2013 NFL Mock Draft: (Collaboration) Kevin Hanson / Sean Beazley
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Updated: Tuesday, March 20, 2013
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17. Pittsburgh Steelers (draft history) - Jonathan Cooper, G, North Carolina
[Kevin's pick] I debated a number of options here and the majority of prospects I was really hoping would be here were already off the board by this spot.
Cooper has a shot of being a top-10 pick and he is an upgrade over Ramon Foster, who was re-signed to a three-year deal worth $6.5 million. He has the athleticism to excel in space and gives the Steelers a talented trio of interior linemen with Maurkice Pouncey and last year's first-rounder David DeCastro.
18. Dallas Cowboys (draft history) - Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
[Sean's pick] The Cowboys are switching over to a base 4-3 defense this season, so adding a DT is a need. I think they would be a bit disappointed that Cooper gets picked right before them though as he would have been the choice if he were there.
19. New York Giants (draft history) - Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
[Sean's pick] I think this pick boils down to best player available for the Giants. They could definitely use help on their back end of their defense, but Werner gives them someone who can step right in and contribute immediately.
20. Chicago Bears (draft history) - D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
[Sean's pick] If the Bears want to compete in the NFC, they are going to need to keep Jay Cutler healthy. They already solved their TE problem this offseason by signing Martellus Bennett, so I'd lean Fluker with this pick. It wouldn't shock me to see the Bears select Tyler Eifert either.
21. Cincinnati Bengals (draft history) - Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia
[Kevin's pick] Certainly not the biggest inside linebacker, Olgetree, who began his collegiate career as a safety, is an explosive athlete.
After serving a four-game suspension to start the year, Ogletree still led the team in tackles (111). In fact, he had double-digit tackles in every game played except for two this season. In addition, he had 11.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Ogletree has a recent DUI to go along with two suspensions (failed drug test and misdemeanor theft charge) at Georgia. Perhaps their success of taking chances on players with character concerns as recently as last year with Vontaze Burfict means that they are willing to roll the dice on Ogletree for his upside here.
22. (Via WAS) St. Louis Rams (draft history) - Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
[Sean's pick] The Rams gamble and pass on Austin with their first pick at 16 and it pays off as he falls to him at No. 22. Austin is the perfect replacement for Danny Amendola, who just signed with the Patriots. The Rams are closer to the playoffs than a lot of people give them credit for.
23. Minnesota Vikings (draft history) - Keenan Allen, WR, California
[Sean's pick] Christian Ponder is in his third year, which is make-or-break time. The Vikings need to surround him with some weapons to see if he is the actual future signal caller. Allen is a big target who should compete for a starting job this season.
24. Indianapolis Colts (draft history) - Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M
[Kevin's pick] Moore had a pathetic showing at the combine with only 12 reps on the bench press and ran a 4.95 forty. If you look at this way, Tavon Austin did 14 reps while weighing only 174 pounds and offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Lane Johnson both ran sub-4.75 forties despite weighing over 300 pounds.
[At his school's pro day, Moore did a better (but not necessarily strong) 19 reps at 225. His hamstring prevented him from running the forty.]
That said, Moore was highly productive in College Station.
At 6-4 and 250 pounds, Moore has moved from 3-4 outside linebacker last year to defensive end this year. The results were even better for Moore in his junior season, which was the team's first in the SEC.
Last year, Moore had 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks. This year, he had 21.0 TFL, which tied him for seventh in college football, and 12.5 sacks, which was only two sacks behind the national leader (Jarvis Jones).
25. (Via SEA) Minnesota Vikings (draft history) - Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State
[Sean's pick] I could see the Vikings going DB as well here, but I think there is plenty of mid-round talent available in the defensive backfield later on in the draft. The Vikings were once known for their two big plugs in the middle of their line. Now they get a new one in Hankins.
26. Green Bay Packers (draft history) - Matt Elam, S, Florida
[Sean's pick] The Packers biggest need is at RB where they have absolutely nobody. I can't see them investing a first-round pick in a RB, though. They will solve that problem with a veteran who was cut or in the later rounds, so I am going to go with their next biggest position of need and that is at safety. Elam is one of the best in the draft and should be an immediate starter.
27. Houston Texans (draft history) - Deandre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
[Kevin's pick] Fortunately for the Texans, Andre Johnson stayed healthy for a full season and had a great year. With him in his early-30's and considering his recent injury history plus the team's lack of talent opposite him, drafting a receiver and heir apparent would make sense here. Then again, it made sense last year as well.
Not the fastest receiver in this draft class, Hopkins excels as a route-runner and has great hands. He had a monster season with 82 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns. In fact, Nuke scored in all but one game this season.
28. Denver Broncos (draft history) - Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama
[Kevin's pick] The Broncos had several defensive tackles that became free agents this offseason including both starters: Kevin Vickerson and Justin Bannan. Even though they signed ex-Jaguars defensive tackle Terrance Knighton, they could still go with another DT here.
With freakish strength, Williams reportedly bench presses over 600 pounds and he has the versatility to play multiple spots along the defensive line.
29. New England Patriots (draft history) - Johnthan Banks, CB, Mississippi State
[Kevin's pick] The Patriots had several defensive backs due to become free agents this offseason including corners Aqib Talib and Kyle Arrington and safety Patrick Chung. On Saturday, they re-signed Talib to a one-year deal worth $5 million.
Through his four seasons in the SEC, Banks, the 2012 winner of the Jim Thorpe award, has a total of 15 interceptions, three of which have been returned for scores, in his collegiate career.
The biggest concern with Banks is his speed. Banks ran slightly faster at his pro day on March 6th (4.58 and 4.59 in the 40-yard dash) and "looked good in the positional workout," according to NFL.com's Gil Brandt.
30. Atlanta Falcons (draft history) - Tank Carradine, DE, Florida State
[Sean's pick] Carradine has still yet to run a 40 after recovering from his ACL injury last year, but he will be ready to impress before the draft. I actually rate him higher than his teammate Bjoern Werner, and think he could sneak into the top 20 of the draft.
31. San Francisco 49ers (draft history) - Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
[Sean's pick] Even with Eifert still on the board, I think Harbaugh takes his guy from Stanford here. This wouldn't shock me either as I think Ertz is just as good as Eifert.
32. Baltimore Ravens (draft history) - Manti Te'o, LB, Notre Dame
[Kevin's pick] While Manziel won the Heisman Trophy, Te'o finished a close second and an argument could be made that he should have won it. Meanwhile, he won numerous awards including the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Award, which are national player of the year awards himself.
As an insider linebacker, Te'o had his third consecutive season with 100-plus tackles, but he was also tied for second in the country in interceptions (seven) for the Fighting Irish, who played (and lost to) Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game.
Te'o had his worst game of the season against the Crimson Tide. Unfortunately, that coincides with his final game and against his toughest competition. While that performance certainly didn't help his draft stock, Te'o should not slip too much further than this point.
- Go back to Picks 1-16
- Our 2013 NFL Draft Big Board (Top 50 Prospects)
- 2014 NFL Draft Mock
- More mock drafts: 2013 NFL Mock Draft Database - 2014 NFL Mock Draft Database
- 2013 Fantasy Football Mock Draft (Standard Scoring)
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