2013 NFL Mock Draft

 Less than 24 hours away and I have finally completed my mock draft. I’ve tinkering with this for about a week now, and the Jet’s acquisition of the 13^th overall pick threw a bit of a kink in the situation, but here it is. Enjoy!

Andy Reid has the first overall pick and he only drafts
players who weigh more than him in the first round.
That only leaves a few players on his draft board.

1. Kansas City: OT Luke Joeckel Texas A&M

There is a good chance Eric Fisher goes here, but I am siding with the more ready to start prospect, especially since the Chiefs are likely to trade their current left tackle, Branden Albert. Andy Reid pretty much never takes anything besides offensive and defensive lineman in the first round, so that basically makes this pick a competition between Joeckel, Fisher, and Sharrif Floyd.

2. Jacksonville: DT Sharrif Floyd Florida

There is a lot of speculation that this pick will either be used on Geno Smith or Dion Jordan. I will rule out Smith right away simply because I do not think that they are ready to give up on Blaine Gabbert, although they really should. Jordan is an extremely talented player, but I have a hard time figuring out how he would fit in a 4-3 defense. I think he will end up being mostly looked at as a 3-4 outside linebacker. Floyd on the other hand is one of the most dominant interior lineman we have seen in the last few years. The Jags lost Terrance Knighton to the Broncos, who has been a solid starter for the last four seasons, so DT is a clear need for this team.

3. Oakland: CB Dee Milliner Alabama

Did the Raiders sign both Tracy Porter and Mike Jenkins in free agency? Yes. Does that really solve their issues in their defensive backfield? No. Porter and Jenkins are both marginal starters at best. The Raiders will have to line up against Peyton Manning twice a year with his new trio of dangerous receivers. This might be a bit of a reach for Milliner, but the guy has size, speed, and incredible college productivity while playing for Alabama, which is basically a NFL minor league team. With every team in the league looking for a guy like this, I really don’t believe that he is too much of a reach here, although the Raiders will push hard to get out of this pick.

4. Philadelphia: OT Eric Fisher Central Michigan

The Eagles’ offensive line was atrocious last season. They need upgrades at almost every position. With Chip Kelly’s high octane offensive coming to town, he needs offensive lineman in great physically shape. Fisher is the most athletic offensive lineman in this draft so this is all around a perfect fit. Look for teams to try to trade up with the Raiders to grab Fisher before the Eagles get him.

5. Detriot: DE Ezekiel Ansah BYU

If this is how the draft falls, the Lions will look to get out of this pick. They are praying that either Milliner or Fisher fall to them, both of whom would fill huge needs for them. If they get stuck with this pick, I see them taking the most intriguing edge rusher in this draft. Ansah has very little football experience, but his potential is off the charts. In a draft with so few clear all stars, Ansah will fly up the draft boards. 

Darrelle Revis: A Buc Killer

The Bucs have landed another playmaker in the back end of
their defense, but is Darrelle Revis worth his new contract?

The Bucs may have managed to give up less than the Jets wanted to acquire Revis, but it is his new hefty contract that could cause a lot of headaches in years to come. People will say that this is a great contract for the Bucs, but I think otherwise. Paying $16 million dollars a year for a corner back is ludicrous. Even if Revis is back to 100%, this is too much money for any defensive player. The NFL is a league in which you need a quarterback to win, and since winning quarterbacks cost around $17-20 million to retain, that does not leave much money for the other 52 players on the roster.

I strongly believe that Revis is the most dominant defensive player in the league, but with the majority of teams running some form of the spread offense, shutting down one offensive player does not have the effect that it used to. Teams will still be able to throw away from Revis, like they did for years playing against a once dominant Nnamdi Asomugha in Oakland.

Technically, there is no guaranteed money in Revis’ new contract, but since the Bucs gave up two high picks for him, there is almost no situation in which he is not on the team for the next two seasons, even if he is plagued by injuries and/or inconsistency. In that case, there is almost an assumed guaranteed $32 million. After those first two years, the Bucs will then still be paying a 30 year old player $16 million a season if they want him to stay on the team. 

Valentine's Day: NFL Style

With a ton of high priced free agents about to hit the open market, I thought it would be fun to try to pair these guys with some intriguing suitors for a Valentine's Day special. Here goes nothing.

Mike Wallace sprints to the Panthers, giving Cam Newton a long term answer at wide receiver:
Maybe this is just me dreaming of fantasy football season already, but this is the type of move that the Panthers need to make to help Newton develop. As I've said all along, they made a huge mistake by trying to surround him with as many high priced running backs as possible when the NFL has transformed into a pass happy league, and it has really hurt the entire team. Steve Smith has been clamoring for the Panthers to add other receiver for about half a decade, now it is time that they do so.

Greg Jennings pulls a Brett Favre and jumps town for the Vikings and some payback:
With Percy Harvin all but gone, the Vikings biggest weakness is about to get even bigger. Adding Jennings would give the Vikings a savvy veteran to help a group of young receivers. Christian Ponder really struggled without Harvin the second half of the season and he would certainly go gaga for Jennings. This could become a couple that the Packers fear for years to come.

Wes Welker stays with his Brady-boy:
Has there been a more productive couple over the last six seasons? Not even close. Welker is not 100 catch guy on any other team. Tom Brady would not be nearly as productive without this guy being about as reliable as they come. He has gotten a lot of flack for dropping passes over the last few years, but he is still one of the best in the business and he deserves to be paid like one. Despite my hatred of the Patriots, it would be a shame to see these two apart for the end of their careers.

Reggie Bush might be the Packers missing piece to get back to the Super Bowl:
As bad as the Packers defense has been over the last two seasons, the run game has been equally horrendous. They have not had a legit rushing threat since Ryan Grant was in his prime. Just imagine how dangerous Aaron Rodgers could be if he could check down to a guy like Bush. These two could be scary good together.

Dwight Freeney and Chandler Jones would be the best pass rushing duo in the NFL:
This combo would once again make the Patriots the favorite to win the Super Bowl. This is a move that just makes too much sense to not happen. Freeney is an undervalued asset after a couple of rough years, and Bill Belichick loves a good deal.

Is Joe Flacco Elite?

Joe Flacco got rid of his moronic mustache and
then won a Super Bowl. Coincident, I think not.

The short answer, no. Now here is the long answer.

This will be a question that rages on all offseason long. With Flacco's contract up, he will certain want to be paid like he is elite after one of the most impressive runs by a quarterback in playoff history. However, I do not think it would be wise for any team to pay him with the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, and I truly doubt the Ravens will make that mistake.

The conversation on Flacco's worth might rage on for another year or more because it is likely that the two sides do not find any common ground in their contract negotiations and Flacco gets the Franchise Tag for one more season before he is handed the elite money he desires.

Back to the question at hand. Let's start with what it means to be an elite quarterback. To be an elite quarterback, you must be the unquestioned leader of your team, you must be able to win by putting your team on your back, and you must make the players around you better. Has Flacco done all of that through the last four playoffs games? Absolutely. However, to be considered elite, you must do all of those things consistently. Four games, no matter how important those four games are, should not quiet the questions about Flacco's wild inconsistencies that he has shown throughout his career.

The Harbaul Prediction

John and Jim Harbaugh are the first siblings to
ever face off against each other in a Super Bowl.

In case you haven't heard, the two Harbuagh brothers, John and Jim (good luck keeping them straight) are coaching against one another in Super Bowl XLVII.  Then again, if you didn't know that, you aren't the type of person that would be reading a blog like this one, now would you?

For 20 weeks of football, the OXen have picked against one another.  However, with just one game and a mutual agreement on the winner (which is good for Austen, as he won't fall farther behind in a playoff in which he's 2-8 in Pick 'Em), it's unfair to force one guy to go with the other team.

Here are a few factors that we will try to predict to see who might have more insight on this game:

-Winning Team
-Score and Spread
-Game MVP