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This 2014 NFL Mock Draft will not include trades, but you can bet your life that there will be a number of trades in the real 2014 NFL draft. Since the rookie wage scale was instituted there have been a heavy influx of first round trades. Expecting 12-14 trades in the first round is, I believe, realistic.
Round 1
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1. |
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Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida -- Why not mix it up? Buzz is that the Texans like Bortles, Manziel, and Clowney here. |
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2. |
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Jake Matthews, T, Texas A & M -- The Rams go offensive line here because the depth at the wide receiver position is much better than offensive line in my opinion. |
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3. |
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Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville -- Best-case scenario for the Jaguars, who get a player who has a much better shot at being a franchise quarterback than Blaine Gabbert ever had. He might be slight in frame, but he possesses plus characteristics in all the other major areas. |
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4. |
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Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina -- The Browns haven't had a lot of success, minus their one semi-recent playoff appearance. How can they justify passing on a guy with as much talent as Clowney? |
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5. |
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Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson -- Trivia question: When was the last time the Raiders had a 1,000-yard receiver? Answer: Randy Moss. Yeah, they need some help at wide receiver. |
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6. |
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Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn -- Clowney/Best offensive tackle available seems like a lock for the Falcons at this moment. |
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7. |
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Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina -- This is a pick I made in my first mock that got some raised eyebrows, but this is a pick that still makes a ton of sense to me. Maybe they move back down a few picks (right in front of the Giants) to get him, but they could really use another weapon on offense, especially at the tight end position. |
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8. |
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Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A & M -- The Vikings have a solid team minus the receiver position. Or at least they have young talented play makers at all other important positions (LT-Matt Kalil, WR-Patterson, DL-Shariff Floyd, CB-Xavier Rhodes). Quarterback is the last piece. |
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9. |
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Mike Evans, WR, Texas A & M -- The Bills need to find a way to make sure quarterback E.J. Manuel has every chance to succeed. Stevie Johnson is not a true No. 1 wide receiver, and though Robert Woods had a nice year he is more of a good No. 2 wide receiver than a true No. 1. |
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10. |
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Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State -- Another trade down candidate. I would go Taylor Lewan here, but with Jim Caldwell as the new head coach "character concerns" cause the Lions to pass on Lewan. The Lions add a terrific player and leader to their defense. |
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11. |
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Khalil Mack, DE/OLB, Buffalo -- Best player available. I'm not sure if coach Ken Wisenhunt will move to the 3-4 defense (seems likely), but in any event Barr/Mack would be good fits for their defense. |
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12. |
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Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA -- The Giants haven't had success taking hybrid players and fitting into their system, but that doesn't mean they can't. If you look back at a lot of scouting reports Von Miller shouldn't be a 4-3 OLB (he's great at it), so draftniks aren't always right about it. And there are many other examples. Fact is that Anthony Barr has dynamic ability and the Giants need it in their front seven. He's just starting to scratch the surface of his ability. He's a converted running back prospect who has unique closing speed on the quarterback and the size to be an asset in run support from the linebacker position. Justin Tuck is a free agent, Jason Pierre-Paul had 16.5 sacks in one season and less than that combined in his other three seasons (13 combined). Is he an All-Pro or was that an aberration? I've never been more sure of anything than the fact that the Giants will address the offensive line in free agency at least once, probably twice, so I don't think offensive line has to be the pick at 12. |
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13. |
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Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville -- Everyone talks about how the Rams should capitalize again on the RG3 trade by trading the second overall pick to move down and stockpile picks. Why not grab a top two player at No. 2 overall and then trade down from 13th overall pick up a second-rounder and get the safety the team desperately needs. The Rams starting safeties combined for a -16.1 PFF rating last year. |
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14. |
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Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri -- Fun fact. Not ONE single player on the Bears' defense scored a PFF grade of +1.0 or higher ! Is that even possible? Defense HAS to be the pick here. Shea McClellin was picked 19th overall a few years ago but scored a -28.4 last year. They need another defensive end in the worst way. |
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15. |
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Jace Amaro, TE, Texas Tech -- Antonio Brown is a stud, but what else do the Steelers have in the passing game? Jerricho Cotchery? Who's trusting him moving forward? And Heath Miller always seems to be hurt. Here, the Steelers solve two problems at once. |
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16. |
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HaHa Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama -- The Cowboys safety play is far from great. |
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17. |
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Kelvin Benjamin, WR, FSU -- The Ravens could use more weapons on offense to help Joe Flacco play better this year. |
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18. |
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Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan -- The Jets need help on offense in the worst way. Whether this pick is on the offensive line, tight end or wide receiver is the only question. |
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19. |
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Zach Martin, OL, Notre Dame -- The Dolphins lost two offensive linemen in the issue between Richie Incognito and Jon Martin and they get a replacement here. |
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20. |
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Cyrus Kounadijo, OT, Alabama -- The Cardinals can't block. The return of Jon Cooper will help, but that's not the only player they need. |
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21. |
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C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama -- I think he could go higher. He's terrific in coverage and provides plenty in run support as well, but positional value could push him down in the draft further than he deserves. |
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22. |
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Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame -- The Eagles add a talented defensive linemen to their team |
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23. |
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Marqise Lee, WR, USC -- The Chiefs get lucky here as the offensive linemen and quarterback epidemic pushes Lee right into their laps. He could go much higher (it'd be hard for the Jets to pass him). |
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24. |
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Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame -- The Bengals are talented all over, but do they want to pay defensive end Michael Johnson top dollar? If not they could replace him in the draft. |
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25. |
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Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State -- The Chargers don't have anything special in the secondary and they have to face Peyton Manning two times a year, so they should consider something in the secondary if they can. |
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26. |
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Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State -- The Browns add the best player in the draft with their first pick and end up with a talented quarterback, anyway. Carr has the arm to make the already special Josh Gordon look even better. |
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27. |
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Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State -- No team can never have enough cornerbacks. |
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28. |
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Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU -- This is a perfect match of need and value for the Panthers. |
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29. |
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Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh - I couldn't even think of who the Patriots starting defensive tackles were after the injury to Vince Wilfork. Ourlads lists them as Joe Vallano and Chris Jones (who? and who?). |
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30. |
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Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State -- The 49ers add another play-maker on offense so this year when the 49ers are going for a final score against the Seahawks they can avoid throwing it to Michael Crabtree. Cooks is not well known now, but he will be after the combine. |
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31. |
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Antonio Richardson, OT, Tennessee -- The Broncos add another big-bodied offensive lineman to try and extend Peyton Manning's career an extra year or two. |
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32. |
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Lache Seastrunk, RB Baylor -- Marshawn Lynch and his Beast Mode are beloved in Seattle, but his career is on the back 9 and they could be looking for his future replacement. Even though Seastrunk isn't the same kind of player Lynch is he is super talented in his own way. |
Round 2
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1. (33) |
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Austin Seferian Jenkins, TE, Washington -- Owen Daniels was decidedly average last year and a tight end is a young quarterback's best friend. I'm sure former Patriots offensive coach Bill O'Brien will understand that. |
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2. (34) |
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Jason Verrett, CB, Texas Tech -- Verrett has all the tools of a top 16 cornerback pick, except size. |
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3. (35) |
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Allen Robinson, WR, Penn State -- I thought about running back here, but if you're Cleveland give your young quarterbacks more than enough weapons to succeed. Now you have Gordon, Allen, and Jordan Cameron as your targets. Big, talented players across the board. |
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4. (36) |
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Xavier Su'a Filo, OL, UCLA - Raiders defense was much better than the offense last year. |
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5. (37) |
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Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame -- Replacement for Tony Gonzalez. I don't love the pass rushers at all in this class. I think it's a very average class after Clowney and Ealy. The Falcons need to hope they get Clowney or they can fix the pass rush in free agency. |
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6. (38) |
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Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State -- He's rated top 10 on some boards, and he fits Lovie Smith's vision at defensive tackle. Imagine pairing him with Gerald McCoy. If the draft shook out this way on the draft night I'd give this pick an A/A+ |
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7. (39) |
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Ra'shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota -- Very talented player who is inconsistent. Good value here. |
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8. (40) |
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Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech -- I wasn't sure where to go here. I really like the Vikings young play makers at the key positions, but feel they need a quarterback. Maybe a running back here to replace Peterson when he's done, but based on everything Peterson has done in his career he'll probably play until he's 50. |
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9. (41) |
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Dee Ford, OLB, Auburn -- We'll see how the new GM attacks the draft, but this pick is precisely the kind of pick Buddy Nix would have made. Good player from a Southern school who shined in big moments and had a good Senior Bowl week. |
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10. (42) |
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Ka'deem Carey, RB, Arizona -- Chris Johnson could be a cap casualty. The Titans need to hope Jake Locker figures it out. |
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11. (43) |
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David Yankey, OG, Stanford -- Just a case of value meets need. He'll probably go higher in the draft, but I wasn't thinking interior offensive linemen for any of the other teams above. Anyway, even though I think the Giants address offensive line in free agency, until they do it's a need. |
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12. (44) |
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Jarvis Landry, WR, LSU -- The Rams have made all the right moves, except perhaps the most important one. Is Sam Bradford a franchise quarterback? The Rams could keep throwing wide receivers at the problem to find out once and for all. |
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13. (45) |
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Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt -- A lot of people have the Lions targeting a wide receiver at 10th overall and it makes sense, but here they get a nice complement to Calvin Johnson which is all they really need at the position. |
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14. (46) |
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Lamarcus Joyner, DB, Florida State -- Joyner is undersized, but he's a true play-maker. He's similar to Tyrann Mathieu from last year. Not every undersized safety/nickel cornerback should be compared to Mathieu, but Joyner is on that same level to me. Bob Sanders, Matheiu, Joyner -- those three safeties are undersized in college, but played much bigger and stood out. I think Joyner has Pro Bowls in his future. I have him rated higher than most. |
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15. (47) |
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Dominique Easley, DT, Florida -- When you have a historically bad defense and no cap room you address defense early and often in the draft. |
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16. (48) |
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Trent Murphy, OLB, Stanford -- Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs both played at a high level last year, but both players are in the twilight of their careers. Murphy adds insurance in case of injury and a player to groom into a future starter and hopefully star for the Ravens. |
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17. (49) |
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Davante Adams, WR, Fresno State -- And here the Jets get a wide receiver. |
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18. (50) |
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Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois -- I was thinking about going with a tight end here, but I don't think there was enough value presented with any of the remaining tight ends. |
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19. (51) |
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Will Sutton, DT, Arizona State -- The Bears offense is solid, the defense is -- Yikes! The player with the best potential on the board is here. He' s inconsistent, but can dominate. |
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20. (52) |
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Cyril Richardson, OL, Baylor -- The return of Jon Cooper will surely help out, but the Cardinals offensive line is currently a mess. |
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21. (53) |
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Jeremiah Attochu, OLB, Georgia Tech -- No matter how much talent they throw at the defense, they still have problems on defense. |
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22. (54) |
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Kyle Van Noy, OLB, BYU -- Seems like a Chip Kelly type player to me. |
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23. (55) |
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Christian Jones, LB, Florida State -- I think the Bengals are the most talented team in the league outside of the quarterback position, but one area they weren't particularly great last year was at outside linebacker where Rey Maluaga struggled and James Harrison doesn't offer much in terms of pass defense. Jones offers them a guy who can come in and take some linebacker snaps, especially in nickel and dime packages. |
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24. (56) |
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Andre Hall, CB, Vanderbilt -- Their is some age in their secondary, so they add another young piece. They can really take whoever they want. |
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25. (57) |
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Carlos Hyde, RB, OSU - I wasn't sure where to go here, but they grab a guy who can offer a nice complement to Danny Woodhead and offer insurance in case Ryan Matthews gets hurt (he has struggled with injuries throughout his career). |
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26. (58) |
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Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss - Marques Colston was good last year, and Kenny Stills shows promise, but outside that the Saints receiving corps was surprisingly average in 2013. Moncrief is smaller, but offers plenty of play-making ability as the Saints might look to inject some more life into their passing game. |
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27. (59) |
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Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi -- The Colts first pick. They have a nice young team, but they can't block. Expect them to address offensive line with their second-round pick if they can't fix it in free agency. |
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28. (60) |
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Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia -- How well-rounded are the Panthers? They are the only team besides the 49ers who had no negative unit rankings, according to Pro Football Focus measurables. Even though their offensive is not bad it does have some age and the depth is not great. |
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29. (61) |
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Shayne Skov, LB, Stanford -- Navarro Bowman is terrific, but who knows what his status will be next year after that horrific leg injury he suffered in their final game. Skov was also the highest-rated player left on the Big Blue View big board and the 49ers don't have any major needs. |
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30. (62) |
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Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State -- The Patriots add another player to their defense. I know I went defense twice in the mock draft and it's clear the Patriots need wide receivers, but much like the Giants when a need is THIS obvious it will be addressed in free agency. |
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31. (63) |
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Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas -- Adding another pass rusher to the Broncos. They missed Von Miller (injury) and Elvis Dumervil ("fax-gate") this year. |
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32. (64) |
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Michael Sam, DE/OLB, Missouri -- Highest-rated player left on the BBV big board for a team that does not have overwhelming needs. Though a wide receiver in the draft would not be surprising. |
