2014 NFL Mock Draft – 2nd Edition
Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports
25) San Diego – Cameron Irving OT – Florida St.
San Diego finds an elite prospect to team up with their already solidified right tackle in D.J. Fluker. Fluker has played beyond want analysts thought he would reach in his rookie season and will only continue to improve. With Rivers and the offense having the year they have had, I can only imagine one of their priorities is to keep it going and Irving will give them another bookend tackle to solidify their line.
previous pick – Justin Gilbert CB – Oklahoma St.
26) Cleveland Browns via Indianapolis Colts – Kelvin Benjamin WR – Florida St.
Cleveland picked up their quarterback of the future with their first pick and address their number two wide receiver with the second. Cleveland already has an elite number one with Josh Gordon and a breakout tight end with Jordan Cameron. Adding a tall possession receiver would round out their offense nicely and give Carr all the weapons he’ll need to succeed.
27) New Orleans Saints – Ra’Shede Hageman DT – Minnesota
The Saints should be shocked that a prospect like Hageman has fallen this far. Hageman is a monster on the defensive line and I can see Rob Ryan salivating as I write this. Ra’Shede is a converted tight end with elite athleticism and surprising strength. He’s tall for the position so if he gets under your pads, he’s likely to lift you right into the air and should be responsible for a decent amount of tipped passes.
28) San Francisco 49ers – Trent Murphy DE – Stanford
Who knows how long the 49ers are going to put up with Aldon Smith or how long it’s going to take for him to be deemed ready to play. Until that decision is made, the 49ers are going to need help with their pass rush. Trent Murphy lead the PAC-12 in sacks and was a consensus All-American in 2013.
29) New England Patriots – Eric Ebron TE – North Carolina
New England does lack depth all over the defense but it’s been apparent that even with defensive shortcomings, all this team needs is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick to contend for the playoffs. Gronkowski has been injured once again and Aaron Hernandez has been missing for months. It’s almost as if he’s been locked in a cage somewhere! Anyway, Ebron is my personal favorite tight end in the draft because he’s not only very fast and a reliable pass catcher but he’s also been lauded for his blocking ability. An underrated trait for entering tight ends.
30) Carolina Panthers – Kyle Van Noy DE/OLB – BYU
Ziggy Ansah got a lot of attention last year come draft time but it’s Kyle Van Noy who led that defense without question. Ansah had 4.5 sacks while Van Noy had 13. He also had 53 tackles, 22 for a loss, six fumbles, five passes defended, and two interceptions. While he didn’t reach the same number of sacks this year, Van Noy was no less disruptive for opponents. The Panthers improve to an already excellent defense.
31) Denver Broncos – Aaron Colvin CB – Oklahoma
Denver’s offense has been one for the ages but like New England, their defense has holes all over. Champ Bailey, though still better than many corners, is quite obviously no longer in his prime. Bailey gets a protege in Colvin and Denver helps to solidify their secondary.
32) Seattle Seahawks – Cyril Richardson OG – Baylor
The Seahawks have one of the deepest rosters in the NFL which has no doubt helped them to get where they are today. With their first pick, they continue to add quality depth with Cyril Richardson. Richardson is the best guard in the draft and also has experience playing at left tackle.