(Guest Appearance) NFL Draft 2013 Round 1 Reaction

Welcome special guest, Ricky to give his first round thoughts


1)    Kansas City: Eric Fisher, T, Central Michigan – Not a bad pick if you want to break him in at RT this season while Brandon Albert plays through his franchise tag and move him over next season to protect your QB’s blindside.

2)    Jacksonville: Luke Joeckel, T, Texas A&M – Projected to go #1 in a ton of mock drafts, probably safest pick on the board so good move by the new regime to not screw up this pick. Geno Smith and Matt Barkley still available at #33 makes this look good.

3)    Miami (via Oakland): Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon – Unless the Dolphins know they have Brandon Albert with their 54th pick from the Chiefs, I don’t understand this pick. He’s a hybrid 3-4 OLB that doesn’t seem to fit this scheme and he played about half of Oregon’s defensive snaps. Freak athlete, but this pick comes with some questions.

4)    Philadelphia: Lane Johnson, T, Oklahoma – As a Giants fan I like this pick and like that he immediately called out the Giants super-athlete Jason Pierre Paul because he played QB against him in Junior College in 2008. Good luck, rookie.

5)    Detroit: Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU – Not a fan of Ansah going to Detroit, don’t like the situation for him there. I don’t think he’ll maximize his potential but the Lions staff did coach him at the Senior Bowl where he dominated everyone on the field. They have to know what they’re getting so can’t knock the pick.

6)    Cleveland: Barkevious Mingo, DE, LSU – Freak athlete without the production. He’ll fit into the Browns scheme so the only thing left to see here is if he can match his production with his measurables.

7)    Arizona: Jonathan Cooper, G, UNC – I tweeted this last night but no one follows me so I’ll say again: I never care about offensive lineman in the draft, don’t watch tape and don’t get impressed by them – when I first saw Cooper play a couple months ago, impressed. He’s been a favorite of mine for a while and I think he’ll end up in the Pro-Bowl this season.

8)    St. Louis (via Buffalo): Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia – Couple people don’t like this pick because Austin is small, who cares? Guy is lightning, putting him on turf will only make him more electrifying. He’s a home-run hitter and a threat from anywhere on the field, love the pick – not over analyzing the size issue. If you can play, you can play. He can play.

9)    New York Jets: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama – Jets get the top corner in the draft when he easily could’ve gone 5-6 picks before this. I think it hits a need and it’s great value, he’s the best on the board at this point and he should be a very good player for them.

10)    Tennessee: Chance Warmack, G, Alabama – This pick was widely mocked and made a ton of sense. Tennessee has now added two stud guards who can run block with the best of them, Chris Johnson has officially run out of excuses, he either backs up his claim of 2,100 yards or he’s flat out not that good because if you can’t do it behind this line it’s not going to be their fault anymore.

11)    San Diego: D.J. Fluker, T, Alabama – Chargers needed help along the line and got it here. I still don’t know what they’re going to do about LT because Fluker is a cut and dry RT, so there’s still a hole on Philip Rivers blind side.

12)    Oakland (via Miami): DJ Hayden, CB, Houston – Oakland wanted Hayden and was able to move back 9 spots and still get their guy. Somehow Oakland’s moves made a lot of sense in round 1 – Al Davis is probably rolling over in his grave but it looks like the Raiders have a handle on things right now.

13)    New York Jets (via Tampa Bay): Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri – Don’t hate the player, hate the pick. Richardson is a very solid player, but was he drafted #13 to make in impact or provide depth behind Coples and Wilkerson? This was a head scratcher but you’ve got to think the new regime has a plan.

14)    Carolina: Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah – Great get for the Panthers, they’ve now added a huge body to shield blockers from last year’s #1 pick Luke Kuechly. Their defense just got a lot better.

15)    New Orleans: Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas – Had to take him, needed help on defense in the worst way and they got it.

16)    Buffalo (via St. Louis): EJ Manuel, QB, Florida State – Huge reach, huge slap in the face to Ryan Nassib by his former college coach Doug Marone… This was a huge curveball and not a lot to love about this pick from Buffalo. Could’ve traded back again with the 49ers and taken Manuel 31st easily.

17)    Pittsburgh: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia – We pretty much nailed this one, obvious or not, and I love the pick and fit. Here’s what I said in our mock: “Smarter organizations usually take advantage of the ones at the top of the draft who tend to overthink things a little too much…. Pittsburgh will welcome Jones with open arms like they did with a certain undrafted free agent castoff named James Harrison, who he’s now replacing. But Jones will produce, bottom line.” My call for Defensive Rookie of the Year and I’m calling 8+ sacks.

18)    San Francisco (via Dallas): Eric Reid, S, LSU – One of my favorite players in the draft and one I thought was severely underrated by all the draft experts. He’s highly athletic and an extremely high character guy, I don’t know if the 49ers had to move up this far to get him but somehow they only gave up a 3rd rounder for it. Great trade for them and fills a big need. Sorry Craig Dahl.

19)    New York Giants: Justin Pugh, T/G/C, Syracuse – You’ve got to assume some guys the Giants thought would fall to them just missed, and they went with the safest and/or highest player on their board. At first glance I hated this pick, I wasn’t prepared for an offensive lineman with so many already off the board – but you dig deeper into this kid’s profile and you’ve got to love what you see and hear. He’s a very smart kid, described to be “tough as nails” and he’s a technician. He’s touted as one of the best blockers in the draft and he can play any position on the line, he’s going to be an important piece of the puzzle in 2013 along that offensive line. *The NY Giants hadn’t used a first round pick on an offensive lineman since Luke Petitgout in 1999 with the 19th pick, now Justin Pugh.. with the 19th pick. Lot of 19’s in there.

20)    Chicago: Kyle Long, T/G, Oregon – Didn’t have a lot of big school experience coming into the draft, but the pedigree is there. Maybe a reach, I would’ve rather seen them take Tyler Eifert here but their line has been a constant issue for a long time.

21)    Cincinnati: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame – This is a steal for the Bengals, home run type of pick. He’ll contribute immediately and will make Andy Dalton’s life much easier, wouldn’t be surprised to see Dalton have a big year, he’s got mismatches all over the field now.

22)    Atlanta (via St. Louis via WASH): Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington – Another guy I’m not sure needed to be traded up for, but he’s a burner who can cover. Pedigree is there, grew up around the NFL, he’s ready to play in the league.

23)    Minnesota: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida – Could be a steal for the Vikings, this guy was projected in the top 5 consistently without any movement the last 3 months. He will be mentored by some great lineman in Minnesota which will set him up for big time success at this level.

24)    Indianapolis: Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State – High. Motor. Really would’ve liked to see Indianapolis use this pick to strengthen the interior of that defensive line, but can’t argue the pick considering the loss of Dwight Freeney. Argument could be made they should’ve had his replacement available but with the transition to a 3-4 defense Werner will be right at home.

25)    Minnesota (via Seattle): Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State – Two really big picks for Minnesota on the defensive side of the ball, Rhodes is a tall physical corner who will be able to match up well with Calvin Johnson and Brandon Marshall in this division.

26)    Green Bay: Datone Jones, DE/OLB, UCLA – Really like this pick, they need someone who can take the heat off Matthews on the other side and “Da Tone Setta” has the ability to do so.

27)    Houston: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson – Houston wanted Hopkins and didn’t have to move to get him – Andre Johnson probably went crazy after this pick, he finally has a WR to run with.

28)    Denver: Sylvester Williams, DT, UNC – Straight value pick here, I thought Williams should’ve went to Indy at 24 but the Broncos get a steal here at 28. Thought Lacy might be an option here, but this strengthens an already strong defense for the Broncos.

29)    Minnesota (via New England): Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee – Vikings hit 3 quality picks with 3 first rounders. May have sacrificed the rest of your draft but when you come out of night one with 3 new starters you can bet they feel pretty good about that. Patterson is very raw with his route running but if the ball gets in his hands, watch out.

30)    St. Louis (via Atlanta): Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia – My favorite pure athlete in the draft right here. Rams maneuvered all night long and I loved it, they’ve been smart with their picks two years in a row now and are slowly and steadily building a roster filled with young athletes. Character concerns are everywhere with Ogletree, but Fisher made me a believer with Janoris Jenkins and I don’t think Ogletree’s baggage is as severe.

31)    Dallas (via San Francisco): Travis Frederick, C, Wisconsin.

32)    Baltimore: Matt Elam, S, Florida – Really thought Baltimore would be looking ILB here and I thought Te’o was going to be taken but the Ravens get a safety to help ease the loss of Ed Reed. Elam can hit, but he’s nowhere near the prospect Reed was.