Dan Levine 2013 NFL Mock Draft – 18 December 2012

December 19, 2012 · Dan Levine

1. Matt Barkley 2. Luke Joeckel 3. Bjoern Werner 4. Jake Matthews 5. Star Lotulelei

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.

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Dan Levine 2013 NFL Mock Draft – 18 December 2012

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