As a wise man once said, “The times they are a-changin.” Free agency has finally cooled and it’s impact on the draft has fully taken shape, at least for the most part. Now is the time for smoke screens, college pro days, and private workouts. One thing that seems to be taken away from the rumor mill, is that this could be a very trade heavy first round. Houston Texans head coach, Bill O’ Brien, has already publicly mentioned he is willing to talk trade and move down from the firstoverall selection of 2014 NFL Draft. Additionally St. Louis Rams’ head coach, Jeff Fisher, has also come out and said he would listen to parties interested in the second overall pick.
“(We have) not really had any discussion with anybody but that doesn’t mean to say we won’t,” Fisher said, according to ESPN.com.
The owners of the third overall selection, the Jacksonville Jaguars, have also played the “anything is possible card” in whether they trade down or not.
“We feel good about being there if we have to pick, just like we did last year”, said Jags’ GM David Caldwell while attending the Senior Bowl. “And we feel good if any oppportunity presents itself to trade up or trade back, too.”
The Bills and Falcons have also been linked to be in the trade market come May 8th. Only time will tell. Until then, it’s our job here at Pro Player Insiders to sift through the whirlwinds and bring you the best mock drafts we can. Here is our second mock draft of the season.
1.) Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
If the Texans can find a way to trade back they will take a quarterback. If they are stuck at number one, they take Clowney who has endorsements from multiple players on the Texans roster, as well as owner Bob McNair. Second Round: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, Eastern Illinois
2.) St. Louis Rams: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
Another highly possible trade could happen here, even though the price-tag won’t be remotely close to what it was when the Rams traded with the Washington Redskins to acquire RGIII. If they stay, their pick remains the same. Robinson is their man. Second Round: Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington
3.) Jacksonville Jaguars: Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo
The Jags have made it clear they won’t draft a quarterback in the first-round. Head coach DGus Bradley is looking to build a ferocious defense like he had in Seattle. Mack is a monster built from ferociousness and speed. Second Round: A.J. McCarron, QB, Alabama
4.) Cleveland Browns: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
Another pick that remains the same. New head coach Mike Pettine has made public comments on how highly he regards the offensive weapon from Death Valley. Second Round: Marcus Roberson, CB, Florida
5.) Oakland Raiders: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
Here the mock draft begins to deviate from the last. Bortles wow-ed the crowd at his pro day. Yes, the Raiders traded for Matt Schaub but he is 32 years old and coming off the worst year of his career. Bortles can learn from Schaub then take over in 2015. Second Round: Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech
6.) Atlanta Falcons: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
The Dirty Birds can’t afford to let quarterback Matt Ryan get hit 144 times again. Matthews helps the rebuilding of the offensive line. Second Round: Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU
7.) Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR, Texas Tech
Wideout Mike Williams was stabbed in the leg a few days ago. While the receiver is fine, it is another incident in a long history of off field incidents. Coach Lovie Smith said Williams pattern of behavior is disturbing. In addition the team is thin at the position. Second Round: Scott Crichton, DE, Oregon St.
8.) Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
The Vikings need a quarterback. Manziel may have had a better pro day but reports have said coach Mike Zimmer is weary of Manziel’s attitude and maturity. Second Round: Trent Murphy, DE, Stanford
9.) Buffalo Bills: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
With Evans off the board, the Bills select Ebron and give second-year quarterback EJ Manuel, the additional weapon they promised. Second Round: Odell Beckham, Jr, WR, LSU
10.) Detroit Lions: Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma St.
Head coach David Caldwell would love to add an offensive weapon with this pick, but with Watkins, Evans and Ebron off the board. The Lions turn to defense. Gilbert could be the biggest playmaker of the class. Second Round: Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU
11.) Tennessee Titans: Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA
The speed demon coming off the edge could excel new coordinator Ray Horton’s 3-4 system. The former-Bruin had 10 sacks last season. Second Round: Kareem Martin,DE, North Carolina
12.) New York Giants: C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
Linebacker has been an unsettled position for the G-Men. Last seasons’ trade for Jon Beason helped stabilize it some, but Mosley solidifies the unit. Second Round: Kelcy Quarles, DT, South Carolina
13.) St. Louis Rams: Haha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
Could be the teams most pressing need. Clinton-Dix is arguably the best safety prospect this year and has experience coming from Nick Saban’s pro style defense. He has eight pass breakups and six interceptions the past two seasons.
14.) Chicago Bears: Aaron Donald, DT, Pitt
The Bears could go a number of different ways. In this mock draft, however they take Donald. The former-Panther is a bit undersized but you can’t ignore 29.5 career sacks. Second Round: Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
15.) Pittsburgh Steelers: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan St.
The perfect corner for a Dick LeBeau defense, Dennard could be a Day One starter if he falls to this spot. Steelers may be tempted to go offensive line here and grab a tackle but the defense is need of a serious youth injection. Second Round: Ra’Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
16.) Dallas Cowboys: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
Could owner Jerry Jones’ dream come true and have Johnny Football fall this far. It is a possibility but after Manziel’s strong pro day, it is hard to see him falling out of the top-ten. But if he does, there is no better spot to land than in the Big D. Second Round: Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
17.) Baltimore Ravens: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
Same as last time. Line needs a boost and has a big gap on the right side with Michel Oher gone. Lewan starts Day One. Second Round: Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame
18.) New York Jets: Marqise Lee, WR, USC
The Jets and newly acquired quarterback Mike Vick need someone who can catch. They added Eric Decker and have often injured Jeremy Kerley in the slot. Lee is a big play threat whenever he has the ball. Second Round: Vicitor Hampton, CB, South Carolina
19.) Miami Dolphins: Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
Like the Ravens, this pick is a repeat from last time. They are rebuilding the offensive line and right tackle is a critical position to fill. Second Round: Chris Borland, ILB, Wisconsin
20.) Arizona Cardinals: Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn
Arizona is a team based on a tough-nosed defense. Their pass rushers are getting older and don’t have any youth behind them. Ford changes that. An end at Auburn, Ford has the athletic ability and size to transition nicely to a standup linebacker in the Cardinals 3-4 system. Second Round: Cyrus Kouandijo, OT, Alabama
21.) Green Bay Packers: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
The team still hasn’t recovered from losing captain Nick Collins to a career-ending neck injury. Pryor puts an end to that. The former-Cardinal is a thumper who can also pick off a pass when it comes his way. He has tallied five interceptions and eight tackles-for-loss the past two seasons. Second Round: Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington
22.) Philadelphia Eagles: Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon St.
With the release of DeSean Jackson, a major need opened up considering coach Chip Kelly’s high powered offense. Cooks has been rising up draft boards and Kelly has familiarity with receiver from his days coaching Oregon in the Pac-12. Second Round: Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech
23.) Kansas City Chiefs: Stephon Tuitt, DT, Notre Dame
The Chiefs lost Tyson Jackson via free agency. Glenn Dorsey left the year before that. Mike Devito is solid but unspectacular. In the Chiefs 3-4 system, a 5-technique tackle is a high priority position. Tuitt could be a perfect fit and led the Fighting Irish in sacks as a sophomore with 12. Second Round: None
24.) Cincinnati Bengals: Ryan Shazier, OLB, Ohio St.
Depth is thin at linebacker, the James Harrison signing last season failed and he was cut this offseason, and injuries always seem to hit this position. The trio of reasons lead to Shazier being selected here. The versatile linebacker has posted over 115 tackles the past two seasons and could provide an upgrade to an already near-elite unit. Second Round: Lamarcus Joyner, CB, Florida St.
25.) San Diego Chargers: Louis Nix, DT, Notre Dame
This pick remains the same but maybe not for long. The biggest concern for Nix is his knee injury which he suffered last season. If he proves he’s healthy, Nix might not be here come May. Second Round: Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State
26.) Cleveland Browns: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno St.
The Browns have declared they will draft two quarterbacks in the draft. It will be interesting to see who and when that happens. Many teams have inquired about Carr. One could possibly trade back into the first-round to take him or he could fall to the second-round. For now, he lands with Cleveland.
27.) New Orleans Saints: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
Coordinator Rob Ryan loves tough physical play and the cornerback needy Saints land one of the most physical corners in this years draft in Verrett. He was named Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior in 2013. Second Round: Marcus Smith, OLB, Louisville
28.) Carolina Panthers: Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
Longtime Panther Jordan Gross retired early in the offseason and left a huge shoes to fill on Cam Newton’s blindside. Moses is selected to hopefully fill them. Moses is massive at 6’6″, 325 pounds and impressed coaches with his strong pass protection at the Senior Bowl. Second Round: Davante Adams, WR, Fresno St.
29.) New England Patriots: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Fresno St.
It’s rare when a team makes the AFC Championship game and yet has so many needs, but that is the position the Patriots are in. Coach Bill Belichick and six members of the organization worked out Benjamin at Florida State’s campus. It’s no new news that the Pats need weapons for quarterback Tom Brady. Benjamin could be the next. Second Round: C.J. Fiedorowicz, TE, Iowa
30.) San Francisco 49ers: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
A big corner who has been ALL-ACC the past three seasons, Fuller could give the Niners some much needed help at the corner position. Especially with Chris Culliver now having been arrested for a hit-and-run. Second Round: Weston Richburg, C, Colorado St; DaQuan Jones, DT, Penn St.
31.) Denver Broncos: Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
With his stock trending down, Ealy could land perfectly in the laps of the Denver Broncos. Shaun Phillips and his 10 sacks signed with the Titans. Other than that, no real impact was made from the defensive end position. Ealy had 14.5 tackles-for-loss and 9.5 sacks last season. Second Round: Xavier Su’a-Filo, OG, UCLA
32.) Seattle Seahawks: Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida St.
The ‘Hawks lost three defensive linemen over free agency. The team uses a heavy rotation and Jernigan would be a very welcomed addition if he fell this far. However Jernigan’s stock is all over the palce. Jernigan and Donald’s positions could easily be flipped. Second Round: Jack Mewhort, OT, Ohio St.
34.) Washington Redskins: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio St.
The ‘Skins chose a corner last season with their first pick (also a second-rounder) but the position is still a high need. Roby is big and showed up well at the combine. Maturity issues stem from his suspension at the beginning of 2013 due to his involvement in a bar fight but his talent is showcased by his 2012 All-American status.
35.) Indianapolis Colts: David Yankey, OG, Stanford
It would be a dream if Yankey fell to the Colts. The team was 21st in rushing offense. Part of that stems from a weak interior line. Yankey changes that and could give Trent Richardson a real chance to succeed in Indianapolis after looking lost after he was traded from Cleveland last season.
