JACKSONVILLE – Ten days and counting …
Already? Really? What took so long? All of those questions may be on your mind as the 2014 NFL Draft approaches, and all would be valid questions with the draft two weeks later than normal and time strangely seeming to drag and race at the same time.
The draft indeed is fast approaching. Yet, to draftniks, it seems like it will never arrive.
But here were are in late April, and if our NFL offseason body clocks are rightfully telling us the draft should have been this past weekend, rest assured it will arrive soon enough.
Which brings us to the Jaguars.com 2014 NFL Mock Draft, version 3.0.
While NFL general managers may use the extra two pre-draft weeks to prepare, we at jaguars.com will use them to explore various scenarios at the top of the draft. In mock draft 3.0 we'll start over in a sense, but it will be a restart with a twist.
Two weeks ago, in v 1.0, we mocked South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney to the Houston Texans at No. 1 overall. That's one of two ways the Texans seem likely to go, with the other option being quarterback. In v 2.0, we mocked Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to the Texans at No. 1, projecting Clowney to fall to the Jaguars.
This week, we'll let the pendulum drift back to Clowney at No. 1, but instead of taking our v 1.0 route of having the Jaguars take the other top pass rusher in the draft – Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack – we'll project Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins to the Jaguars at No. 3.
As was the case with the Jaguars' selection in our first two mocks, Watkins makes a lot of sense – and this well could be a scenario that plays out May 8. And as was the case in our first two mocks, a bunch of other scenarios could play out, too.
So, with 10 days and counting, here's mock 3.0, for your viewing, projecting and arguing pleasure:
Selection. Team| Player, Position, School
1.Houston | Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
2.St. Louis | Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
- Jacksonville | Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
- Cleveland | Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
- Oakland | Derek Carr, QB, Fresno State
- Atlanta | Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
- Tampa Bay | Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
- Minnesota | Blake Bortles, QB, Central Florida
- Buffalo | Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
- Detroit | Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
- Tennessee | Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
- NY Giants | Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
- St. Louis | Odell Beckham, Jr., WR, Louisiana State
- Chicago | Timmy Jernigan, DT, Florida State
- Pittsburgh | Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
- Dallas | Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
- Baltimore | Ha-Ha Clinton Dix, S, Alabama
- NY Jets | Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
- Miami | Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
- Arizona | Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
- Green Bay | C.J. Mosley, ILB, Alabama
- Philadelphia | Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
- Kansas City | Marqise Lee, WR, Southern California
- 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 | Kony Ealy, DE, Missouri
- San Francisco | Jason Verrett, CB, Texas Christian
- Denver | Xavier Su'a-Filo, OG, UCLA
- Seattle | Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
John Oehser's Mock Draft is presented by Turner Pest Control.
Register for the Jaguars' 2014 Bud Light Draft Party presented by PRI Productions here: jaguars.com/draftparty.
