Gary Heinrich 2014 NFL Mock Draft – 14 April 2014

April 18, 2014 · Gary Heinrich

1. Jadeveon Clowney 2. Jake Matthews 3. Khalil Mack 4. Johnny Manziel 5. Sammy Watkins

Round 1
1	Houston	Jadeveon Clowney	DE	South Carolina
Houston finds itself in a difficult spot. They need a QB, but do not see any of this years crop as the long term answer. They will go with Clowney.
2	St. Louis (from WAS)	Jake Matthews	OT	Texas A&M
The Rams will trade out of this spot if they can. If a trade is not possible, they will go with the most game ready tackle in Matthews. They will consider Sammy Watkins, but having taken a WR at #8 last year, they will opt to improve their O-line.
3	Jacksonville	Khalil Mack	LB	Buffalo
Gus Bradley believes in building the team starting with defense. Khalil Mack has vaulted up draft board and fits a need at DE. They will find a qb at the top of round two or three.
4	Cleveland	Johnny Manziel	QB	Texas A&M
The Brown’s need to generate buzz for their fans. Johnny Football is the one player in this draft that will draw attention to the team. With a new GM & Coach in place following a hair trigger firing at the end of the year, the owner needs to get this new regime off to a fast start.
5	Oakland	Sammy Watkins	WR	Clemson
The Raiders’ trade for Matt Schaub allows them to grab the most exciting offensive player in this draft. Adding him with free agent signing James Jones will greatly improve the WR position. Look for a greatly improve passing game. A QB will be available later in the draft.
6	Atlanta	Greg Robinson	OT	Auburn
The Falcons were hoping that they could trade up for Clowney, but with Houston taking him first, they will be staying put. They will look at Anthony Barr but will decide that adding to the O-line makes the most sense. They are pleasantly surprised that Robinson is on the board and make the pick.
7	Tampa Bay	Taylor Lewan	OT	Michigan
The Buc’s have a choice here, WR/OLB or OT. History show that tackles are hardest to find and they opt for Taylor Lewan. This is an extremely deep WR draft and they can get a good one in second or third round.
8	Minnesota	Derek Carr	QB	Fresno State
The Viking’s stick out their neck on a QB that has been moving up the boards since the end of the season. They are not concerned with the family legacy and believe he has the best chance to win in their system. Spielman is betting his job that Carr will be better than Bridgewater or Bortles over the long haul.
9	Buffalo	Eric Ebron	TE	North Carolina
The Bills upgrade the TE position, giving EJ Manuel a big target over the middle. They will look to upgrade the O-line in the second round.
10	Detroit	Justin Glibert	CB	Oklahoma State
The Lion’s strenghten the defensive backfield with this pick. The option of Mike Evans will be discussed in the war room, but their free agent signing of Golden Tate will move them in this direction.
11	Tennessee	Anthony Barr	LB	UCLA
The Titan’s will be tempted by Bridgewater being on the board, but are going to give Locker one more year to prove he is the QB of the future for them. Barr will give them a big pass rusher on the outside and fill a major need.
12	New York Giants	Zack Martin	OT	Notre Dame
The Giants move to strenghten their O-line with Martin. They believe he is a better choice at this point in the draft with both top OLB’s off the board.
13	St Louis	Mike Evans	WR	Texas A&M
The Rams select another target for Bradford. Evans was a touchdown machine at A&M and will give them a real deep threat. Paired with Austin in the slot, this group will be threat to score on every play.
14	Chicago	Aaron Donald	DT	Pittsburgh
The Bears are thrilled to find Donald on the board. He fills the need for a “3” on the line and gives them a real pass rush threat from the inside. With Jared Allen on the end drawing double teams, Donald should have a big impact as a rookie on their defense.
15	Pittsburgh	Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	S	Alabama
The Steelers look to recreate the hitting history from the safety spot. Ha Ha will be an instant starter in the backfield.
16	Dallas	Louis Nix	DT	Notre Dame
The Cowboy’s get the nose man they want to toughen up the D-line. Nix is a massive man that will generate pressure up the middle. Nix is the top option on their board and they grab him.
17	Baltimore	Odell Beckham	WR	LSU
The Ravens opt for speed on the outside on offense. They missed Boldin a lot last year and need to add to the WR corps. Beckham gives them the speed from the slot. He is not afraid to go over the middle and catches everything close.
18	New York Jets	Marqise Lee	WR	USC
The Jets get a wide out that is the best route runner in the draft. He has excellent hands and will give Geno Smith a great target on the outside.
19	Miami	Timmy Jernigan	DT	Florida State
Miami needs help on the O-Line but all the top players are gone. To avoid a reach the Dolphins opt to work on the D-line. With Jernigan they get a player that is able to play at either tackle spot. He will rotate as he develops into a top tackle in the league.
20	Arizona	Blake Bortles	QB	UCF
The Cardinals are thrilled to find the QB of the future available this late in the draft. He has the highest upside of the QB’s but has the most to learn. He will get to sit behind Carson Palmer and learn for a year or two before he will play.
21	Green Bay	C.J. Mosley	LB	Alabama
The Packers look to improve the inside play of the linebackers. Finding Mosley, whom many think is a top ten talent, should be an upgrade. He should be in the starting line up on opening day.
22	Philadephia	Darqueze Dennard	CB	Michigan State
The Eagles find a corner to strenghten the defense. Dennard will bring a physical style of play to the team. He is great in press coverage and will take on the top receiver of the opposing teams.
23	Kansas City	Brandin Cooks	WR	Oregon State
The Chiefs grab lightning in a bottle with Cooks. He will give them a burner with excellent hands. Cooks will start by working in the slot. His route running is top notch and will give many CB’s fits trying to cover him. Alex Smith will have a new target to stretch the field.
24	Cincinnati	Kony Ealy	DE	Missouri
The Bengels get a young DE to add to their line. He will be called on to be one of the players that fills Johnson’s spot. Ealy is a great addition to the rotation the Bengals use with the D-line.
25	San Diego	Ryan Shazier	LB	Ohio State
Shazier is a tackling machine, leading the Buckeye’s in tackles and tackles-for-loss last year. His 4.4 40 at the combine has him moving up the board. He has good instincts and the speed to cover a lot of ground roving sideline to sideline.
26	Cleveland (from IND)	Kelvin Benjamin	WR	Florida State
The Brown’s use this extra pick from the trade with Indy to grab a tall receiver to play across from Josh Gordon. Benjamin will be the jump ball WR in the red zone to balance the speed of Gordon. With Manzel throwing the ball, this will be a top threat WR duo in the league.
27	New Orleans	Kyle Fuller	CB	Virginia Tech
The Saints get the third rated corner in the draft. They are surprised that he is still available this late in the draft but will fit in early as they work to upgrade the defensive backfield.
28	Carolina	Bradley Roby	CB	Ohio State
Carolina replaces the Captain with Roby. He has physical skills to be a top flight CB. They will need to work hard to harness those skills as well as control his hits under the new rules to keep him on the field.
29	New England	Jace Amaro	TE	Texas Tech
The Patriots get help at the important TE postion. Amaro is a quick receiver that is too fast for most LBs to cover. He is a beast in the middle of the field using his size to block off most safeties from the ball. He will give Brady a new target to take pressure off the edges.
30	San Francisco	Ra’Shede Hageman	DE	Minnesota
The 49er’s get the best D-lineman on their board. They will need some insurance for the issues ongoing with the team members. It appears that Justin Smith may be nearing the end of his career and Hageman makes sense as his replacement.
31	Denver	Dee Ford	DE	Auburn
The Broncos need help at the DE position. Dee Ford is an excellent edge rusher with 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 10.5 sacks last year. He will work into the rotation quickly and strengthen the defensive line.
32	Seattle	Xavier Su’a-Filo	G	UCLA
The Seahawks get help for the offensive line in Su’a-Filo. He moves very well with good feet and hands. He should work into the O-line quickly and make an impact as a rookie.
Round 2
33	Houston	Teddy Bridgewater	QB	Louisville
Things could not have worked out better for the Texans. The fallout from Bridgewater’s poor pro-day and interviews have him ready to fall into their hands. They are amazed but will be happy to add him to the team.
34	Washington	Calvin Pryor	S	Louisville
The Redskins find a first round talent at the top of the second round. Pryor is a playmaker with a habit of causing turnovers. He is fast with good size to cover Tes, while delivering a blow causing a lot of dropped passes.
35	Cleveland	Jeremy Hill	RB	LSU
The Browns are focusing on building more offensive weapons on the team. With most teams using RB by committee, even with the signing of Tate in free agency, this will improve the running game.
36	Oakland	Zach Mettenberger	QB	LSU
The Raiders get their developmental QB in Mettenberger. With Schaub set for the next two years, he can finish the rehab on his knee and learn the offense. This is one of the best possible landing spots for him as he will not be forced into action early.
37	Atlanta	Austin Seferian-Jenkins	TE	Washington
The Falcons get the tight end they need. Jenkins slips out of the first round due to a foot injury, but is a very good value at this point in the draft. He is better than the DE options available and fills a need.
38	Tampa Bay	Cody Latimore	WR	Indiana
The Buc’s take the fastest rising WR in the draft. He had a very good combine and personal workouts which have moved him above better known prospects.
39	Jacksonville	A.J. McCarron	QB	Alabama
The Jags opt for an SEC QB over an FCS one. The leadership and winning record were driving factors in choosing him over Savage or Garoppolo. He can sit behind Henne and learn with an opportunity to start later in the year.
40	Minnesota	Keith McGill	CB	Utah
Minnesota goes for a tall CB to help cover Megatron, Jeffries and the other big receiver in the NFC North. He has decent speed, smooth hips and good hands with over 20 passes defensed last year. He had a very good Senior Bowl and Combine to move him this high in the draft.
41	Buffalo	Kyle Van Noy	LB	Brigham Young
The Bills get a pass rushing OLB with the skill to drop into coverage. He had 17 passes defended with two interceptions last year. A strong pro day has moved him into the top ten in the second round.
42	Tennessee	Jimmy Ward	SS	Northern Illinois
The Titan’s grab a strong safety with good tackling and cover skills to strenghten the back of the defense. Ward has averaged over 100 tackles the last two years with 10+ passes defensed per year. He should work into the rotation fairly quickly for them.
43	New York Giants	Jason Verrett	CB	TCU
The Giants get a CB that will be competing for the starting slot from the start of camp. He is very strong and does not allow for separation with the receiver. Verrett is a little short for some teams, but has averaged 15 passes defensed with four interceptions for the last two years.
44	St Louis	Dion Bailey	S	USC
Dion Bailey brings flexibilty to the Rams. He started at Will LB in 2012. He moved to safety for 2013. He displayed good coverage skills, is a strong tackler and could play LB on passing plays.
45	Detroit	Joel Bitonio	OT/G	Nevada
Lions add depth to an offensive line that could uses more big bodies. Bitonio can swing between tackle and guard. He has the potential to be a good right tackle or move inside and win a starting job.
46	Pittsburgh	Morgan Moses	OT	Virginia
The Steelers are getting a large man with good pass protection technique. They had him as the their top tackle on the board and it fills a need on the offensive line. They will work on improving his strength and muscle mass. He will likely work first at right tackle with the potential to move to the left side in a few years.
47	Dallas	Deone Bucannon	SS	Washington State
The Cowboy’s had very bad safety play in 2013. They need an upgrade badly. Bucannon gives them a big hitter to control tight ends over the middle. He has good cover and tackling skills and should get time on the field early this year.
48	Baltimore	Jeremiah Attaochu	DE	Georgia Tech
The Raven’s get another big strong OLB for their defense. Attaochu is very fast with above average athletic skills. He moved to DE last year from OLB, but should be a good fit at LB in the pros.
49	New York Jets	Troy Niklas	TE	Notre Dame
The Jet’s have not had adequet TE play since Dustin Keller left. Niklas had 39 catches with 5 TD’s last year. He is an above average blocker and should be able to control the middle of the field, opening lanes for the wideouts.
50	Miami	Cyrus Kouandjio	OT	Alabama
Kouandjio has passed the medical exam’s on his knees giving Miami a huge man to fill the left tackle position. He will be one of the building blocks for the Dolphins to start the remake of the O-line after the disaster in the club house last year.
51	Chicago	Dontae Johnson	CB	North Carolina State
The Bear’s were able to resign Tillman for one year, but need to start planning for the future. Johnson is a tall CB that ran a sub 4.5 40 at the combine. He has played nickle and LB during his college career so offers flexibility on defense.
52	Arizona	Marcus Roberson	CB	Florida
Roberson will bring above average cover skills to the desert. He has good size and strength for a CB and will challenge for a role in a weak defensive back field offering to upgrade the unit.
53	Green Bay	Craig Loston	S	LSU
The Packer’s get a safety that played in one of the top defenses in the SEC. Loston has shown good cover and tackling skills. He had a strong performance at the Senior Bowl and a decent combine. He will have a chance to win a job early in the defensive backfield.
54	Philadelphia	Scott Crichton	DE/LB	Oregon State
The Eagles find a player that can line up at DE or rush LB. He was a disruptive force where ever he lined up at Oregon. If he stays at DE, he will need to develop skills to go with his bull rush. OLB in the NFL may be a better fit for his skill set.
55	Cincinnati	Ja’Wuan James	OT	Tennessee
James was able to hold Jadeveon Clowney without a sack this year. He did get a little double team help but mainly took him on one-on-one. He is a tough run blocker with good pass blocking skills. He started all 37 games of his career at right tackle.
56	San Francisco (from KC)	Allen Robinson	WR	Penn State
The 49er’s improve their receiver corps with an all Big Ten performer. He has nice height with excellent hands. His route running is above average coming out of college, but he will need to adjust to the pro game. Robinson should be a good 3-4 receiver until he builds his skill set.
57	San Diego	Phillips Gaines	CB	Rice
The Chargers get one of the stars of the combine. Gaines had one of the top 40 times, did very well in the drills and left there having opened many scouts eyes. An above average tackler with good cover skills, he will have a chance to contribute early in the D-backfield.
58	New Orleans	Davante Adams	WR	Fresno State
Adams will be a great complement to Allen, giving Drew Brees two fast options. He can go deep but also is a good route runner. He has some blocking skills, yet will need to improve those at the pro level.
59	Indianapolis	Jordan Matthews	WR	Vanderbilt
The Colts get another target for Andrew Luck. Matthews is a tall, fast receiver that has excellent route running abilities. He had 112 receptions with over 1,400 yards and seven touchdowns last year.
60	Carolina	Paul Richardson	WR	Colorado
The Panthers are reworking their receiver corps. They have added a couple in free agency but need a fast, sure-handed receiver to help replace Steve Smith. Richardson had 83 catches, over 1300 yards and ten touchdowns for the Buffaloes.
61	San Fransisco	Stephon Tuitt	DE	Notre Dame
The rich get richer in this draft. They may have found their replacement for Justin Smith in the first round. But with the uncertainty of Aldon Smith’s availabilty this year, they cannot pass on the value of Tuitt this late in the second round.
62	New England	Gabe Jackson	G	Mississippi State
The Patriots are looking for young players to protect Brady. Jackson is the best player on the their board. He is very strong and plays well in the middle of the line. He needs to work on his footwork, but he is an above average run blocker with good pass blocking skills.
63	Denver	Antonio Richardson	OT	Tennessee
The Broncos add a big body to protect their investment in Manning. He has very good feet and can stop speed rushers. Richardson is very strong and will be able to hold off bull rushes. He looks like a first round pick, but has a few injury concerns that drop him to this point in the draft. If he stays healthly, the Broncos will have a steal.
64	Seattle	Donte Moncrief	WR	Ole Miss.
The Seahawks need a replacement for Golden Tate. Moncrief will compete for the #2 spot with Percy Harvin in the slot this year. He will have lots of one-on-one opportunities as Harvin pulls defenders away him.


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Gary Heinrich 2014 NFL Mock Draft – 14 April 2014

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