2014 RotoRob NFL Mock Draft: Vaney
Maybe Jake Matthews can help Sam Bradford succeed. (Clevelandsportschat.com)
Josh Johnson already checked in with his Mock Draft; now it’s time to see how Vaney Hariri expects things to go.
First Round
1. Houston Texans — Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina Gamecocks: At this point, the Clowney hype is at critical mass, and anything less than a number one pick will be a scandal.
2. St. Louis Rams (via Washington Redskins) — Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M Aggies: We think Matthews has all the tools to keep Sam Bradford upright, but if he doesn’t, next year’s pick for the Rams may be a quarterback. The 2014 Texas A&M Athletics President’s Award winner (see video below) sounds like a great dude both on and off the field.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars — Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M Aggies: To be honest, the Jaguars brass could probably throw darts at their draft board and most likely come away with an upgrade, but if they take Manziel with the third pick as we suspect, it will go a long way towards showing their fan base and the league that they mean business.
4. Cleveland Browns — Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida Golden Knights: Cleveland’s need for a quarterback is clear and present, leaving it very little room to risk waiting until its next pick to get its guy. We think Bortles is the Browns’ guy.
5. Oakland Raiders — Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson Tigers: The Oakland Raiders pass on speed? We’ll believe it when we see it.
6. Atlanta Falcons — Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA Bruins: Barring a trade up to get Clowney, the Falcons will make division rivals take another look at their offensive lines with the selection of Barr.
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers– Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn Tigers: Tampa needs a lot of help and getting Robinson here might be the steal of the draft.
8. Minnesota Vikings — Khalil Mack, OLB, Buffalo Bulls: To be honest, the Vikings would be lucky if Mack fell even this far, but if he does, how can they afford to pass him up after losing Jared Allen to division rival Chicago?
9. Buffalo Bills — Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina Tar Heels: The Bills are going out of their way to make potential franchise quarterback E.J. Manuel feel comfortable in the pocket, and nothing will work better than to land him a 6’4″, 245-pound security blanket in tight end Ebron.
10. Detroit Lions — Hasean Clinton-Dix, FS, Alabama Crimson Tide: The Lions are looking to shore up what was once one of the league’s worst secondaries; adding this wide-ranged centre fielder will surely help.
11. Tennessee Titans — Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State Spartans: Losing Pro Bowler Alterraun Verner to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a pretty big blow, but trust us when we say that adding Dennard will soften it.
12. New York Giants — C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama Crimson Tide: Teamed up with Jon Beason, Mosley will run amok on opposing offenses next season if the Giants take him.
13. St. Louis Rams — Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M Aggies: It only makes sense that the Rams go with the big bodied Evans here. They already have the lightning (Tavon Austin) and Evans, who is a combination of Derrick Mason and Calvin Johnson, can be the thunder.
14. Chicago Bears — Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh Panthers: The Bears have always been known as a defensive team, but have not been nearly as dominant in recent years. A tandem like Jared Allen and Donald might get them back to the top of the mountain.
15. Pittsburgh Steelers — Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State Cowboys: The Steelers parted ways with long time starter Ryan Clark, and are now looking for youth at cornerback. Look no further than Gilbert — he is an absolute playmaker both at corner and in the return game.
16. Dallas Cowboys — Calvin Pryor, FS, Louisville Cardinals: With a new Defensive Coordinator in Rod Marinelli, the Cowboys are sure to employ less schemes than in previous years, which should make it even more likely that someone like Pryor can be a day one starter.
17. Baltimore Ravens — Marqise Lee, WR, Southern California Trojans: Lee would be a great fit for the Ravens, giving them something they haven’t had since losing three-time Pro Bowler Anquan Boldin — a sure-handed possession receiver that has an absolute gift for gaining yards after the catch.
18. New York Jets — Odell Beckham Jr., WR, Louisiana State Tigers: Picking up WR Eric Decker was a pretty good start to the Jets piecing together a respectable receiving corps and Beckham may be one of the last remaining pieces.
19. Miami Dolphins — Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan Wolverines: If Ryan Tannehill has any say (which we’re sure he doesn’t), he will definitely lobby for some additional O-line help considering he was the most sacked QB in the league by 10.
20. Arizona Cardinals — Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville Cardinals: With a 34-year-old starter in Carson Palmer, the Cardinals have to start looking for a replacement.
21. Green Bay Packers — Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Washington Huskies: Tight end play has been pretty poor as of late in Green Bay; look for the Pack to address this by selecting Seferian-Jenkins.
22. Philadelphia Eagles — Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State Buckeyes: It seems as Roby’s off field issues are finally starting to fade as the draft approaches, which should make him even more attractive to the Eagles who need a stronger secondary.
23. Kansas City Chiefs — Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State Beavers: Cooks in the hands of Coach Andy Reid is scary, just plain scary.
24. Cincinnati Bengals — Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri Tigers: The Bengals were able to extend the contract of Geno Atkins, which is great, but they also lost some talent on the defensive line. We suspect that they will replenish their ranks with the selection of Ealy.
25. San Diego Chargers — Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech Hokies: The Chargers have to upgrade at cornerback and Fuller should be the best available option.
26. Cleveland Browns — Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State Seminoles: Assuming the Browns already have their man at QB, they will need to add weapons and Benjamin is a weapon — especially in the red zone.
27. New Orleans Saints — Dee Ford, DE, Auburn Tigers: The signing of safety Jairus Byrd has helped to secure the top of the Saints defense and now they will look to shore up the edge with Ford.
28. Carolina Panthers — Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt Commodores: Long time Panther and team leader Steve Smith is now gone, leaving Carolina with the task of filling that void. The Panthers will hope that Matthews will do the trick.
29. New England Patriots — Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State Seminoles: The Patriots D-Line is getting a little long in the tooth, and it may be time to bring in some youth. We think Jernigan will fit in nicely.
30. San Francisco 49ers — Jason Verrett, CB, Texas Christian Horned Frogs: The San Francisco 49ers may have the most roster talent in the league, but you can never have too many corners. Verrett will be a nice addition.
31. Denver Broncos — Cyrus Kouandjio, OT, Alabama Crimson Tide: Keeping the old man (Peyton Manning) upright is always a priority, and considering he could make the popcorn vendor a Pro Bowl receiver, we think the Broncos will use this pick to protect Manning.
32. Seattle Seahawks — Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia Cavaliers: With most of the premier receivers expected to be taken at this point, this would be a great time to add depth to the Seahawks already beefy O-line.
Now it’s your turn. Let us know in the comments below what you think of Vaney’s prognostications.
