The Landry Hat First Round Mock Draft 1.1

 21. Cincinnati Bengals – Dion Jordan, DE/OLB, Oregon
The Bengals are one of the most complete teams in all of football. They are young and good at basically all skill positions. They could use a running back to help out BenJarvis Green-Ellis, but there isn’t a back worthy of taking in the first round of this Draft class. They are in the best position to trade out of this pick with a team looking to grab a quarterback, but Mock Drafts usually do not involve trades, so that’s why Jordan Makes sense for them here. He is a 6’6″ DE that could be moved to OLB in the NFL and will have to show at all star games, individual workouts and the Combine that he has the skills to convert to OLB. He has the size and athleticism, but showing it on the field is a different story. If he is successful in proving he can do both rush the passer and play in space, he could be a fit for a Marvin Lewis defensive scheme.

Other Possibilities: Alex Okafor – DE – Texas, Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama, Barret Jones – OL – Alabama

22. Minnesota Vikings –  Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – Tennesse
The Vikings are in desperate need for a WR that can stretch the field. Their only threat in the passing game is TE Kyle Rudolph. Adrian Peterson is a stud, but he cannot survive facing 8-9 guys in the box every play. Patterson emerged as a go-to receiver in a Tennessee offense that had Justin Hunter on the other side, and made Tyler Bray into an All-SEC contender. He will have some growing pains with just one year of collegiate experience at the WR position, but his upside far exceeds his mechanical flaws.

Other Possibilities: Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee, Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama, Tavon Austin – WR – West Virginia

23. Indianapolis Colts – Barrett Jones – OL – Alabama
The Colts are another team that has a lot of youth in place and could go many different directions on Draft day. Another good trade spot for teams to get back into the later part of the Draft and get a guy that has fallen through the cracks. Jones fits Indianapolis because they need protection for their star quarterback Andrew Luck. Jones can play any offensive line position. he is a proven champion and has played OT, G, and C on championship teams while at Alabama. His shinning moment came when he pushed his own QB for yelling at him in the championship game. He has the heart and athletic ability to be a premiere player in the NFL at whatever position they decide to put him at.

Other Possibilities: Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama, Alex Okafor – DE – Texas, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee

24. St. Louis Rams (From Redskins) – Eric Reid, Safety, LSU
The Rams will make out like bandits if the Draft plays out this way and they get a guy with the talent of Reid at this point in the Draft. They have a need to fill the secondary to complete the defense, and Reid is the type of ball hawk and heavy hitter that NFL teams love to have roaming around in their secondary. He will have to work on his play recognition and his assignments in the NFL, but he has the skills to be a top level safety when he gets a hang of the speed of the NFL game.

Other Possibilities: Tavon Austin – WR – West Virginia, Zach Ertz – TE – Stanford, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee

25. Seattle Seahawks – Tavon Austin – WR – West Virginia
Usually teams like height at positions like wide receiver and quarterback. Well, Seattle struck gold with a quarterback that was not the prototypical height, so why not try the same magic again at WR. They have Sydney Rice and Golden Tate to be the outside receivers so they can afford to gamble on Austin, who is one of the best route runners in the Draft and the best receiver after the catch. He is a perfect slot guy to work with Wilson and spread the defense out to open holes for Marshawn Lynch in the running game. He is also a dual threat as he can take handoffs and be a return specialist in the NFL game.

Other Possibilities: Jesse WIlliams – DT – Alabama, Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee

26. Green Bay Packers– Zach Ertz – TE – Stanford
I know most of you are thinking why would Green Bay need a TE when they have a guy like JerMiachael Finley. The problem is that since Finley signed a large contract, he has been a disappointment and not lived up to his hype. He has had a major case of the “droppsies” and they have come at crucial moment for the Packers offense. They could look to move Finley to another team, or just grab Ertz as an insurance policy. Not to mention having two top flight TE has worked for another organization with an elite QB, so if Finley does return to form it can’t hurt to have another option for Rodgers to throw the ball to in this offense.

Other Possibilities: Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee, Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama

27. Houston Texans – Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama
The Texans have shown a great ability to develop pass rushers from the inside. Getting a large body like Williams gives them the opportunity to move JJ Watt to a DE position and unleash him on the QB without having to worry about the running game. Williams is a menacing player, but has shown some wear and tear during his senior season in Tuscaloosa. He will most likely be a rotational guy early in his career, but if he can prove his stamina he will be a force to reckon with and improve an already stellar defensive line in Houston.

Other Possibilities: Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee, Alex Okafor – DE – Texas

28. Denver Broncos – Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia
The Broncos basically pieced together their middle linebacker position all year. They relied on Keith Brooking for most of the season and at his age who knows when he will retire or his play will drop off, so it will be nice to have an insurance policy if the draft plays out like I have it so far. Ogletree is a great athletic specimen, he has speed and size, but his tackling ability needs work and he will have to get bigger to take on interior lineman at the NFL level.

Other Possibilities: John Jenkins – DT – Georgia, Kevin Minter – LB – LSU, Matt Elam – S – Florida

29. Baltimore Ravens – Kevin Minter – LB – LSU
The Ravens may be in a position to move up from this spot to jump up and grab a guy like Ogletree or Te’o if either of them slide in the draft. Since this is a Mock and we do not even know where the Ravens will actually Draft yet they are left in the position they are in now. They are the perfect team for this draft because they need to replace Ray Lewis at MLB and they need to begin thinking about a replacement for Ed Reed when he decides to hang them up. they can accomplish both in this year’s Draft because both position are deep with talent. Minter will have to develop strength to take on blockers at the NFL level because in his college days he avoided blocks with athleticism. That will not work in the NFL, but he has the skills to shed blockers by using his other athletic attributes.

Other Possibilities: Matt Elam – S – Florida, John Jenkins – DT – Georgia, Shariff Floyd – DT – Florida

30. San Francisco 49ers – John Jenkins – DT – Georgia
The 49ers defense is stacked with playmakers, so why not add one more to the mix. Jenkins is a guy that has some character issues, but his play is certainly worthy of the risk. Jenkins can suck up blocks and free up Willis and Bowman to roam around and make plays without being touched by offensive linemen. he will also be a good guy to spell Justin Smith who got beat up taking on double teams and we saw how it affected their defense when Smith was not on the field as opposed to when he was on the field.

Other Possibilities: Matt Elam – S – Florida, Sharrif Floyd – DT – Florida, Kawann Short – DT – Purdue

31. New England Patriots – Matt Elam – S – Florida
The Patriots have moved Devin McCourty to S, and they like what he can bring to that position, but they need another guy at safety to pair with McCourty tolock down the defense once and for all. Elam is a play maker that can do everything on the football field. He is a great tackler, forces fumbles and usually recovers the fumbles he creates. He also is a great ball hawk which is important for a safety in the NFL. He may struggle covering TE in man coverage, but he should get a lot of practice when he gets to go against the Patriots in offense.

Other Possibilities: Kasheem Greene – OLB – Rutgers, Arthur Brown – OLB – Kansas State, Alex Okafor – DE – Texas

32. Atlanta Falcons – Tyler Eifert – TE – Notre Dame
The Falcons are preparing for life without Tony Gonzalez. There is no better way to move on than Tyler Eifert. He is a long athletic tight end that can easily step in and fill the shoes of the Hall of Fame player he is replacing.

Other Possibilities: Alex Okafor – DE – Texas, Ezekial Ansah – DE – BYU, Sharrif Floyd – DT – Florida