Anthony Broome’s 2014 NFL Draft Mock 1.0, Part One

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We are quickly approaching the 2014 NFL Draft, and there are no shortage of storylines, rising prospects, and players that have fallen to the depths of draft boards across the league.

With it being the prime time for mock draft season, I’ve decided to throw myself into the mix and give my picks for the first half of round one, with picks 17-32 coming in the next few days. Check it out after the jump!

1. Houston Texans: Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida

The Texans have moved on from Matt Schaub and brought in Bill O’Brien, a quarterback mentor by trade, to be their head coach. New regimes generally mean new quarterbacks, and while Bortles is not my top-ranked quarterback, he seems to be a good fit for O’Brien’s system and there is a ton of mutual interest here. There’s also the chance they go with defensive end Jadaveon Clowney here, who, paired with JJ Watt, would create one of the most feared defensive lines in all of football.

2. St. Louis Rams: Khalil Mack, OLB/DE, Buffalo

Mack is a versatile pass-rushing hybrid player that the Rams have fallen in love with. Personally, I’d go Sammy Watkins here to give Sam Bradford another weapon to work with, but Jeff Fisher and the Rams would love the chance to pair Mack with their defensive ends Robert Quinn and Chris Long.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars: Jadaveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina

The Jags need talent desperately, and for a team that was one of the worst teams in the league in terms of sacks last season, why not go for the most talented pass rusher in this class? Clowney could go number one, so if he falls to this spot, Jacksonville most definitely should take a shot with him.

4. Cleveland Browns: Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M

The biggest thing that that links to real-life Browns to the version portrayed in the film “Draft Day” is that this franchise needs to make a big splash this off-season. They’ve had some good pickups in free agency on defense, but now it’s time to focus on a position that has been a giant revolving door for years. Manziel is both a sexy pick because of the buzz and has the talent to back it up.

5. Oakland Raiders: Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn

The Raiders have their quarterback (at least, they think) in Matt Schaub, and now it’s up to them to give him some protection, whether that be in the form of an offensive tackle or a weapon in Sammy Watkins, but I’ll give them Robinson here. He could play right tackle off the bat and slide over to the blind side in time, and it would be a safe and effective move from Oakland, something we aren’t used to seeing.

6. Atlanta Falcons: Anthony Barr, OLB/DE, UCLA

The Falcons are in desperate need of a pass-rusher, so Barr is the pick here. They would love to see Khalil Mack fall to them here, but I don’t see that happening. Barr has dropped on some people’s boards, but I am still confident he is a top-ten talent.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State

The Bucs would love for Johnny Football to fall to them here, as reports have surfaced lately that Lovie Smith likes the idea of him in Tampa Bay. Well, he’s not, but it clearly shows that the new regime is not all that sold on Mike Glennon as a franchise signal-caller, and many teams have Carr as the second-best QB on their board.

8. Minnesota Vikings: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville

The Christian Ponder-Matt Cassel era in Minnesota has been a disaster. Bridgewater, who was once considered the consensus top-quarterback available, has plummeted down boards recently, but I’m not sure why. While some would consider this a reach, the Vikings would get good value with this pick and would surround him with playmakers on offense like Adrian Peterson, Kyle Rudolph, Greg Jennings, and Cordarrelle Patterson.

9. Buffalo Bills: Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson

This one is painful for me to write, because as a Detroit Lions fan, I’d love to see this player drop one more slot to tenth overall, but he is simply too good to pass up for the Bills here, even with them needing offensive line help. They have their quarterback of the future in EJ Manuel, and now they give him perhaps the most talented player in the draft in Watkins.

10. Detroit Lions: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M

As I stated above, the Lions are smitten with Watkins and are a definite candidate to trade up for him, but Evans here would be more than just a consolation prize. The gap between Watkins and Evans is not as wide as some say. While many think that the Lions have addressed their wide receiver need with the signing of Golden Tate, they still need a tall deep threat opposite Calvin Johnson. Evans would fill that void and more.

11. Tennessee Titans: Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State

The Titans lost Alterraun Verner to the Bucs, so this is a position they need to fill early in this draft. Gilbert is a top-ten talent, but is being pushed down because of quarterback-needy teams at the top of the draft.

12. New York Giants: Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh

The Giants are known for their excellent defensive line, but in looking over their roster, the only defensive tackle I saw that I’ve ever heard of was Cullen Jenkins. Donald would be a good pickup for them, as he is a rising prospect in this class.

13. St. Louis Rams: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State

The Rams’ second pick of the first round stays on the defensive side of the ball, where other teams in their division are building their teams.

14. Chicago Bears: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Safety, Alabama

The Bears need a definite upgrade on defense, namely at safety. Clinton-Dix gives them that and fantastic value with this pick at number-14 overall.

15. Pittsburgh Steelers: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina

Look at that. For the second year in a row, a top-ten talent falls to the Steelers in the middle of the draft. Last year, it was Jarvis Jones, and this year it’s Ebron. He is a Jimmy Graham-esque type of talent, and the Steelers would love to have him in the mix on offense.

16. Dallas Cowboys: Kony Ealy, DE/OLB, Missouri

Dallas is desperate for pass rushers in the wake of cutting ties with DeMarcus Ware. Kony Ealy is a reach here, but need outweighs value in this scenario.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for picks 17-32 in the coming days!