JACKSONVILLE – Seventeen days and counting …
Yes, the 2014 NFL Draft is fast approaching. With two and a half weeks remaining, we've not only reached the time when the draft really will be here before you know it, but when speculating, projecting and moving prospects up and down these mock drafts reaches ridiculous levels.
Hence, that's what Jaguars.com 2014 NFL Mock Draft, version 2.0, will be about.
This version comes seven days after version 1.0, and the reality is not a tremendous amount has changed since last Monday. In fact, the key element has remained the same, which is that the Houston Texans have yet to indicate what they will do with the No. 1 overall selection.
The '14 draft hinges on many things – how teams feel about the top quarterbacks available as much as any of them – but it very much hinges on the Texans' selection, too.
Johnny Manziel? Blake Bortles? Jadeveon Clowney?
While analysts and pundits have projected all three to the Texans, the Texans have given little indication. We mocked Clowney, the South Carolina defensive end, there last week but there's little to suggest that's a better projection at this stage than Bortles or Manziel, quarterbacks from Central Florida and Texas A&M, respectively.
What the Texans do will directly impact what the St. Louis Rams do at No. 2, what the Jaguars do at No. 3, and so on. So, because all we know is that we don't know much, we'll execute this mock with the Texans passing on Clowney and taking Manziel.
It's not that that's a better selection than last week's, or even that it feels more right. It's just different to be different, and to see how it plays out afterward.
And you know what? We'll do the same for the Jaguars at No. 3. Instead of Khalil Mack of Buffalo we'll go with Clowney, who seems like a very logical selection for the Jaguars even if he's not significantly more logical than several others.
So, without further ado, here's mock 2.0, for your viewing, projecting and arguing pleasure:
Selection. Team| Player, Position, School
- Houston | Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
- St. Louis | Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
- Jacksonville | Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
- Cleveland | Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
- Oakland | Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
- Atlanta | Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
- Tampa Bay | Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
- Minnesota | Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
- Buffalo | Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
- Detroit | Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
- Tennessee | Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
- NY Giants | Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
- St. Louis | Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, S, Alabama
- Chicago | Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
- Pittsburgh | Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
- Dallas | Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
- Baltimore | Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
- NY Jets | Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
- Miami | Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
- Arizona | Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
- Green Bay | C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
- Philadelphia | Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, Louisiana State
- Kansas City | Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
- Cincinnati | Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
- San Diego | Louis Nix III, DT, Notre Dame
- Cleveland | Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
- New Orleans | Dee Ford, DE, Auburn
- Carolina | Morgan Moses, OT, Virginia
- New England | Ra'shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
- San Francisco | Marqise Lee, WR, Southern California
- Denver | Jason Verrett, CB, Texas Christian
- Seattle | Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
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