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2013 NFL Draft: Mock Draft 2.0

My favorite time of the year continues. With free agency looming around the corner, Drew and I decided to squirt out one last mock draft before pieces start to fall into place.

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Drew and I have come together once again, to bring you a mock draft bred from both of our great minds. The healthy bouncing of ideas off of each other, really helps us zero in one the prospects we believe will bring us back to glory. Once again, we did not mock any trades, so this will just be the 7 picks we have right now. Of course if a trade with Revis or Tebow (joke) were to come up, we would be sure to accommodate those new picks with picks of our own. Some of our picks might be the same, and those that are different, might just be different players in the same positions. Anyway, here is our post combine mock draft. Enjoy!

Round 1
Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU

This is the only pick that is the same from our first mock. I think that attests to how much we love this guy. Ziggy is an athletic freak, with tremendous upside. Like fellow athletic freak, Jordan, Ansah will probably go pretty early in the draft. I like Ansah a little more than Jordan, because he is more of a 3 down backer. Ziggy is also a little more polished in terms of run defense, and pass rushing. I f you watched the combine, you would have been very impressed with what you saw from Ziggy. If you know about how he trained for the combine(or rather how he didn't train), you would be even more impressed. Ziggy decided to focus on school, and worked out much like he would any other day, leading up to the combine.

Round 2
Giovani Bernard, RB, North Carolina

With all signs pointing to Greene not being resigned, we will be in dire need for a new lead RB. This offense lacks playmakers, and that is exactly what Gio is. He would be an instant infusion of talent, and playmaking ability. Unlike Greene, Gio can be a complete back for us. Gio come fully loaded with agility, speed, and grit. If you add in decent hands for receiving, you get a 3 down back we can hang our hat on. Depending on how the cards fall, Gio is a real possibility for us in the 2nd.

Round 3
Gavin Escobar, TE, San Diego State

I forgot who it was, but someone liked the TE class this year to platoon of Universal Soldiers (Van Damme/Dolph Londgren). I couldn't agree more. There are so many 6'6" 240-270 pound men coming out that it would be tough not to draft one. The Keller era seems to be at an end, and his replacement is needed now. Cumberland is not a full time starter, and a FA guy might not make the budget. The cheaper, and easier way to fill this void, is to draft Gavin Escobar. We could line him up anywhere, and have him make an impact. Escobar can use his size and skill to make ugly passes look pretty. His stock is rising, but I still have him as a fringe 2nd-3rd rounder.

Round 4
Alvin Bailey, G, Arkansas

The guard positions, are two of many needs this team has to fill by the time camp starts. Filling one starting spot is hard enough, but we might have to fill 2. Matt Slauson and Brandon Moore, are both free agents in about a week. It is my hope that we bring Moore back, to add some vet strength, and stability to our line. I think drafting a guard is a must. We are lucky in that this is a decent class for guards. As long as there isn't a run on guards, Bailey might slip through to us, early in the 4th. Every pro prospect on Arkansas was hurt by this year. I am not going to poo poo a whole year, but I know Bailey has a lot more to offer than what was shown this year by that whole team.

Round 5
Duke Williams, S, Nevada

I know some of you might be a little iffy about waiting until the 5th to grab a safety. When you see how deep this class is with safeties, you can see how waiting this long isn't as bad as you might think. Most times 5th rounders aren't starters right away, and we might need 2 new starters at each position. If the Jets want to go the cheap rout, they might just elevate Bush and Allen to starting positions. Either way, depth will be needed. Duke Williams is an interesting prospect out of Nevada. Some see an undersized safety, with red flags in his freshmen year. We see a very physical/athletic safety who can step in for Landry, and possibly be better at coverage in the slot. Sure, there were some character concerns his freshman year, but he turned everything around, and didn't have any other incidents. Duke was invited to the Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, and the combine. After an underwhelming performance at the Shrine game, Williams came back with impressive stuff at the Senior Bowl/combine.

Round 6
Aaron Mellette, WR, Elon

Our receiving core last year was a huge source of disappointment. The lack of depth and talent could be seen as criminal. Even with everyone coming back healthy, depth is still needed. Aaron Mellette is one of my favorite FCS prospects. I know it's very hard to really judge players coming from schools like this, but it's not like I am having us pick him in the 2nd round. This is the area of the draft where gems are found, and people are called geniuses. Aaron has all the physical tools and skill to be an NFL receiver. His dominance over weak competition is a must when looking at small school guys. This guy straight up made the competition look like high schoolers. He has the size, he has the speed, and he has the hands. If he can work on his rout running and his hand use as the line, he can be a great late round find.

Round 7
Quanterus Smith, DE, Western Kentucky

Other than guard and safety, the OLB/DE position will be the most hit by this offseason. Sure, we have us taking Ziggy in the 1st, but more is needed. Quanterus Smith is our pick in the 7th. Smith racked up a quiet 12.5 sacks this year. 3 of those bad boys came against Alabama. That is no easy achievement. Smith was knocked out at the end of the year by an ACL injury, which is why we have him dropping to the 7th. If he is there, I think he would be a great guy to have get healthy and grow under Rex and Dunbar.