Landry Hat Mock Draft 2.0 – Cowboys Lock up DT

 21. Cincinnati Bengals – Eric Reid – S – LSU (Previous: 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 they go with the best player on the board, Eric Reid. Reid is both a great coverage player and also a hard hitter.

Other Possibilities: Johnathan Cooper – DT – North Carolina, Ezekial Ansah – DE – BYU, Desmond Trufant – CB – Washington

22. St. Louis Rams (From Redskins) – Jonathan Cooper – G – North Carolina (Previous: Eric Reid, Safety, LSU)
The Rams will make out like bandits if the Draft plays out this way. They have huge needs on the offensive line and they score a great right tackle and now get a top evel guard to go with it. The combination of Johnson and Cooper will give them two guys that can both come in and keep Sam Bradford from taking the most sacks in the NFL again.

Other Possibilities: Ezekial Ansah – DE – BYU, Cordarrelle Patterson – WR – Tennessee, Matt Elam – S – Florida

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, Stedman Bailey – WR – West Virginia, Tavon Austin – WR – West Virginia

23. Indianapolis Colts – Ezekial Ansah – DE – BYU (Previous: Barrett Jones – OL – Alabama)
The release of Dwight Freeney leaves a huge opening at the defensive end position. Freeney was let go because he did not fit the Chuck Pagano scheme of defense. Ansah is a raw pass rusher, but he can play both with his hand in the ground and at stand up linebacker. That versatility makes him a perfect option to replace the great Dwight Freeney in Indy.

Other Possibilities: Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU, Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon, Desmond Trufant – CB – Washington

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: Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon, Zach Ertz – TE – Stanford, Arthur Brown – LB – Kansas State

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: Eddie Lacey – HB – Alabama, Giovanni Bernard – HB – North Carolina, Tyler Eifert – TE – Notre Dame

27. Houston Texans – Desmond Trufant – CB – Washington (Previous: Jesse Williams – DT – Alabama)
The Texans are one of the most complete teams in the league. One spot they could use an upgrade and depth is in the defensive backfield. Trufant is a corner that impressed at the Senior Bowl and showed a great ability to use his hands to slow down receivers at the point of impact.

Other Possibilities: Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU, Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon, Arthur Brown – LB – Kansas State

28. Denver Broncos – Stedman Bailey – WR – West Virginia (Previous: Alec Ogletree – LB – Georgia)
The Broncos need a slot receiver, Brandon Stokely cannot play forever. In the West Virginia offense the receivers were used to running precise routes and getting plenty of yards after the catch. That would be perfect for Peyton manning to work out of the slot and allow Eric Decker and Demaryious Thomas to control the outside.

Other Possibilities: Matt Elam – S – Florida, Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon, Arthur Brown – LB – Kansas State

29. 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 to lock 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: Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU, Justin Hunter – WR – Tennessee, DJ Swearinger – S – South Carolina

30. 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: Gavin Escobar – TE – San Diego State, Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon, Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU

31. San Francisco 49ers – Dion Jordan – DE – Oregon (Previous: John Jenkins – DT – Georgia)
The 49ers defense is stacked with playmakers, so why not add one more to the mix. Dion Jordan is a 6’6″ defensive end with speed. The 49ers do already have Aldon Smith, but he faded down the stretch. Jordan would give the 49ers more depth to expand the rotation.

Other Possibilities: Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU, Johnathan Banks – CB – Mississippi State, Tank Carradine – DE – Florida State

32. Baltimore Ravens – Arthur Brown (Previous: 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 Draft 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. Arthur Brown from Kansas State is the only other linebacker worthy of a first round pick and if he does fall to 32 the Ravens would jump at the opportunity to get the successor to Ray Lewis

Other Possibilities: Sam Montgomery – DE – LSU, Johnathan Banks – CB – Mississippi State, DJ Swearinger – S – South Carolina