It’s been awhile since I’ve tackled a mock draft.  Now that free agency has played out to an extent and the combine and most pro days are in the books; the needs of each team are much clearer and it’s become easier to make educated guesses as to how these teams will address said needs come April.  So with that in mind, let’s take a look at my third go-round at mocking the 2013 NFL Draft; this time with the first-two rounds covered. 

1. Kansas City Chiefs: Luke Joeckel - Offensive Tackle, Texas A&M

The Chiefs already released Eric Winston, and now word has it they’re looking to trade Branden Albert as well.  If that’s the case, the Chiefs will need a new franchise tackle to protect Alex Smith.  Joeckel is the consensus No. 1 tackle available and a no-brainer, in my opinion. 

2. Jacksonville Jaguars: Dion Jordan - Defensive End/Outside Linebacker, Oregon

The Jaguars have a ton of needs they can address here at No. 2, but you have to believe that new head coach Gus Bradley (the former Seattle Seahawks’ defensive coordinator) will look to address the defense first.  Jordan is the best defensive player available in my opinion, and is the type of ultra-athletic and lengthy player Bradley loves.  This is a perfect fit and will instantly upgrade Jacksonville’s anemic defense. 

3. Oakland Raiders: Dee Milliner* - Cornerback, Alabama

New general manager Reggie Mckenzie knows what he’s doing.  Despite the large chunk of dead-cap money this year, the future is starting to look bright in Oakland.  The Raiders could look to go a number of directions with this pick, but they need a shutdown corner on defense and Milliner, the best corner in the draft; fits the bill perfectly. 

4. Philadelphia Eagles: Eric Fisher - Offensive Tackle, Central Michigan

No one knows how Jason Peters will perform once he finally returns from injury.  New head coach Chip Kelly’s fast-paced offense is dependant on quick, athletic tackles that can pull and get upfield.  Fisher is arguably just as talented as Joeckel and would really solidify the Eagles’ offensive line; whether that’s from the left or right side of the line. 

5. Detroit Lions: Lane Johnson - Offensive Tackle, Oklahoma

The Lions’ hands are sort of tied with this pick.  Because they lost Gosder Cherilus to free agency and Jeff Backus retired, Detroit is in desperate need of a tackle (or two).  There are three offensive tackles worthy of a top-10 pick, and Lane is likely to be the only one still available at No. 5.  While his upside isn’t as great as Joeckel or Fisher, Johnson is still a talented, franchise tackle that will anchor the Lions’ offensive line for years to come. 

6. Cleveland Browns: Ezekiel Ansah - Defensive End, BYU

The Browns would have liked to see Milliner fall to them at No. 6, but they really need help in the sack department and it’s incredibly hard to pass on a player with as much upside as Ziggy.  He can line up at defensive end or linebacker and cause serious problems for opposing offenses when paired with Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard.

7. Arizona Cardinals: Geno Smith - Quarterback, West Virginia

Is this the pick I would make if I was in charge in Arizona? Absolutely not.  But with all three “tier one” offensive tackles off the board, and a history of highly-questionable picks; it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if the Cardinals selected Smith, the best quarterback available, at No. 7 overall.

8. Buffalo Bills: Chance Warmack - Guard, Alabama

With Smith off the board, the Bills won’t reach for another quarterback, but instead will look to address the loss of Andy Levitre to the Tennessee Titans.  Warmack is the best guard available this year, and is talented enough to immediately replace Levitre’s output. 

9. New York Jets: Bjoern Werner* - Defensive End, Florida State

The Jets desperately need an explosive edge pass rusher for the defensive line.  Werner has an explosive first step and will be a difference maker when rushing opposing quarterbacks.  New York's’ defense will be instantly better the moment Werner steps on the field for the first time. 

10. Tennessee Titans: Barkevious Mingo* - Defensive End, LSU

Now that the Titans were able to sign Levitre to replace the retired Steve Hutchinson, they can focus on the defense.  Tennessee only had 39 team sacks last year, and could use a game-changing pass rusher like Mingo along the defensive line. 

11. San Diego Chargers: Xavier Rhodes* - Cornerback, Florida State

The Chargers really need help on the offensive line, but with all of the top-10 level talent off the board, they can address another need.  The Chargers need to replace the recently departed  Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason.  They’ve already done half the job my signing free agent Derek Cox, adding a shutdown corner like Rhodes would finish the job and replace an old and lackluster duo with a young, fresh and talented one. 

12. Miami Dolphins: Kenny Vaccaro - Safety, Texas

Miami addressed needs like wide receiver and linebacker already via free agency.  They still need a standout free safety, and Vaccaro is far and above the best available in this year’s draft.  Teams in need of a true free safety will be looking to trade above Miami at 12 to grab the talented former Longhorn. 

13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Desmond Trufant - Cornerback, Washington

Tampa Bay REALLY needs help at corner, among other positions.  Trufant is a highly talented and physical corner that excels at press coverage.  He’s also good against the run, which is a big plus for the Buccaneers’ defensive scheme. 

14. Carolina Panthers: Star Lotulelei - Defensive Tackle, Utah

Carolina is in need of some fresh talent in the middle of their stagnant defensive line.  Lotulelei is the best tackle available, and will do a great job taking up doubling teams, stopping the run and collapsing the pocket. 

15. New Orleans Saints: Sharrif Floyd - Defensive Tackle, Florida

The Saints have a ton of needs on defense because of the switch in schemes.  Floyd is a disruptive playmaker that can make an instant impact as the zero-tech in new coordinator Rob Ryan's’ 3-4 scheme. 

16. St. Louis Rams: Sheldon Richardson* - Defensive tackle, Missouri

The Rams could look to go wide receiver here, but because they have two picks, they can go best player available; and that is definitely Richardson in this scenario.  Richardson can really make an impact on the interior of the Rams’ defensive line and take up double teams which will along Chris Long to get free and put pressure on the quarterback regularly. 

17. Pittsburgh Steelers: Johnathan Hankins* - Defensive Tackle, Ohio State

Casey Hampton is a free agent and is in the downside of his career.  At 35 he’s not going to get any better, and the Steelers really need to upgrade the nose tackle position.  Hankins is a physical freak that can hold down the zero-tech position.  But more importantly, he can rotate in at all three positions on the defensive line if Pittsburgh decides not to make him the starting nose tackle immediately. 

18. Dallas Cowboys: Jonathan Cooper - Guard, North Carolina

Now that Tony Romo has been locked up, the Cowboys need to get him some protection.  Cooper is the second-best guard available and would be an instant upgrade along Dallas’ offensive line. 

19. New York Giants: Kevin Minter* - Inside Linebacker, LSU

The Giants could seriously use an upgrade at inside linebacker; Dan Connor and Keith Rivers leave a lot to be desired.  Minter is the best middle linebacker available and a great choice at No. 19. 

20. Chicago Bears: Manti Te’o - Inside Linebacker, Notre Dame

I will admit that this is a bit of a reach, but it’s one that makes sense.  The Bears don’t need a tight end now that they have Martellus Bennett and with all of the top-tier offensive lineman, as well as the best inside linebacker already off the board; it isn’t a stretch to believe the Bears would take Te’o at 20.  He’s the type of intelligent, on-field leader that the Bears need now that Brian Urlacher is gone for good.  Urlacher also wasn’t the best linebacker coming out of New Mexico, but Chicago knew of his intelligence and leadership skills and picked him anyway. 

21. Cincinnati Bengals: Matt Elam* - Safety, Florida

The Bengals need a talented strong safety to pair opposite Reggie Nelson in the secondary.  Elam is the best strong safety available, and his coverage skills are highly underrated.  He’s the perfect fit for the Bengals scheme and will make an instant impact. 

22. St. Louis Rams: Cordarrelle Patterson* - Wide Receiver, Tennessee

Bringing in Jared Cook was a great move by the Rams, but they still need to replace Danny Amendola and get Sam Bradford a true No. 1 receiver to rely on.  Patterson has the most upside of any receiver in this class. He will be a threat on the outside and constantly win the battle for jump balls against defenders. 

23. Minnesota Vikings: Tavon Austin - Wide Receiver, West Virginia

I have been mocking Austin to the Vikings here, and nothing has changed that.  Despite signing Greg Jennings, they still need to replace the multi-faceted output of Percy Harvin.  Austin is the fastest receiver available and possesses great hands.  He can line up on the outside, in the slot, in the backfield and return kicks.  He’ll be a great weapon for the Vikings offense. 

24. Indianapolis Colts: Arthur Brown - Linebacker, Kansas State

Despite signing Erik Walden, the Colts still need help at linebacker.  Brown is a talented pass rusher who could line up at a couple different positions within the Colts’ linebacker corp. 

25. Minnesota Vikings: Johnthan Banks* - Cornerback, Mississippi State

The Vikings already needed help at corner before they released Antoine Winfield, so Banks is a no-brainer here at 25.  He’s the last top-tier corner still available, and will be able to start from day one. 

26. Green Bay Packers: Barrett Jones - Center, Alabama

The Packers have a number of needs, but the most important one is currently centner.  Evan Dietrich-Smith hasn’t done anything to prove he’s the long-term answer.  Jones is a very talented center, who is equally good at both pass and run blocking.  He will be able to solidify the Center position for the Packers, and allow them to use Dietrich-Smith as a backup. 

27. Houston Texans: DeAndre Hopkins - Wide Receiver, Clemson

The Texans really need a true No. 2 receiver opposite Andre Johnson and none of the receivers still available would compliment Johnson better than “Nuke” Hopkins. 

28. Denver Broncos: Datone Jones - Defensive End, UCLA

The Broncos now need to replace Elvis Dumervil’s production along the defensive line.  Jones is more of a true 4-3 defensive end when compared to Dumervil, and should really excel as a pass rusher in their system. 

29. New England Patriots: Da’Rick Rogers - Wide Receiver, Tennessee Tech

In theory, bringing in Danny Amendola replaces the production lost when Wes Welker jumped ship for greener pastures in Denver, but the Patriots still need more help at receiver.  Rogers is a talented receiver, and could insert himself as the No. 1 receiver by the time the season opens. 

30. Atlanta Falcons: Cornelius “Tank” Carradine - Defensive End, Florida State

If it weren’t for a devastating knee injury in his final college game, there’s a really good chance Carradine would be challenging Dion Jordan to be the first defensive end (and possibly player) to be taken in April.  Carradine is a highly talented athlete and will be an instant upgrade over John Abraham and will work well opposite new acquisition Osi Umenyiora. 

31. San Francisco 49ers: Jonathan Cyprien - Safety, Florida International

With 14 picks and very few needs, the 49ers have the luxury of going best player available with every-single pick.  Cyprien is a freakishly-talented playmaker and a huge upgrade over Donte Whitner.  If he’s still available at 31, the 49ers can’t pass up on him. 

32. Baltimore Ravens: Keenan Allen* - Wide Receiver, California

After trading Anquan Boldin to the 49ers, the Ravens need a new No. 1 receiver.  Torrey Smith is talented, but not a true No. 1 type guy.  Allen has the height, speed and hands to beat defenders on the outside regularly, and fill the hole left by Boldin’s departure.