2013 NFL Draft Thread

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The Vikings had plenty of picks and a need at wide receiver, both because of the Percy Harvin trade.

So they made a bold move, trading second-, third-, fourth- and seventh-round picks to the Patriots for the 29th pick, which they used on Tennessee wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson.

Patterson played one year of Division I football, but has big-play ability (16.9 yards per reception), and will get a chance to stretch the field for a Vikings team in great need of a deep threat.

The Vikings are now out of business until Saturday, but they need a chance to catch their breath after using three first-rounders, adding defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd and cornerback Xavier Rhodes earlier in the night.

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Rams coach Jeff Fisher loves taking chances on talented players whose draft stock slipped because of off-field concerns. And now he’s done it again.

The Rams traded down and selected Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree with the 30th pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

Ogletree is a very good athlete who flies all over the field, but there were character questions about him at Georgia, and those questions were compounded when he was arrested for drunk driving in February. Had it not been for that arrest, Ogletree wouldn’t have been available at pick No. 30.

But he was available, and the Rams grabbed him. Now, just as with Janoris Jenkins last year, Fisher has added a talented but troubled player to his defense.

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With a brand new contract for Tony Romo in the books, the Dallas Cowboys are making an effort to help protect the cornerstone of their franchise.

After trading down from the 18th pick earlier in the first round, the Cowboys took Wisconsin center Travis Frederick with the 31st overall pick. The Cowboys also re-signed Phil Costa to a two-year deal earlier this offseason. The addition of Frederick will likely push Costa to the guard position. Dallas needed to upgrade the interior of their offensive line and Frederick addresses the problem.

Frederick is the first center to be selected in the first round since Mike Pouncey was taken by the Miami Dolphins out of Florida in the 2011 Draft.

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Taking a safety in Round One for the first time since selecting the great Ed Reed in 2002, the Baltimore Ravens closed out Day One of the 2013 NFL Draft by selecting Florida’s Matt Elam with the No. 32 overall choice.

Elam could compete to start immediately opposite of Michael Huff in the Ravens’ revamped safety corps. Reed signed with Houston in free agency, and the Ravens parted ways with veteran Bernard Pollard.

The 5-foot-10, 208-pound Elam was a first-team All-American in 2012 for Florida, intercepting four passes. He was a two-year starter for the Gators, departing after his junior season. His brother, Abram Elam, has made 71 NFL career starts at safety since entering the league in 2006.

The Ravens have 11 more draft picks, including four non-tradeable compensatory picks. They have the No. 62 (Round Two) and No. 94 (Round Three) selections Friday.

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PFT Round 2 Mock Draft

After assessing each team’s draft needs, offensive and defensive approaches and the prospects still left on the board, here is PFT’s Round Two mock draft:

33. Jaguars: Cornerback Johnthan Banks, Mississippi State

34. 49ers: Nose tackle John Jenkins, Georgia

35. Eagles: Quarterback Geno Smith, West Virginia

36. Lions: Offensive guard Brian Winters, Kent State

37. Bengals: Cornerback Darius Slay, Mississippi State

38. Cardinals: Outside linebacker Cornelius Washington, Georgia

39. Jets: Quarterback Ryan Nassib, Syracuse

40. Titans: Wide receiver Justin Hunter, Tennessee

41. Bills: Tight end Zach Ertz, Stanford

42. Raiders: Quarterback Matt Barkley, USC

43. Buccaneers: Cornerback Jamar Taylor, Boise State

44. Panthers: Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Connecticut

45. Chargers: Nose tackle Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State

46. Bills: Offensive tackle Menelik Watson, Florida State

47. Cowboys: Running back Eddie Lacy, Alabama

48. Steelers: Linebacker Manti Te’o, Notre Dame

49. Giants: Tight end Gavin Escobar, San Diego State

50. Bears: Defensive tackle Kawann Short, Purdue

51. Redskins: Linebacker Kevin Minter, Louisiana State

52. Patriots: Wide receiver Robert Woods, Southern California

53. Bengals: Safety Johnathan Cyprien, Florida International

54. Dolphins: Cornerback Will Davis, Utah State

55. Packers: Nose tackle Jesse Williams, Alabama

56. Seahawks: Running back Andre Ellington, Clemson

57. Texans: Outside linebacker Damontre Moore, Texas A&M

58. Broncos: Defensive end Margus Hunt, Southern Methodist

59. Patriots: Center Barrett Jones, Alabama

60. Falcons: Defensive end Tank Carradine, Florida State

61. 49ers: Cornerback David Amerson, North Carolina State

62. Ravens: Wide receiver Keenan Allen, California

UPDATE 12:54 p.m. ET on Friday, April 26: A new addition to the mock is Florida International safety Johnathan Cyprien — surely a well-regarded prospect, as some have mentioned in the comments. After further review, he’s in. This bumped down Andre Ellington to No. 56. Also, I switched picks Nos. 40 and 41.

[Never was]

EJ Manual not a great pick in my view, that kid makes really bad decisions with the ball although he has huge physical skills.

Jets w Geno Smith is pretty good value at that pick and makes the 13th pick of a DT more sense, other words they gots lucky. Smith has such small hands hope he learns how to not fumble.

Manti in San Diego is a good spot for him. His value is read and react into gaps so that system fits. His read ability and quickness outweigh his speed issue. His real issue is he can't shed blocks on run plays and he has not shown a consistent off season work ethic. Good spot him in terms of system and community.

[Never was]

Ty Eifert is a beast period, he will do very well but Ertz really is not far behind. Great hands for both but Ty can get more vertical in the passing game than Ertz but those two are both studs. Big drop off in TE after those two.

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EJ Manual not a great pick in my view, that kid makes really bad decisions with the ball although he has huge physical skills.

Jets w Geno Smith is pretty good value at that pick and makes the 13th pick of a DT more sense, other words they gots lucky. Smith has such small hands hope he learns how to not fumble.

Manti in San Diego is a good spot for him. His value is read and react into gaps so that system fits. His read ability and quickness outweigh his speed issue. His real issue is he can't shed blocks on run plays and he has not shown a consistent off season work ethic. Good spot him in terms of system and community.

Still say Man-bi Gay-o will be a bust. Bama had their way with him and the kid just doesn't seem mentally strong enough to handle the pressure of needing to bust his ass to get much better in a short time. The current NFL is a speed game and if you don't have that going for you you have to have top notch instincts. He doesn't have either of those traits. We will find out soon enough though.

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EJ Manual not a great pick in my view, that kid makes really bad decisions with the ball although he has huge physical skills.

Jets w Geno Smith is pretty good value at that pick and makes the 13th pick of a DT more sense, other words they gots lucky. Smith has such small hands hope he learns how to not fumble.

Manti in San Diego is a good spot for him. His value is read and react into gaps so that system fits. His read ability and quickness outweigh his speed issue. His real issue is he can't shed blocks on run plays and he has not shown a consistent off season work ethic. Good spot him in terms of system and community.

I like the Manuel pick over taking Geno, it's a roll of the dice sure but Geno had inflated stats from the system he was in and is a turnover machine. Nothing gets you benched faster then fumbling. That said if Rex the retard lets Marty the moron install a true west coast offense Geno could end up having the better numbers of the two. Coaching will determine who becomes the better QB, I just think Manuel has a far higher ceiling.

[Never was]

Good thing for Geno his comparison is Sanchez, there just is not anyway possible he can be worse but I agree Smith is a boom or bust no in between. I would not taken him in the first but second round and upside there is value. Rex is a brillant defensive coordinator, problem he is a head coach and has shown zero interest or ability towards the offense. Even last year with a shite roster the defense was respectable but my god that offense was McCay 1979 Buccaneer bad.

Well you something in Manual I don't. Body of a god with those physical skills but brain by Mattell. He has made so many bizaree decisions with the ball. Again in the second I would've but too many bad decisions for the first.

Manti is shockingly naive to outsiders but has had to grow up a lot from Dec. - Feb. Menatal toughness is not gonna be a downfall but ability to shed blo9ckers will be. He needs to be bigger and make football his life. For all his success football has never been his whole life, he now will be expected to make it his life.

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Good thing for Geno his comparison is Sanchez, there just is not anyway possible he can be worse but I agree Smith is a boom or bust no in between. I would not taken him in the first but second round and upside there is value. Rex is a brillant defensive coordinator, problem he is a head coach and has shown zero interest or ability towards the offense. Even last year with a shite roster the defense was respectable but my god that offense was McCay 1979 Buccaneer bad.

Well you something in Manual I don't. Body of a god with those physical skills but brain by Mattell. He has made so many bizaree decisions with the ball. Again in the second I would've but too many bad decisions for the first.

Manti is shockingly naive to outsiders but has had to grow up a lot from Dec. - Feb. Menatal toughness is not gonna be a downfall but ability to shed blo9ckers will be. He needs to be bigger and make football his life. For all his success football has never been his whole life, he now will be expected to make it his life.

Good point, even if Dirty Sanchez is around he is absolutely horrible, Smith should be able to beat him out no problem, if they don't cut him before the preseason starts.

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To start the third day of the draft, the Eagles traded to the top of round four to get USC quarterback Matt Barkley.

Coach Chip Kelly thereafter raved about Barkley.

“I’m going to steal a quote from [former Cleveland Browns head coach] Sam Rutigliano and he used to say, ‘With a quarterback, it’s like a tea bag,” Kelly told reporters. “You don’t know what you have until you put it in hot water.’

“The first time I saw Matt Barkley, he was a true freshman and he came into Autzen Stadium which is one of the toughest places to play in the world and it didn’t faze him a bit. Matt Barkley was never a freshman, there was just a poise about him, there was a calm about him – those intangible qualities that you really look for. It’s tough to quantify. There’s not a test for it.

“Over the course of time, when you watched him play, he’s played through all different sorts of scenarios at USC. He’s just always stood tall and when you meet him, you interview him at the Combine, there were a couple kids at the Combine that just were kind of off the charts when we interviewed them. Two of them we had the opportunity to take. Bennie Logan was one of them and Matt Barkley. You came out of there and you were like, ‘Wow. That guy is impressive.’ He’s a competitor, he’s been in big games all through high school and all through college. He’s handled everything the right way. I just talked to him on the phone when we drafted him. I think a lot of people, you could say, ‘What’s their attitude going to be like?’ He was like, ‘It’s a dream come true.’ I loved competing against him and we’re real excited to have him on our team now.”

Mike Vick may not be as excited, since he still considers “our team” to be “my team.” Either way, “their team” now has five quarterbacks.

“I think every team in football is going to go to camp with five guys,” Kelly said. “I’m kind of confused when people keep saying that you have a lot of quarterbacks. I think everybody in the NFL goes to camp with five guys. Are we going to keep five during the season? Absolutely not. There’s going to have to be cut down at some point in time. There’s no reason when your roster for preseason camp is 90 to not have five quarterbacks.”

The only one of the five who is virtually certain to have a roster spot come September is Barkley.

[PETE'S BROTHER]

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Lol, I love it, that is some funny shit right there!

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The fallout from Geno Smith’s round one free-fall continues.

Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal reports that Smith, the 39th overall pick in the draft, has parted ways with his agents at Select Sports Group. After the five-day waiting period expires, Smith will be free to hire new representation.

Upon hearing the news, we assumed that the agents hadn’t properly prepared Smith for the possibility that he wouldn’t be selected in the first round. Given that the most important job for any agent in the weeks preceding the draft is to properly set the client’s expectations, failure to hammer into Smith’s head the chance that he’ll spend all of Thursday night in the green room at Radio City Music Hall would be enough to prompt a change.

But that’s not what happened, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Per Mehta, Smith fired his agents because he believed he “would be and should be” the first overall pick in the draft. Surely, the agents weren’t telling Smith he would be the first pick in the draft.

If that’s what Smith believed, he either didn’t listen to his agents, or he chose to listen to someone else more. (Smith has since told SiriusXM NFL Radio that the decision had nothing to do with the draft process. He declined to elaborate.)

Agents have only limited influence over a player’s draft stock, even though some agents try much harder than others to improve it. Ultimately, Smith ended up being the 39th overall pick because the teams took other players with the first 38, due to needs or perceptions or whatever.

While it’s possible that the agents could have persuaded another team selecting higher than 39 to take Smith, the notion (if true) that Smith thought he “would be and should be” the first overall pick suggests that Smith simply ignored whatever he was being told about the fact that the Chiefs weren’t going to take him at No. 1 and that no one else was trading up to do it — no matter how hard the Chiefs tried to generate interest by leaking the idea that they are “fascinated” by Smith.

Regardless of the reason for making a change, doing it in the immediate aftermath of the draft creates the impression that he did it in reaction to his failure to be drafted higher. And that means there’s now even more reason to believe that Smith will have a hard time handling adversity in the NFL and dealing with the intense scrutiny and criticism of the New York media.