Fleener, Stanford
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