NFL draft: Two-round mock draft projects trades up for Manziel, Bridgewater.By Eric Edholm Yahoo SportsApril 24, 2014 11:08 pm ... 
We’ve taken the next step here. Although our mock drafts this past year might outnumber our visits to the gym, this will be the first time we project trades. Are they going to happen just like we see them? Of course not. But it's fun to envision scenarios that are not immediately evident, and yet we know that trades are a huge part of the draft landscape. There were nine trades involving first- or second-round picks on the first two days of the 2013 NFL draft. In this scenario, we project a pedestrian three — enough to get our creative juices flowing and start the plate tectonics a bit, but not too many to cloud and skew the picture dramatically. But it's no coincidence that two of the three deals involve trades up for quarterbacks Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater. That sort of thing tends to happen on the clock when teams get antsy. We’ll check in the night before the draft — 16 agonizing days from now — with our final first-round predictions from the Shutdown Corner contributors. But here’s how the first 64 picks look right now. 1. Houston Texans — South Carolina DE-LB Jadeveon Clowney We’ve had him in this spot for months and haven’t wavered much from it. Clowney’s pro day performance displayed what we suspected: that he’d have no trouble going in reverse, if asked to. The Texans might be in their base defense only 30 percent of the time, so Clowney will be quite comfortable rushing the Andrew Lucks of the world from a right-end spot — or wherever else coordinator Romeo Crennel wants to play him. That said, a trade down wouldn't be out of the question — something we hadn't considered previously. Shaun King's take: Major question marks and concerns 2. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins) — Auburn OT Greg Robinson The Rams’ offense must marry the power run game with the rhythm passing game, and Robinson can step in and help give it a boost. He’s already an NFL-caliber run blocker, and his athleticism and work ethic should allow him to be a plus pass blocker in time. Jeff Fisher’s ties to Jake Matthews aside, this is the right fit. Robinson should dominate as a second-level blocker on the turf. Shaun King's take: Best run blocker in a decade 3. Jacksonville Jaguars — Buffalo LB-DE Khalil Mack Coach Gus Bradley now has the makings of a deep and skilled front seven that can make the Jags contenders. They face a slew of good quarterbacks, but they also face a handful of teams that could be starting rookies at the position, so the m.o. in Jacksonville will be to attack and force turnovers to give the offense as many chances as possible. Mack was a turnover machine in college and is the perfect fit as the “Leo” linebacker in this scheme. Shaun King's take: Best pound-for-pound player in the draft 4. Cleveland Browns — Texas A&M OT Jake Matthews General manager Ray Farmer has been on the job a little over two months now, and he’s weighed his options at No. 4. Knowing he has two more picks coming in the subsequent 30 slots, Farmer likely will want to make as safe a selection as possible here and maybe not tie himself to a quarterback in this spot. If they need to — foreshadowing alert — the Browns can trade up for a QB later. Here, they take their starting right tackle for a decade. Shaun King's take: Most polished player 5. Oakland Raiders — Clemson WR Sammy Watkins Watkins would be a huge upgrade over the inconsistent and unreliable Denarius Moore at the “X” receiver spot and give Matt Schaub a run-after-the-catch threat. The Raiders would be in decent hands with a top three receivers of Watkins, James Jones and Rod Streater. Ideally, they’d find their quarterback of the future here, but this is a good alternative assuming they do not. Shaun King's take: Unquestionably No. 1 receiver in draft 6. Atlanta Falcons — Michigan OT Taylor Lewan Too soon? The Falcons were soft up front last season. Way too soft. Mike Tice is the new OL coach, and he likes players such as Lewan, who carry a nasty streak. The Falcons can keep Sam Baker at left tackle for now and put Lewan on the right side, but it would not be surprising to see Lewan slide over to the left at some point. He’s exactly the guy to add a little vinegar to their recipe up front. Shaun King's take: Has potential, but not refined 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Texas A&M WR Mike Evans Prior to the trade of Mike Williams, the Bucs had depth problems at receiver. Now they have a talent deficiency, too. Evans and Vincent Jackson have some overlapping skills, but that’s OK. So, too, do Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and new Bucs QB Josh McCown might feel like he’s back in Chicago when he sees these two physical freaks running patterns. Shaun King's take: Second-best receiver in the draft .
Blake Bortles at the NFL combine (Joe Robbins/Getty Images)8. Minnesota Vikings — Central Florida QB Blake Bortles The Vikings can’t afford to mess around with their top quarterback option on the board. Yes, the Daunte Culpepper connections would arise with this pairing, but Bortles is a slightly different cat. But GM Rick Spielman watched Bortles light it up at his pro day, and you’d have to think that his skills would translate very well to a Norv Turner-called offense. The beauty, too, is that Matt Cassel can win the job, and Bortles can replace him whenever he’s good and ready. Shaun King's take: Highest ceiling QB in draft 9. Buffalo Bills — UCLA LB-DE Anthony Barr The Bills don’t have a ton of pressing needs, and a pass-rushing linebacker/end might not be atop the list, but there is a lack of depth behind Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes. Jim Schwartz runs the wide-9 scheme and needs his edge rushers to crash down hard, yet have the athleticism to stay balanced and flexible. That’s Barr, who could more seasoning. But his upside is undeniable. Shaun King's take: Not souring on Barr 10. Detroit Lions — Alabama S Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix New defensive coordinator Teryl Austin knows that in order for his secondary to work, he must have good safety play. Nearly everywhere Austin has coached, he has helped cultivate talented safeties (Matt Elam in Baltimore and the University of Florida; Antrel Rolle with the Cardinals) and taught them to be ballhawks. Clinton-Dix comes from a pro-caliber college defense, and even with a slight downtick in his play in 2013, he shows the ability to be a Day 1 centerfielder in the back half of a defense. The Lions want to let their young corners develop, and having better safety play should help. Shaun King's take: Like an Earl Thomas 11. Tennessee Titans — Oklahoma State CB Justin Gilbert Not willing to pull the trigger on a quarterback here, the Titans could still address a major need by drafting Gilbert, who could start Day 1 opposite Jason McCourty and take Leon Washington out of a job on kick returns. Gilbert has the long arms and press-coverage ability to check the Andre Johnsons of the world, and the alpha-dog persona to be a perfect fit for fiery new coordinator Ray Horton. Shaun King's take: Not aggressive enough 12. New York Giants — Pittsburgh DT Aaron Donald The Giants have some interesting names at defensive tackle, but none of them are guaranteed contributors this season. They need an inside penetrator to help check blocking schemes against them and open things up for Jason Pierre-Paul, and Donald appears to be that perfect fit. Giants DL coach Robert Nunn has had to be a big motivator for all the talented but inconsistent underachievers the Giants have had up front, but that won’t be a problem with Donald, whose motor always runs hot.For the rest of the 1st round picks.... http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/nfl-draft--two-round-mock-draft-projects-trades-up-for-manziel--bridgewater-150816353.html
