2013 NFL Mock Draft: Pre-Senior Bowl Selections

The Senior Bowl is Jan. 26, and multiple players have moved up and down the NFL mock draft board.

Teams are starting to narrow down their absolute needs while also breaking down more and more film of the top prospects.

Here's a look at my selections prior to the Senior Bowl.

1. Kansas City Chiefs—Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M

The Chiefs do need a quarterback, but they also need help in a lot of other areas. Joeckel is the best player available in this year's draft and will be able to provide the type of protection needed for any quarterback behind him. 

2. Jacksonville Jaguars—Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia

The Jaguars need help all over the field. Smith would not only be a potential franchise quarterback, but he would bring excitement back into the stadium. Imagine pairing him with Maurice Jones-Drew. Talk about two threats in the backfield. 

3. Oakland Raiders—Star Lotulelei, NT, Utah

Lotulelei doesn't get the credit he deserves in the middle of the defense, but he could be an unstoppable force at the next level. Oakland is in need of some serious help on its defensive line, and Lotulelei fits the build of what the team needs.

4. Philadelphia Eagles—Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama

The fourth spot may be a bit of a reach for Milliner, but there is no offensive lineman left worth taking at this spot. The secondary has some major issues, especially at cornerback. Once thought to be one of the best duos in the NFL, Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie struggled this year. New blood is needed there.

5. Detroit Lions—Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia

The defensive line looks good, but the linebackers got exposed this year for the Lions. Jones is the perfect player to fit into that role, as he can not only get out in coverage, but can also get to the quarterback.

6. Cleveland Browns—Bjoern Werner, DE/OLB, Florida State

The Browns have multiple holes as well, but someone who can get to the quarterback has to be priority No. 1. Werner is still wet behind the ears when it comes to football, but his raw talent is worth taking at this spot.

7. Arizona Cardinals—Tyler Wilson, QB, Arkansas

Quarterback is a major issue that needs to be addressed in Arizona. Had Wilson come out of Arkansas last year, he would have easily been a top-10 pick. However, this year he struggled, thanks in large part to a horrible offensive line. Wilson is still a good quarterback and can be a franchise one at that.

8. Buffalo Bills—Matt Barkley, QB, Southern California

Matt Barkley is another one of those guys who would have been a high pick coming out of college last year. Like Wilson, he struggled for most of the year.

Buffalo needs to have a leader in the huddle, and it isn't Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not many quarterbacks have gotten a long-term deal after playing a few good games. Fitzpatrick is one of them, but he showed how mediocre he really was after signing his deal.

While it is a reach here to grab Barkley, there's no other route the Bills should go.

9. New York Jets—Damontre Moore, DE/OLB, Texas A&M

There is the temptation to put another quarterback here, but Rex Ryan is likely to stick with Mark Sanchez another year, so the Jets will have to focus on defense. Moore is a hybrid-type linebacker and can either get to the quarterback or fall back in coverage. 

10. Tennessee Titans—Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama

How many times did we have to listen to Chris Johnson complain about how he was doing his job and others weren't doing their job? By selecting Warmack, that will solve one piece of the puzzle and help the Titans lock up the middle.

Johnson shouldn't be complaining any in 2013. If he fails to get the yards, it won't be because he didn't have the blocking. 

11. San Diego Chargers—Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan

San Diego has also lacked a running game, but that has been mainly due to a weak offensive line. Last year, the Chargers ranked 27th running the ball and will address that through the draft. Fisher is the perfect guy to slot into one of the tackle positions, helping get the running game back on track.

12. Miami Dolphins—Keenan Allen, WR, California

The Dolphins seem to have all the pieces in place, except for a few. They lost two games in overtime and three more by seven points or less. Having a true No. 1 receiver is going to be one of the focuses for the Dolphins this offseason. Allen has shown he can be a No. 1 in college. All he needs is a decent quarterback throwing him the ball.

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers—Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State

The Buccaneers got torched through the air last year, allowing a league-worst 297.4 yards per game. Both corner spots have to be fixed, which is why they will select Rhodes here. Rhodes is very physical, which is something head coach Greg Schiano loves in his players. 

14. Carolina Panthers—Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri

No "old-man football" in Carolina. Richardson would bring toughness in the middle of the defensive line and would be a perfect compliment to Charles Johnson on the outside. Carolina allowed over 110 yards rushing per game and will be even better with Richardson in the middle.

15. New Orleans Saints—Manti Te'o, ILB, Notre Dame

The Saints struggled on defense last year. While they do have Curtis Lofton and Jonathan Vilma, the Saints need a linebacker who can actually do something in coverage. Enter Te'o, who was one of the nation's leaders in interceptions. He has great vision of the field and would bring a lot to the team on and off the field.

16. St. Louis Rams—Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma

The Rams shined at times in 2012, but you wondered if they knew the basics of the game at other times. Johnson will help the Rams improve their rushing totals from a year ago, as they ranked 19th in the league with 107.1 per game.

17. Pittsburgh Steelers—Barkevious Mingo, OLB, LSU

The Steelers also need help at wide receiver, but drafting one here would be too far of a reach. The Steelers' linebackers are aging, and it's time for some young talent to be brought in. Mingo has a motor on him and would be in line with head coach Mike Tomlin's "all-out" philosophy.

18. Dallas Cowboys—Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

The Cowboys struggled to create pressure from the edge and Jordan would be able to provide that.

Standing at 6'7" and 243 pounds, he doesn't have a lot of weight on him and will still have to put on a few pounds to succeed at the end position in the NFL. However, he has the speed, and that's exactly what the Cowboys need.

19. New York Giants—Alec Ogletree, ILB, Georgia

The Giants' biggest need is at the middle linebacker position. Ogletree was stout in his time at Georgia as he was in on just about every play. He does come with a few issues from his time at Georgia, but that's nothing that a little leadership from a few veterans can't fix.

20. Chicago Bears—Kevin Minter, ILB, LSU

The Bears won't be too happy about Ogletree being taken off the board, but they're going to stick with getting help on the inside by selecting Minter. He racked up 130 tackles this year for the Tigers, including 15 tackles for loss.

21. Cincinnati Bengals—Sam Montgomery, DE, LSU

The Bengals are another one of those teams that needs help on the edge with the rush. With that being one of their biggest needs, they'll reach a little for Montgomery. However, the player they would get is a player that is so quick off the ball, teams struggle to get him stopped.

While he'll have to work a little more at his craft in the NFL, Montgomery could develop into one of the best defensive-end prospects from this year's draft.

22. St. Louis Rams (traded from Washington)—Eric Reid, FS, LSU

The Rams get to address another need in the first round, this time with the product from LSU. Reid was a first-team All-American this year and could flat out do everything asked of him at his position.

23. Minnesota Vikings—Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee

Quarterback Christian Ponder needs someone to throw the ball to other than Percy Harvin. Patterson has great speed and route-running abilities to fill that hole for the Vikings.

24. Indianapolis Colts—Jesse Williams, DT, Alabama

The Colts surprised many with their play this year, but the defense is what ended up costing them. Williams can be a staple in the middle for the next decade for the Colts, as some of the defensive linemen are starting to see age creep up on them.

25. Seattle Seahawks—Johnathan Hankins, DT, Ohio State

Hankins just takes up space in the middle, which is something teams in the NFC West need. The Seahawks have no real legitimate starters in the middle, and Hankins could take a starting position out of training camp.

26. Green Bay Packers—Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame

Jermichael Finley likely won't be back with the Packers next year, so Aaron Rodgers is going to need a new tight end. Enter the best tight end in the country, and you have a match made in heaven. Eifert has the ability to not only come off the line, but he can also be inserted into the slot and have a lot of success.

27. Houston Texans—Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU

J.J. Watt is one of the few players in the NFL that can get constant pressure on the quarterback. However, when there is nobody of consequence on the other side, teams can just focus on you. Enter Ansah, who can help free up Watt and get to the quarterback himself.

28. Denver Broncos—Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida

What was a major strength in 2011 was found to be a weakness in 2012. While no game-changing cornerbacks will be available here for the Broncos, they can still make a huge improvement to their defense by drafting Sharrif Floyd. He'll be able to stuff runs up the middle and will allow the Denver defensive ends to do their job a little better.

29. New England Patriots—Matt Elam, SS, Florida

The Patriots don't have any stars on their team, they all just buy into the system. The cornerback situation is good, but the Patriots need help at safety. Elam has the ability to not only provide great coverage deep, but can also lay the big hit on a receiver coming across the middle.

30. Atlanta Falcons—Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford

This is one of the tougher selections, but with Tony Gonzalez likely retiring, the Falcons have to find a tight end to replace him, as that position is important in the Atlanta offense.  

Ertz has the same build as Gonzalez and can go up and get the ball when it's thrown his way. His blocking leaves a lot to be desired, but that's something that can be fixed with good coaching.

31. Baltimore Ravens—Jonathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina

One would think that with Ray Lewis retiring, the Ravens would need to address the linebacking situation. However, Danelle Ellerby has shown he can man that position. The Ravens do need more depth on the offensive line, though. Joe Flacco has shown he can fling the ball around, he just needs a little more time. Jonathan Cooper can help provide the depth needed to allow that to happen.

32. San Francisco 49ers—DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Clemson

The 49ers will look to add another playmaker to their offense via the draft. With LaMichael James already on the roster, San Francisco will look more towards a guy that can slot in as the No. 2 receiver next to Michael Crabtree. DeAndre Hopkins has good hands and would be a great addition to the roster.