Post Combine Mock Draft V 1.0 (Round 1)

1 - KC: Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
Now that KC has their QB in Alex Smith, QB will not be the pick here. My pick here is assuming that they lose Branden Albert and keep Dwayne Bowe. Fisher has been skyrocketing up draft boards and has as much potential as anyone in the draft. If I were KC though, I'd want to move back and get better value for one of the 3-4 DE's, guards or WR's (especially if I can't get Bowe)

2 - JAX: Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
Jacksonville needs an impact player very badly. They may have the most talent deplete roster in the NFL. With no great number quarterbacks in this draft, they may set themselves back more by taking a chance on one than they would taking a guy that was a chance to make a real impact and maybe resigning themselves to another rebuilding year under Gus Bradley. They NEEED pass rush. There are few dominant 4-3 ends in this draft but Dion Jordan may star as the LEO in Bradley's system.

3 - OAK: Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
Another guy that has really helped himself through this whole process, Sharrif Floyd looks like the second coming of Warren Sapp at the three tech position. He could very well be the most dominant DT for years to come. Great agility, power, and quickness.

4 - PHI: Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
With a weak class of skill players, I foresee linemen dominating the early portion of this draft. The Eagles have some big question marks on their line and they'll need some major talent and athleticism at the tackle positions to execute Chip Kelly's schemes. Joeckel it is - could be Lane Johnson too after his beast of a combine. If they drop Asomugha they could go the other way with Dee Milliner here.

5 - DET: Bjoern Werner, DE, Florida State
Detroit will lose Cliff Avril and will need to replace a D end. Again, it's a little tricky here as the guys that project to 4-3 ends have not had a great pre-draft showing. However, I expect them to go with Werner who could develop into a perennial starter (probably not a dominant end though).

6 - CLE: Matt Barkley, QB, USC
Word on the street is that Cleveland is not happy with the long term prospects of Brandon Weeden. They have their pick of this weak quarterback class and they're going to take the guy with the most polish. People may second guess this pick but I think Matt Barkley is the most proven commodity with the best chance to be the answer in Cleveland. He may lack the upside of a Geno Smith, but the transition to the pro game should be easier for him.

7 - ARI: Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia
These could potentially flip flop, I'm not sure. But if we know one thing about Bruce Arians, we know that he values arm strength in his quarterbacks. Matt Barkley is not that guy. Geno Smith is more of that guy. The Cardinals also have issues with their OL so Lane Johnson again could be the pick here. But I'm going QB. They missed on Alex Smith and won't get Flynn (intradivision guys) so who's left?

8 - BUF: Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
Jarvis Jones continues to slide due to injury concerns and fit issues. Many expected Milliner to be off the board by now but he would make a great addition to any defense and would give Buffalo two young corners to build around.

9 - NYJ: Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia
And Jarvis Jones falls right into the lap of the Jets - a perfect selection for them. He fits their 3-4 and immediately upgrades their shabby pass rush. The Jets possibly come away with either the biggest draft day steal or a dud - nothing in his recent history that suggests he's prone to injury though.

10 - TEN: Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri
Thanks to Lotulelei's heart condition and desperation for a quarterback, the Titans find themselves picking from a great group of DL prospects. Sheldon Richardson is the popular pick here and I'm sticking with him.

11 - SD: Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
San Diego needs line help baaadddlllyyyy. A few weeks ago it appeared that the value for that may not be great here. But with Lane Johnson really separating himself in the combine and the Senior Bowl, he's raised his perceived value a ton. I go with Lane Johnson here to give Rivers some time to throw the ball for once.

12 - MIA: Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
Everyone knows that Miami is in desperate need of a receiver. Hartline stepped up for much of the season but even he may be gone. None of the WR's really jumped off the screen at the combine, but Patterson ran very well and showed what we already know about him - he's raw but he has by far the most upside potential at the position.

13 - TB: Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington
Who knows, maybe Talib finds himself back in a Bucs uniform? But we know that Greg Schiano values character and Young Tru has that in spades. He proved himself at the Senior Bowl and at the combine and is quickly rising up draft boards.

14 - CAR: Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
Carolina needs a new Kris Jenkins and what do you know, I have one right here. Star's medical scare causes him to fall all the way down to the Panthers at number 14. He has crazy power, quickness and explosion. He can be a game changer for a very weak Carolina line.

15 - NO: Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU
With the hiring of Rob Ryan in NOLA, the Saints must get an impact 3-4 rush OLB in this draft. Cameron Jordan was very effective from the 4-3 end spot last year but with a new scheme, we don't know how this will affect his production. Mingo seems tailor made for the 3-4 olb spot and had a great combine showing his speed, quickness, and fluidity. A great pick here for the Saints.

16 - STL: Kenny Vaccaro, SS, Texas
All of this fantastic guard class is still on the board, but the Rams are in desperate need of a playmaker in the secondary. Vaccaro is just that guy and the Rams will snatch him up here.

17 - PIT: Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama
This was a very hard pick for me to project. The Steelers could use a 3-4 OLB (the elite ones are mostly off the board unless they want to convert Ziggy Ansah), a WR, to get younger at safety, a DT, or an RB. There's not a whole of great value here for those needs. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they want Casey Hampton's eventual replacement in Jesse Williams, a freakishly strong NT that can dominant C's and OG's with some training.

18 - DAL: Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
The Cowboys have to be jumping for joy here as some of the best guard prospects in recent history are still available to them. They go Chance Warmack and get a potential future Hall of Famer at guard.

19 - NYG: Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU
Even after a great combine and Senior Bowl (game, not practice), Ansah is still available at 19. A lot of teams have questions about where he fits and if he can be a dominant 4-3 end. But the potential is definitely there. They're going to need more production there as they age at the end position. Ansah could be the ansah - couldn't resist.

20 - CHI: Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina
If Trestman is ever going to get Jay Cutler to take the next step, he's going to need to keep him off his ass. The first round talent at OT is mostly gone but there remains a top 10 guy at guard in Jonathan Cooper. Not the sexiest pick but it should be a good one.

21 - CIN: D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama
Like Pittsburgh, this was a really tough one for me to project. I'm going to project that Andre Smith leaves in free agency and that the Bengals get younger with DJ Fluker.

22 - STL: Keenan Allen, WR, California
St. Louis desperately needs an upgrade at the WR position. Their defense is nearing elite but their offense is far from it. For Bradford to really progress as a quarterback he needs good targets to throw to. Allen is among the most reliable of targets and gives them a big upgrade.

23 - MIN: Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia
With Percy Harvin being a complete head case, the Vikings can grab a guy with a similar skillset in Tavon Austin and allow Christian Ponder to keep throwing the bubble screen and the checkdown to make it seem as though they have a passing game. Now it looks like Harvin may not be gone next season, but he'll be gone soon.

24 - IND: Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State
Xavier Rhodes lost his spot as a the number 2 corner due to Trufant's rising up the boards. But Indy needs help at the posiion and Rhodes is a good value play here.

25 - SEA: Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame
I've been following the Seahawks prospects closely. They have quite a few choices here that they could go with that fit needs: Datone Jones, Alec Ogletree, Sly Williams, Kawann Short. But, actually, I go a totally different direction. The Seahawks need a big target and Tyler Eifert is an elite tight end. He can be a factor in the run game and can also be moved all around the field. They'll get an interior defender later in this draft.

26 - GB: Matt Elam, SS, Florida
The Packers need to replace some safety play. Elam is more of an SS but could provide instant impact and provide a much more physical presence for Green Bay's defense.

27 - HOU: DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson
The Texans need a complementary target to Andre Johnson in the passing game. Johnson isn't getting any younger either. Hopkins may not be a blazer but he's the most NFL ready of the bunch. Great route running and solid hands.

28 - DEN: Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina
Great defensive line talent in this draft and the Broncos grab a potentially great one in Sly Williams.

29 - NE: Kawann Short, DT, Purdue
The combine spoiled the Tavon Austin to New England train as his stock got a huge boost. Makes this a harder spot to project. They need some more reliable line play and Kawann Short can be a great interior presence.

30 - ATL: Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford
They need a new Tony Gonzalez, whether or not he gives them one more year. Zach Ertz has great athleticism and can grow into something special.

31 - SF: Brandon Williams, DT, Missouri Southern State
They desperately need more depth at DL. Justin Smith's injury completely changed their defense. They keep pulling out of the deep well of DT's and pull out Brandon Williams - a massive D.2 guy who can move.

32 - BAL: Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU
No one's gonna stake their job on Manti Te'o. Minter had a good combine and will get the call in the first round.