Welcome to the third part of my midseason mock draft. If you want to go back to the first two parts, they can be found here and here or Click Here to See A Complete List of All LWOS NFL Draft Articles.
17. Arizona Cardinals- Antonio Richardson, OT
There is a strong case for Arizona taking a quarterback here. Although Carson Palmer is not the long term answer, I think there are more pressing needs right now. Specifically, a new left tackle is needed. Levi Brown was not an exceptional option before he left to Pittsburgh. Bradley Sowell is even worse.
Fortunately, there is nothing tiny about Antonio Richardson, no matter what his nickname may suggest. The big man out of Tennessee should immediately help the Cardinals offensive line, and will go a long way to keeping whoever is under centre in Phoenix next season upright.
18. Dallas Cowboys- Lache Seastrunk, RB
Am I the only one who is surprised Dallas is .500? They are 1-4 in games against teams outside of their division and would probably have a top 10 pick if the rest of the NFC East weren’t so abysmal. When you analyse the Cowboys, two glaring weaknesses come through- pass defence, and rush offence.
It is clear that the Dallas front office feel DeMarco Murray is not the long term answer at running back. As a result, I expect the Cowboys to go after his replacement in this draft. At this point in the first round, I think the best option is to go after arguably the best running back in the class, Lache Seastrunk. The Baylor star has averaged an insane 9.1yards per carry this season, and combines speed with a relatively bulky 210lb frame.
19. New York Jets- Sammy Watkins, WR
The Jets have undoubtedly been this year’s biggest surprise. Their defence has been outstanding, including leading the league in rushing yards per carry allowed. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about their inconsistent offence. The big number for the team has been 14- when they have score this many points or more, they have won. When they have scored less, they have lost.
To try to make life easier for Geno Smith, the Jets front office needs to give him more weapons. The best option still available is wide receiver Sammy Watkins. It is quite possible that the Clemson wide out will not even make it out of the top ten in May, depending on the needs of the teams with the highest picks. He combines excellent speed with an incredible ability to created plays after the catch.
20. Carolina Panthers- Marquise Lee, WR
It seems like the Panthers are finally making progress for the first time since drafting Cam Newton. This is the first year they have had a positive record while Newton has been their QB, but there is still improvements that need to be made. The biggest of these is at WR. The former Auburn Tiger lacks any real weapons to help him apart from Steve Smith, and the Panthers must also look into finding a long term replacement to him because of his age.
Marquise Lee has had a disappointing year relative to expectations, but none of the blame should go to him. He has been hampered by bad QB play and injury, but has still shown why he deserves to be a first round pick. His 5 catch, 105 yard, 1 TD performance on Friday was a brilliant showcase of his talent.
21. Chicago Bears- Trent Murphy, DE
Up until Jay Cutler’s injury, the Bears were looking like a strong candidate for a wildcard spot in the playoffs. With him out for at least three more weeks with a groin injury, those hopes are dashed. But this injury does not change the Bears main area of need, their pass rush. They are currently second last for sacks per game so far this year, and have two of the worst 4-3 DEs in the league in the form of Shea McClellin and Corey Wooton.
Stamford’s Trent Murphy has been a monster this year, and is currently third in the nation for sacks and second for sack yards lost. Although he isn’t the quickest, he has the power and technique to beat lineman, and considering he has more sacks for the Cardinals than the whole Bears team combined this year, he would give a major boost to Chicago’s defence.
22. San Diego Chargers- Jason Verrett, CB
The Chargers are another team that has surprised many this season. Although they may end up picking higher that this in May with five matches against opponents in their division to come, they have been excellent on offence, and are in the top four for yards per game, yards per play and 3rd down conversion %.
The same can’t be said for their pass defence. They rank in the bottom three for completion percentage allowed, yards per pass allowed and interceptions per game. As a result, they need to improve at cornerback badly. Jason Verrett will certainly help them. Although some have questioned his height, none have questioned his coverage abilities.
23. Detroit Lions- Kyle Van Noy, OLB
Having already won more games than last season, Detroit are looking good bets for an NFC wild card spot, especially after Chicago lost Jay Cutler. They still need to find a viable alternative option to Calvin Johnson, as shown in their loss to Green Bay. But all the best wide receivers are off the board at this point, so they must look elsewhere.
Their next biggest need is to find an outside line-backer to accompany Stephen Tulloch and Deandre Levy. Although there are a lot of options, I believe Kyle Van Noy best suits the Lions need for a defensive playmaker who can help them get to the quarterback more, yet is still good in pass coverage and against the run.
24. Green Bay Packers- Eric Ebron, TE
When everyone is fit, the Packers have very few needs. They have the second ranked offence (including the third best rushing offence), and the 11th ranked defence (4th best against the run). But the team is not perfect, and has some areas to improve. The biggest of these is at tight end. With Jermichael Finley out with injury and almost definitely gone when his contract ends after this year, a replacement needs to be found.
Fortunately, there are multiple options for Green Bay in 2014, the best of which is Eric Ebron. The North Carolina junior has been fantastic for the last two year, and would provide Aaron Rodgers with a great target who can destroy teams over the middle of the field.
For Part 4 of the Mock Draft, and Picks 25-32, Click Here.
