The Kansas City Chiefs selected offensive tackle Eric Fisher out of Central Michigan with the first overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft on Thursday. Stay tuned to Breitbart Sports as we bring bring instant analysis and updates of the 2013 NFL Draft.
In the Breitbart Sports mock draft, Breitbart Sports’ Cole Muzio projected that the Chiefs, if they did not trade the pick, would select Fisher with the first overall pick.
Muzio, of Breitbart Sports, also released his “Big Board” of the top 100 players in this year’s draft class in addition to assessing the needs of every team in the NFL.
He also previewed the needs of each of the teams in the NFC North, South, East, and West in addition to those in the AFC East, South, North, and West.
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Some notes before the Draft.
Muzio’s take:
– I continue to project Fisher to the Chiefs.
– If I had to a do-over on my Mock Draft, I would have Te’o to the Bears (a BIG mistake for Chicago).
– Tyler Eifert and Tavon Austin are two players that seem to be risers on Draft day
1. Kansas City Chiefs – Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
While ESPN was touting Texas A&M’s Luke Joeckel and acted like he was going to be a lock for this pick, Breitbart Sports’ Muzio had been touting Fisher as the better athlete and better fit for Kansas City.
2. Jacksonville Jaguars – Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
Joeckel, who blocked for quarterback Johnny Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman last year, became the second consecutive offensive tackle to be selected in the Draft.
Muzio’s take:
So far, the Chiefs and Jaguars have made wise decisions. The Jags, in particular, had to be tempted to reach for West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith. That would have been a major mistake this early on in the draft.
3. Miami Dolphins (Trade with Oakland) – Dion Jordan, OLB/Defensive End, Oregon
The Oakland Raiders, notorious for their first round mishaps, traded the third pick to the Dolphins, who moved up to pick the Oregon defender.
Muzio’s take: This is a poor pick for the Dolphins. They needed a tackle–while Jordan has a ton of potential, he was not likely worth trading up for and taking at No. 3.
Oakland desperately needed to add picks and were able to move down just nine spots and bring in a second rounder. This is a big win for Reggie McKenzie and the Raiders who may find at least one of Star Lotulelei or Sharrif Floyd, the two players they were looking at for #3, still available at #12.
4. Philadelphia Eagles – Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
The Dolphins may have been temped to pick Jordan, his former player at Oregon, and that is why the Dolphins may have moved up to No. 3. Ben Woods, a Breitbart Sports contributor, praised Johnson as one of his top-rated prospects in this year’s draft. Offensive linemen need to be versatile in Chip Kelly’s up-tempo offensive, and Johnson is one of the more versatile in this year’s draft.
Muzio’s take: Lane Johnson is a great fit for the Eagles and is not a surprise here. He is a little raw, but he is very athletic.
5. Detroit Lions – Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
The Lions add another player on their defensive line, and they seem to be banking on Ansah’s potential.
Muzio’s take: Ezekiel Ansah is the definition of a Boom or Bust prospect. He could be a Pro Bowler or a cautionary tale this time three years from now.
6. Cleveland Browns – Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU
Mingo was one of the most dominant players for an extremely good LSU defense in the best–and toughest–conference in all of college football. Cleveland’s defense was underrated last year, and Mingo will make them even more ferocious in the tough AFC North.
Muzio’s take: Barkevious Mingo will be a dangerous pass rusher for the Cleveland Browns, but Dee Milliner probably would have been a better pick.
7. Arizona Cardinals – Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
Cardinals have had plenty of skill players, but they have lacked tough players in the trenches like Cooper. This is not a flashy pick, but it may be what the franchise needs, especially since they are still looking for a franchise-type quarterback to consistently get the ball to the dynamic wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Muzio’s take: Jonathan Cooper is a solid choice for the Cardinals, and they were hurt by the early run on OTs. They would have loved Lane Johnson.
8. St. Louis Rams (Trade with Buffalo) – Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
The Buffalo Bills were smart in not reaching for a quarterback who was not worthy of such a high selection. The Rams need a playmaker for quarterback Sam Bradford, and Austin can be dangerous on turf. Like the Dolphins, who may have feared that Chip Kelly would select Jordan, the Rams may have feared the New York Jets would select Austin and moved up to get the playmaker they coveted.
Muzio’s take: The Rams are giving up a lot for Austin. I think Cordarelle Patterson is the higher value receiver, although it is tough to knock Austin’s playmaking ability.
Overall thoughts: In a draft with few elite players, particularly at the quarterback position, the focus is still on the signal caller. However, instead of selecting quarterbacks, the first seven picks were devoted to finding players to protect or get to the QB. Four offensive linemen and 3 pass rush specialists were taken in the first round. One could argue, however, that the best gift given to a quarterback came at #8 with St. Louis’s selection of Tavon Austin who certainly has Sam Bradford daydreaming about an increase in his yards per completion.
9. New York Jets – Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
The New York Jets, after trading Darrelle “Revis Island” Revis, needed a legitimate corner in this draft, and they got Milliner, a savvy and stabilizing force in Alabama’s secondary who showed his growth as a player in Alabama’s season-opening pummeling of Michigan last year at Cowboys Stadium.
Muzio’s take: I like the Milliner pick–very good pick for the Jets in a weak draft.
10. Tennessee Titans — Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
Warmack was a part of what was arguably the best offensive line in college football that opened up gaping holes for Alabama’s stable of running backs like Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon, both of whom often went five yards before even getting touched by a defender.
Muzio’s take: Warmack and Tennessee was a very natural marriage, and the Titans are really trying to build their team around the OL
11. San Diego Chargers — D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
Fluker became the third consecutive player from Alabama, the back-to-back national title winners who have won three of the last four BCS titles, chosen in this year’s draft. He was another stabilizing force on Alabama’s offensive line. Offensive linemen from the SEC have played against defenders–like Mingo–with “SEC speed” and strength, and thus they are better prepared to excel at the next level.
Muzio’s take: The Chargers really wanted a tackle and had to reach for Fluker at #11
12. Oakland Raiders — D.J. Hayden, CB, Houston
The Raiders made a great trade, dropping out of the no. 3 spot in a weak draft, and they needed a corner in a division that throws the ball down the field. Hayden has an inspirational story, given he only had a 5% chance of surviving after a freak injury on the field. But the Raiders could have drafted someone with similar skills in the second or third round, with much more room for error. Many thought the Raiders would take the other player who had to overcome a medical condition–Star Lotulelei–or someone who could help them beef-up their defensive line.
Muzio’s take: The Raiders pick of Hayden was bizarre. While I still like the trade to get to #12, I am shocked that they opted against taking Sharrif Floyd or Star Lotulelei and went for a question mark like Hayden. I like Hayden, but Reggie McKenzie cannot afford the luxury of being wrong, and Floyd and Lotulelei made a LOT of sense.
13. New York Jets – Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
Muzio’s take: The Jets whiff on the Richardson pick
14. Carolina Panthers – Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
Muzio’s take: Lotulelei is a big get for Carolina. He is a great value, and he could be a special player.
15. New Orleans Saints — Kenny Vaccarro, S, Texas
Breitbart college football contributor Ben Woods had Vaccarro tagged as one of his top four players from the Big 12, and the Saint agreed, taking a corner to help them in the pass-heavy division.
16. Buffalo Bills – E.J. Manuel, QB, Florida State
Muzio tagged Manuel as his top quarterback in this year’s draft. Sure enough, Manuel was the first quarterback off the board. He is a versatile athlete who is projected to be a solid quarterback. However, he many not be a “franchise” quarterback because he does not excel at passing out of the pocket and does not have the elusiveness outside the pocket like Carolina’s Cam Newton, Seattle’s Russell Wilson, Washington’s Robert Griffin III, or San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick. Manuel’s selection in the middle of the first round, though, in a draft that does not feature a guaranteed franchise quarterback, is solid for the Bills, especially because they are a team that needs plenty of quarterback prospects.
17. Pittsburgh Steelers – Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
While the Steelers could have used a bruising running back like Alabama’s Eddie Lacy, they seemed to have chosen a perfect linebacker for their traditional 3-4 defense in Jones, an inspirational player who overcame a near debilitating injury to play college football at Georgia after those at USC thought he would never be able to play again. He also has the character needed in the Steelers locker room.
18. San Francisco 49ers – Eric Reid, S, LSU
A tremendous pick for the 49ers and Jim Harbaugh. Reid may have been more impressive in college than Tyrann “the Honeybadger” Mathieu and Patrick Peterson. Reid is “Harbaugh tough,” and this is the perfect selection for San Francisco.
19. New York Giants – Justin Pugh, OT, Syracuse
New York is in the process of patching together their offensive line to protect Eli Manning, and they believed Pugh can be one of their building blocks on the offensive line.
Muzio’s take: Pugh was a major reach for the Giants, who probably would have loved for Fluker to fall to them
20. Chicago Bears – Kyle Long, OG, Oregon
Chicago’s offensive line could not protect quarterback Jay Cutler last year, but the draft’s best offensive linemen were all taken by this point. That said, Long has the toughness that will go over very well in Chicago. He is a raw prospect who has potential but is far from a “lock.”
Muzio’s take: Kyle Long was a reach as he could have gone mid-second, but he does have the potential to develop into a star OL.
21. Cincinnati Bengals – Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
Eifert is a beast at tight end, and he excelled at Notre Dame with his size and hands even though he had quarterbacks who weren’t proficient at throwing him the ball. Bengals quarterback has another offensive weapon he can use with All-World wideout A.J. Green.
Muzio’s take: Cincinnati did not draft for need with Eifert, but they saw that he was a talent that had no business being available at #21. They pounced, and they are now a more dangerous team because of t his savvy decision. They do need safety help and could find value down the draft.
22. Atlanta Falcons – Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
Trufant has had plenty of opportunities to defend against some of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12, but he can’t afford to gamble as much as did in the Pac-12 against a quarterback like Drew Brees of New Orleans. Fortunately for him, Julio Jones will be his teammate and not an opponent.
Muzio’s take: The Falcons may or may not have needed to trade up for Trufant, but he is a very good corner and a big addition for their football team.
23. Minnesota Vikings – Shariff Floyd, DT, Florida
Muzio’s take: The Vikings just made the best selection of the NFL Draft so far. Floyd could disappoint, but he could be the most talented player in the draft. He has all the tools to dominate, and I cannot fathom how he fell to #23. This is a real steal for the Vikings.
24. Indianapolis Colts – Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
Muzio’s take: I thought Werner would be a great fit for the Colts, and they have found a great value at #24 who will be an immediate upgrade for their team
25. Minnesota Vikings – Xavier Rhoades, CB, Florida State
Muzio’s take: Xavier Rhodes is a great pick at #25. It is clear that teams are a little uncomfortable with the linebackers.
26. Green Bay Packers – Datone Jones, DT, UCLA
Muzio’s take: Green Bay got a very solid immediate impact player in Datone Jones. I would have loved to see them grab Eddie Lacy, but Jones is in a good spot.
27. Houston Texans – DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
A safe pick to give quarterback Matt Schaub another option.
28. Denver Broncos – Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
The Broncos could have given Peyton Manning a playmaker in Patterson or a bruising running back in Lacy, but instead strengthened their defensive line with Williams. The defensive tackle who was hyped two seasons ago is a solid choice, but one wonders if the Broncos could have been better off taking a Lacy or a Patterson and getting a serviceable defensive tackle in the second or third rounds.
29. Minnesota Vikings – Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
Breitbart’s Muzio believes Patterson may be a better playmaker than Austin. After losing Percy Harvin, the Vikings traded up to fill a need, and the New England Patriots, like they always do, ended up stockpiling a lot of draft picks for the next to days.
30. St. Louis Rams – Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia
They drafted Janoris Jenkins last year, so they probably were not worried about some of the whispers surrounding Ogletree’s maturity. Ogletree, if he does not hurt himself, is simply a dynamic playmaker who was one of the anchors of Georgia’s defense last year.
31. Dallas Cowboys – Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin
Frederick was Russell Wilson’s center when he was Wisconsin’s quarterback for a season and blocked for running back Montee Ball, which made him appealing to the Cowboys. Some analysts believed Alabama’s Barrett Jones is the better center in the draft with more potential.
32. Baltimore Ravens – Matt Elam, DB, Florida
He made plays at Florida, but he is also the type of football-savvy player the Ravens, and especially their general manager Ozzie Newsome, like to draft.
Cole Muzio (@ColeMuzio) and Tony Lee (@TheTonyLee) are contributing to this report.
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