2014 NFL Mock Draft: Mock v. 1.0 from 'Invictus'

Mock drafts, especially this early, are an effort in futility. We all know that. That being said, they are also addictive. Why is that?

It's probably because they are such fascinating talking points. You take into account not only your view of how talented a prospect is, but also their fit on your team, as well as the 31 others. So let's try that at first. This is version 1.0 of my 2014 NFL Mock Draft. Stay here for plenty more 2014 NFL Draft coverage on Big Blue View.

[Note by Ed Valentine: 'Raptor' and Jesse will also soon be posting their own version 1.0 mock drafts. As we get those we will compile them into a side-by-side table for you to compare.]

Mock Draft v. 1.0 from 'Invictus'

1.		Teddy Bridgewater, QB Louisville	Bridgewater ranks slightly behind Robert Griffin III when it comes to QB prospects for me. He has absurd mid-range accuracy, and will make the most of Andre Johnson's and DeAndre Hopkins' talents.
2.		Jake Matthews, OT Texas A&M	Jake Long was injured late in the year and he was declining anyway. The Rams badly need an upgrade on the offensive line considering how vicious NFC West defenses can be.
3.		Blake Bortles, QB Central Florida	Bortles is an interesting prospect. Big, strong, nice footwork. Some nice touch. Of course, the same was said about Blaine Gabbert. It's all about the performance under pressure. Can Bortles succeed where Gabbert could not?
4.		Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M	The Browns are desperate for a spark from the QB. They got it this year from Brian Hoyer of all people. Imagine Manziel creating with his legs to get Josh Gordon and Jordan Cameron open.
5.		Jadaveon Clowney, DE South Carolina	A pure BPA pick. The Raiders need help everywhere and nabbing my first-ranked prospect overall would be a nice start.
6.		Greg Robinson, OT Auburn	Greg Robinson is a dominant run blocking tackle with tremendous upside. He'd fit in great, taking over for a struggling Sam Baker.
7.		Sammy Watkins, WR Clemson	A big-armed Mike Glennon with a nicer coach, Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson, Mike Williams, and Sammy Watkins. That's scary.
8.		Derek Carr, QB Fresno State	Carr has the strongest arm in this class by far. Bombs away to Cordarrelle Patterson for days.
9.		Eric Ebron, TE North Carolina	Ebron is my highest-rated tight end in more than three years because he's essentially a massive WR who has the upside to be a good blocker. Bills get another weapon.
10.		Mike Evans, WR Texas A&M	Matthew Stafford likes tall WRs. All of them are tall. Enter Mike Evans. He's tall, but also knows how to catch, high point the ball, and dominate the opposing DB.
11.		Khalil Mack, OLB Buffalo	Fifth-ranked prospect falls to the Titans, who could move Akeem Ayers to DE and have Mack clean up anybody in his way.
12.		Darqueze Dennard, CB Michigan State	Anthony Barr was my seventh-ranked prospect while Dennard was 12th. Chose Dennard because I think Reese takes the safer pick instead of the risk. May not be a bad thing.
13.		Anthony Barr, OLB UCLA	Falls right into St. Louis' lap, Barr gives the Rams an insane OLB duo with Alec Ogletree. Their front seven would be as dominant as any in the league.
14.		Ra'Shede Hageman, DT Minnesota	Henry Melton is a free agent and the Bears were so desperate for DT help they signed a broken Jay Ratliff. Worst rush defense in the league. Hageman helps.
15.		Taylor Lewan, OT Michigan	Despite significant character concerns, Lewan is still a great talent. Pittsburgh dumps another first rounder on the OL.
16.		Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S Alabama	Don't see a more perfect match of BPA and need than this. This makes me sad.
17.		Marquise Lee, WR USC	Ravens need some offensive firepower, and they add an enormous weapon in Lee to add another speed demon opposite Torrey Smith. Nobody will be able to keep up.
18.		Kelvin Benjamin, WR Florida State	The Jets probably have the worst offensive skill personnel in the league. Benjamin gives the developing Geno Smith a huge target to work with.
19.		David Yankey, OT/OG Stanford	With Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin gone, the Dolphins grab Yankey, who can play guard or tackle. Technically sound and vicious, he'll fit in right away.
20.		Kony Ealy, OLB Missouri	The two starters at outside linebacker for the Cardinals are Matt Shaugnessy and John Abraham. They have a strong defense as it is, but Ealy could be a devastating piece for Arizona in the NFC West arms race.
21.		Louis Nix III, NT Notre Dame	B.J. Raji is a free agent and will likely command big money. The Packers grab someone who replaces him, and quite frankly, is probably better anyway.
22.		Vic Beasley, OLB Clemson	Trent Cole becomes a salary cap liability in a year and Brandon Graham has not made a great transition to the 3-4. Eagles look to replenish their pass rush looking towards the future with an explosive playmaker like Beasley.
23.		Justin Gilbert, CB Oklahoma State	When Brandon Flowers went down, the Chiefs' secondary was exposed against the Indianapolis Colts. Justin Gilbert gives a massive upside prospect to shore up that weakness.
24.		C.J Mosley, ILB Alabama	The Bengals likely win the round for best value as my tenth ranked prospect falls to 24. Rey Maualuga is slow and ineffective. He gets replaced by someone much, much faster.
25.		Cyrus Kouandijo, OT Alabama	The Chargers re-create Alabama's championship winning offensive line bookends, pairing Kouandijo with former first- round pick D.J. Fluker. They cannot go into next season with injury prone King Dunlap as their left tackle.
26.		Antonio Richardson, OT Tennessee	Richardson is one of the top players left on my board that fills a need for the Browns. Geoff Schwartz is not a true right tackle and should move to guard, where the Browns struggled. Richardson would take his place as the right bookend to Joe Thomas.
27.		Kyle Van Noy, OLB BYU	Cameron Jordan has been amazing, but the Saints need more juice for Rob Ryan's defense. Enter Van Noy, the do-everything playmaker for BYU.
28.		Odell Beckham Jr., WR LSU	Another pass catcher enters the first round. Beckham Jr. narrowly beats out Allen Robinson from Penn State for this spot. He's got sure hands and can make explosive plays. Newton needs more offensive threats.
29.	*	Jason Verrett, CB TCU	A bit of a reach here, but it fits the biggest need for the San Francisco 49ers. I had Verrett as my 44th-ranked player, but he's got solid technique and plays very intelligently. Tarell Brown is a free agent and Carlos Rogers has reverted back to his Washington Redskin form.
30.	*	Jace Amaro, TE Texas Tech	I mean, it's got to be a tight end, right? Rob Gronkowski cannot be considered reliable anymore, and we all know what's gone on with Aaron Hernandez. Amaro could be the best tight end in the NFL under Bill Belicheck and Josh McDaniels. He's the pick over Austin Sefarian-Jenkins because he's more of a field stretching vertical threat.
31.	*	Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, TE Washington	The Seahawks are adding more pieces to a potentially dominant offense by taking the local kid out of Washington. ASJ could see a lot of targets with Wilson at the helm extending the play.
32.	*	Gabe Jackson, OG Mississippi State	The Broncos have the luxury of going BPA with this pick. It's between Ryan Shazier and Jackson for them, and they go with the hulking mauler because Zane Beadles is an unrestricted free agent.

* - Denotes projected order.

Best available: Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt, Will Sutton, Aaron Donald, Timmy Jernigan, Carlos Hyde, Lache Seastrunk, Trent Murphy, Cyril Richardson, Allen Robinson, Shawn Oakman, Calvin Pryor, Zack Martin, Jordan Matthews, Brandin Cooks, Michael Sam, Bradley Roby.