2013 NFL Mock Draft: Phinsider Community Picks 17-24

Pick

Player

Pos.

Ht

Wt

School

17. Pittsburgh Steelers

Barkevious Mingo

DE

6'4"

241

LSU

GM: Orange_Cisco

The Steelers have some holes to fill. They will look at the WR position but will ultimately decide that Patterson's lackluster personality and football intelligence do not fit the Steeler mold. They will defer to later in the draft to add young offensive talent. The Steelers need reload and rebuild their pass rush. Mingo is an extremely fast and explosive athlete. He has a ton of upside and the new Steeler OLB will provide the pass rush lost by Harrison while building up his frame to eventually be a complete 3 down backer.

18. Dallas Cowboys

Kenny Vaccaro

S

6'0"

214

Texas

GM: TheDiazFallacy

The Cowboys have the biggest needs at offensive line and safety. While I don't believe in drafting purely for need, when selecting amongst the best players available I like to keep team needs in mind. Kenny Vaccaro is both the BPA and fits a need. Some would have liked to have seen an offensive linemen selected here, but the way this draft developed means that isn't the best idea. Thankfully this is a deep draft for o-line so there is no pressure to reach. Vaccaro should be able to start immediately and make an impact. It was tempting to select Cordarrelle Patterson, as this is becoming more and more of a passing league and he has star potential. But when BPA meets a team need you don't turn it down.

19. New York Giants

Bjoern Werner

DE

6'4"

255

FSU

GM: Celticwar17

I was very tempted to go Zach Ertz or Tyler Eifert here. With the signing of Brandon Myers shows that they want to add that dynamic to their team but he is far from a complete TE nor is he at the level of Ertz or Eifert. The Giants offense ranking 6th in total points per game shows that improving their offense is not where they are having problems. So TE is a no.

The Giants defense has been known to being good over the last few years but last year they showed some glaring weaknesses. This leads me to CB and pass rushers. Since Rhodes, Miliner, and Trufant are already taken, I am going pass rusher. Why? The Giants actually finished 1st in the league last year in total tackles, but they ranked 28th in passing yards allowed and 22nd in sacks. This screams a need in CB or pass rush. A pass rusher will apply more pressure on the quarterback forcing him to throw earlier and will increase the amount of yard loss and sacks. This is why I selected Bjoern Werner.

Bjoern Werner made 13 sacks last year and all of them were from him simply beating his man. His combine speed and other stats showed good athleticism and he is known for good technique. Not only being known for anticipating the run he also shows awareness against the pass defending 18 passes during the year. This guy is a perfect fit for the Giants and their 4-3 defense. It's scary perfect actually.

20. Chicago Bears

Alec Ogletree

LB

6'3"

232

Georgia

GM: Dolfankenny

The Bears are desperate for youth on defense and need offensive lineman. They have the cornerstones on offense (good qb, rb and wr) to be competitive, but can't block anyone. The defense is all close to social security so they can use bpa on that side of the ball. I was hoping for an ol to drop, but since that did not happen, I am looking to the defense.

Todd Mcshay calls Ogletree the best athlete on the defensive side of the ball. He is a former safety that is very athletic. If Miami had any need at ILB I'd hope we took him at 12. With 111 tackles (despite missing 4 games) he is the definition of playmaker. Urlacher who?

21. Cincinnati Bengals

Cordarrelle Patterson

WR

6'3"

205

Tennessee

GM: ct1361

The Bengals were a playoff team the last 2 seasons. In those playoff loses, Cincinnati has scored a total of 23 points. That's not good enough in today's NFL. Their passing offense was ranked 17th and that is with a stud WR in AJ Green. Too often, defenses were able to double Green and the passing game floundered. Patterson should help alleviate that concern. Combine AJ Green with Cordarrelle Patterson, who many consider the best WR in this draft class with the most upside, and last years 3rd Round Pick in Mohamed Sanu (when healthy) and Cincinnati has a young, talented WR Corp that should push Andy Dalton to the next level.

With 2 picks in the 2nd round, #37 and #53 overall, Cincinnati will be able to address some needs. But Patterson at this point in the draft was just too good to pass up. He should take Cincinnati's offense to another level and give them the ammunition needed to compete with Pittsburgh and Baltimore for the division title.

22. St. Louis Rams
(From Washington Redskins)

Eric Reid

S

6'1"

213

LSU

The Rams have already answered one of their draft needs with the selection of Tavon Austin earlier in the draft. Now, they are looking to reinforce their defense by again selecting for need - and getting great value with the pick.

Reid is a disciplined safety who has the instincts to always be in the right place at the right time. A lot of people see Jonathan Cyprien being the second safety behind Kenny Vaccaro, but both Reid and Matt Elam could be in the running for that selection as well. In this case, I think Reid to the Rams makes a lot of sense.

23. Minnesota Vikings

Sylvester Williams

DT

6'3"

313

UNC

GM: NetSwag12

The Vikings certainly aren't top heavy and certainly lack depth at the defensive tackle position and with their only current starting caliber tackle turning 33 within the next few months, one would have to think addressing this need on Day 1 with one of their two picks would be a priority. A guy like Williams could dominate the line and is, IMO one of the best players available at this point. And hey, nothing wrong with adding a new "Williams" to the "Williams Wall."

16. Indianapolis Colts

Jamie Collins

LB

6'3"

250

Southern Miss

GM: small balls

In last year's draft the Colts used eight of their ten picks on offensive players. As a result, their offense excelled under new head man Andrew Luck, but their defense was not good. The Colt's have needs on the OL as well, but with the early run on that unit earlier in the draft, the value seems to lie in later rounds. The recent signing of DHB also addresses some issues at depth at WR. The logical solution then points towards the defensive unit.

Edge rushers in the NFL need to be explosive, and Collins is the epitome of explosiveness. Southern Miss isn't exactly known as linebacker U and Collins ins't a household name. However, it happens every year. Players the average fans haven't heard of get selected in the first round. The crowd of die-hards in NYC boo. Fans lament the fact that their team missed on a "sure thing." When the preseason roles around, those fans get quite.

Collins presented at the 2013 Combine in great shape and posted outstanding numbers in all the events. His 4.64 seconds in the 40 was very notable, but what really stood out about Collins was that he posted the top mark out of all linebackers in vertical jump with 41.5 inches and a broad jump of 139 inches. It isn't just about the combine numbers though. A former safety, Collins was converted into an outside linebacker in his sophomore year. He developed into a dynamic pass-rusher and a disruptive force in the running game. In his final season at Southern Miss, Collins tallied 10 sacks, 20 tackles for a loss, and 4 forced fumbles. His time at safety also made him wonderful at playing in space. Collins possesses a unique combination of speed, fluidity and flexibility for his size. In short, he is everything the Colts need opposite Robert Mathis.