Guest Post: NFL Insider Joe D’s Mock Draft 1.0

Joe DiGerolamo

First off, I would like to say that it is truly an honor to be a part of the Out of Our League family. I have been reading Matt and Derek’s blog ever since I was a little boy and it’s a dream come true to be featured on their blog. If you think about it, I’m kind of just like Rudy, except I’m not a nerd and I wasn’t offsides. (Run it back, he’s definitely offsides) Anyways, here is my first mock draft of the year.

We're thrilled to host NFL Insider and long-time
friend of the blog Joe DiGerolamo and his first
mock draft of the year. Here, he's photographed
with Derek "The Shark" DeNote.

1.     Kansas City - Luke Joeckel T Texas A&M - If there’s one I have learned about new Chiefs head coach, Andy Reid, from his time with the Eagles it’s that Big Red loves to draft lineman, offensive and defensive (Broderick Bunkley, Danny Watkins, Mike Patterson, Winston Justice, Brandon Graham, etc). This pick to me is simple, its either Star Lotulelei or Luke Joeckel. The reason I lean towards Joeckel is KC spent 4 selections in the past 7 drafts on defensive lineman and will most likely lose T Branden Albert to free agency.

2.     Jacksonville - Star Lotulelei DT Utah - Where to begin with Jacksonville? Jacksonville needs to fill just about every position except for RB so they should go best player available. The best available is Star Lotulelei from Utah, who is my #1 player in the entire draft. What’s not to love about a 6'4 325 DT who can move? Think Haloti Ngata from the Ravens.

3.     Oakland - Damontre Moore DE/OLB Texas A&M - Richard Seymour isn’t getting younger and their pass rush is atrocious as is. The Raiders finished 31^st in the league in sacks only behind Jacksonville with 25. That’s pretty pitiful when you consider JJ Watt had 20.5 for the Texans in 2012. Moore is the most consistent pass rusher in this draft but at 250lbs needs to add a few pounds to play DE in the NFL.

4.     Philadelphia - Dee Milliner CB Alabama - First off, I want to comment on Mike Vick’s new one-year deal. What the hell are they thinking? I understand that Vick might seem like a good fit in Chip Kelly’s Jungle Junk offense, but come on. What did Mike Vick do in 2012 to prove he deserves yet another chance? Was it the whopping 12 TD passes? The 10 INTs in 10 games? The game winning drive vs. Cleveland where he threw 2 gift INTs that were dropped? The fact that he once again couldn’t stay healthy for 16 games? I don’t get it. Anyways, it appears as if any day now we will see the end of the Nnamdi Asomugha era in Philly leaving the Eagles with a hole at CB. Milliner is far and away the best DB in this draft so it seems like a no brainer for the Eagles, but then again it might make too much sense. 

5.     Detroit - Bjoern Werner DE/OLB Florida State - Defensive end is a huge hole for the Lions. Kyle Vanden Bosch was released recently, Lawrence Jackson is a free agent and Cliff Avril may not be re-signed. Werner had a great 2012 with the Seminoles recording 13 sacks, 42 tackles and a forced fumble. He could easily play OLB or DE at the next level and would improve the Lions d-line from day one. 

6.     Cleveland - Ezekial Ansah DE BYU - Cleveland’s defense actually was pretty good in 2012. They finished the year right in the middle of the pack in all of the major defensive statistics but still could use an upgrade at DE across from Jabaal Sheard. Ansah is a bit of a one-year wonder after just recording 10 tackles combined in his sophomore and junior seasons, but his upside is tremendous. He plays a lot like Jason Pierre-Paul of the Giants. 

7.     Arizona - Geno Smith QB West Virginia - It’s getting ridiculous in the desert now. To quote everyone’s favorite Benedict Arnold, Lebron James, “It’s about damn time” Arizona gets a quarterback. Look at what they did when Kurt Warner was there. They only went to the Super Bowl and were a Santonio Holmes big toe away from bringing the Lombardi home. So what do they do when Kurt Warner retires? They don’t try to replace him with a competent QB. Since Warner retired they have passed on Andy Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, Ryan Mallett & Kirk Cousins. I don’t think Bruce Arians will pass on Geno if he’s there. 

8.     Buffalo - Sharrif Floyd DT Florida - The Bills had the 31st worst rush defense in all of the NFL in 2012 in a division with RBs such as Reggie Bush, Shonn Greene, Shane Vereen and Steven Ridley. Not exactly household names, which prove just how bad the Bills rush defense was. Floyd is a guy who is shooting up people’s big boards and if he has a good combine could be a top 3 and possibly, the top overall pick in this years draft. Right now, I see him a top 10 selection and a perfect fit for Buffalo. 

9.     New York (Jets) - Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee - If there were ever a team that should just be blown up and rebuilt from scratch, it would be this Jets team. What a mess. I don’t care what the records say; this is the worst team in the NFL. If you disagree, rewatch that Thanksgiving game. The Jets can literally pick any position, except for CB and C. With that being said, the Jets should go WR. There’s nothing too fancy about Patterson, he’s just fast... real fast. He could play out of the backfield as well and could be the Jets version of Randall Cobb. 

10.  Tennessee - Eric Fisher T Central Michigan - As I watched the Senior Bowl practices (No, it’s not pathetic that I watched Senior Bowl practices.), one guy jumped out at me and impressed me more than anyone else. It wasn’t a golden domer or someone from Alabama; it was a Central Michigan Chippewa! Fisher absolutely dominated the nation’s top DE prospects at the practice. Tennessee is the owner of the NFL’s most disappointing running game. Chris Johnson still is a top back but his o-line is a bit questionable. Hell, the Titans finished behind my beloved Packers in rushing, which as Joe Buck loves to remind everyone 940 times a game, is something because they don’t run the ball. Fisher would not only improve the running game but can keep Jake Locker healthy.

11.  San Diego - Dion Jordan OLB Oregon - With Shaun Phillips leaving San Diego, there is a big hole left in the Chargers defense and Jordan could very easily fill that void. Jordan is a guy I really like a lot because he’s a six foot seven OLB. Remember how bat shit crazy ESPN went when JJ “Swatt” Watt knocked down all those balls this passed season? That’s what you could expect from Dion Jordan.

12.  Miami - Lane Johnson T Oklahoma - If Jake Long ends up leaving Miami, which is looking more and more likely, they will need to address the Tackle position ASAP. This free agent class is filled with great talent at Tackle (Ryan Clady, Sam Baker, Branden Albert, Andre Smith, etc.) and the Dolphins have a boat load of money to spend, but with the lack of great OTs in the league they will have to compete with a lot of teams with more desirable situations. The draft may be the best spot for Miami to find their next Jake Long and Lane Johnson is the best available.

13.  Tampa Bay - Desmond Trufant CB Washington - Last year, the Bucs passed on Morris Claiborne and regretted it ever since having the worst pass defense in the NFL last season. They also dealt Aqib Talib to New England last year and Ronde Barber turns 127 next season. (He really does, look it up.) Trufant is the best CB available and should be a lock for Tampa.

14.  Carolina - Kenny Vaccaro S Texas - I know it might be a shock that I’m not projecting Carolina to take a QB since Cam is the definition of hot garbage but believe it or not, they have bigger holes to fill. The bigger hole I’m talking about is safety Haruki Nakamura. He might be worst than Cam. Statistically, Carolina’s pass defense wasn’t too bad, but in a division with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan and the emerging Josh Freeman, Nakamura isn’t going to cut it.

15.  New Orleans - Barkevious Mingo DE/OLB LSU - The Saints are switching over to a 3-4 defense, which means they need 2 things: 1) an elite nose tackle 2) an edge pass rusher. There isn’t an elite nose tackle available at this spot and there is a plethora of edge rushers left. My guess is the local product Mingo will be that pass rusher. 

16.  St. Louis - Chance Warmack G Alabama - I believe in Sam Bradford. In fact, I still believe that Sam Bradford could be a top 10 QB in this league. The only problem facing Sam is that the team around him is awful. What my man needs is a better offense line and a few decent receivers. The Rams have 2 first round picks this year, so I expect them to address OL and WR with those picks. Surprisingly, Sam Bradford can’t throw TDs if he’s on the ground, which he was 52 times last year. That needs to stop if they want their 50 million dollar man to still be alive to see the end of his contract. Warmack is the best lineman available. Yes, he is a guard, but any help will do.

17.  Pittsburgh - Jarvis Jones LB Georgia - The future of long-time Steelers LB and fellow Roger Goodell hater, James Harrison, is uncertain. He may be released and even if he isn’t Pittsburgh still needs to look for his heir apparent. Jarvis Jones was projected to go much higher a few weeks ago, but is sliding down the board due to a spine issue. His potential is through the roof, which makes him a risk worth taking.

18.  Dallas - Barrett Jones OL Alabama - The reason I put OL for Jones instead of T, G or C is because he plays every position on the offensive line. How awesome is that? Jones isn’t projected to go in the first round, which I think is comical. He paved the way for a Heisman Trophy winner, Mark Ingram, and a 2012 top 5 selection, Trent Richardson. Oh yeah, he also won 3 National Championship at Alabama. Dallas, once again, needs to upgrade their o-line. Mainly, the interior o-line.

19.  New York (Giants) - Alec Ogletree LB Georgia - Originally, I had the Giants taking Manti Te’o with this pick, but could you imagine the cluster fuck that would be? Manti Te’o, the guy who stole headlines earlier this year with the fake girlfriend hoax, dealing with the New York media everyday? If you thought TebowMania was bad, just imagine this. Hell, all Tebow ever did was take a 2-win team to a division crown and a playoff win and he still gets crucified (no pun intended). The Giants need to upgrade at LB because Keith Rivers is gone and Chase Blackburn sucks. 

20.  Chicago - DJ Fluker T Alabama - People give Jay Cutler a hard time. I am not one of these people. Much like Sam Bradford, he can’t throw TDs if he’s getting sacked every play. Sure, its nice that he finally got a big time target last offseason in Brandon Marshall, but he needs time to throw to him. Although, Jones and Warmack were selected ahead of Fluker in this draft, I feel DJ can have the best pro career and is the most pro-ready. 

21.  Cincinnati - Keenan Allen WR California - This was another spot where I considered Te’o being selected, however, the Bengals locker room might be the most dysfunctional of all in the league. It seems like just about every offseason we see 4 or 5 Bengal thugs getting arrested. They would tear Manti to pieces. AJ Green is, in my opinion, the best WR in football. He does all of this while facing double coverage every week. Imagine how scary he would be if he had just a little bit of help. Cincy should draft him a legit number 2, like Keenan Allen from Cal. 

22.  St. Louis - DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson - Remember what I said earlier? The Rams should address o-line and WR. Now, here’s the WR pick. In a weak WR class this is a bit of a reach but they desperately need to upgrade. 

23.  Minnesota - Sheldon Richardson DT Missouri - Percy Harvin might be traded this offseason so they would love to find his replacement here. However, like I said in the previous pick the WR class is weak. The Vikes will most likely make a play for former Packer WR Greg Jennings because they love Green Bay’s washed up sloppy seconds. Minnesota would then need to draft the future at DT being that Kevin Williams turns 33 in August. Richardson is by far the best player available. He’s fallen this far because every year there is that guy that hangs around way too long and this year he is it. 

Is that Andrew Luck or Matt Hoover? I can't tell.

24.  Indianapolis - Jonathan Cooper G/C North Carolina - Indianapolis is another squad who could use a WR for my man (and Matt Hoover doppelganger) Andrew Luck. They also need to replace Jeff Saturday, who played for Green Bay last season. Cooper, ironically, went to North Carolina which is also where Saturday went. That’s kind of neat. 

25.  Seattle - Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame - On the defensive side of the ball, Seattle may have the best unit in the NFL with self-proclaimed greatest CB ever, Richard Sherman, so they are set there. Offensively they aren’t too bad either. Hell, they catch interceptions for touchdowns for Christ’s Sake! Where Seattle lacks a bit is TE. Zach Miller had decent campaign but they could still use an upgrade. Eifert would be a nice target for RusselMania. 

26.  Green Bay - Manti Te’o LB Notre Dame - This is a perfect fit for both Manti and Green Bay. It works for Green Bay because GM Ted Thompson always picks for best player available over reaching for a position of need. (Aaron Rodgers in 05, Jordy Nelson in 08) Te’o without a doubt is the best available. It also fills a position of need for GB. AJ Hawk might be another casualty for the Pack and Desmond Bishop is coming off a season ending hamstring injury. This works for Te’o because the Packers are a stable organization with a locker room full of high character guys who won’t get on him for the whole fake dead girlfriend fiasco. 

27.  Houston - Zach Ertz TE Stanford - Owen Daniels has been a bit of a disappointment for the Texans in the passed couple of years. He can’t stay healthy and his production is way down from where it should be. The only legit passing option Houston has is Andre Johnson. Schaub could use another weapon, but again, this is a weak WR class. Their best bet is too upgrade at TE by drafting Ertz. 

28.  Denver - Giovanni Bernard RB North Carolina - Denver was a very one-dimensional team. They only threw the ball, which is weird, because the year before was the complete opposite. In 2011, they had a healthy/younger Willis McGahee to run the rock but last season lacked a running game. Bernard is a speedster, who I believe will jump ahead of Alabama RB Eddie Lacy at the combine. 

Hopefully for Atlanta's sake, Alex isn't as
big of a draft bust as Emeka was.

29.  New England - Johnathan Hankins DT Ohio State - The Pats lack an interior rush prescience. Vince Wilfork is a great run stuffer but doesn’t get after the QB enough. Hankins could provide the pass rush that they need.

30.  Atlanta - Alex Okafor DE/OLB Texas - We saw how Colin Kaepernick was able to run around on the baby bottom soft Atlanta D in the NFC Championship because of the Falcons lack of pass rush. John Abraham was once a great DE in this league but that day is long gone. 

31.  San Francisco - Matt Elam S Florida - How bad did Dashon Goldson, Donte Whitner and that homophobic idiot Chris Culiver look in the Super Bowl? Jacoby Jones looked like Jerry Rice and Joe Flacco looked like Montana especially on their long TD reception. Safety play was the deciding factor in the Super Bowl and while need to be addressed if the Niners want to get to North Jersey next February. 

32.  Baltimore - Kevin Minter MLB LSU - If you haven’t heard, Ray Lewis retired. As much as I couldn’t stand Ray Lewis this season, there is no denying his impact on the Ravens defense. Minter won’t be able to fill Ray Ray’s shoes, but he could be a pretty solid replacement for former accomplice-to-murderer/Super Bowl MVP, Ray Lewis.