JACKSONVILLE – One thing you learn quickly when mocking drafts:
There's no such thing as perfection, and no one's going to agree with every selection. That's particularly true once you get past, say, No. 1 overall.
So it is in any mock draft in any year, and so it has been with the 2013 jaguars.com reader mock draft. And of course, so it was as we closed out the Top 10 with a selection at No. 10 overall to the Tennessee Titans that was logical to many, but not to everyone.
Well, of course not.
Part of the good news as we rounded out the Top 10 is we at last made it through the one-selection-per-day phase of the reader mock, meaning this event will pick up pace dramatically this week and close out early next week.
Another part of the good news is that it was another decent day for the senior writer.
As for the bad news . . .
Well, not only wasn't the 2013 reader mock draft making everyone happy, it was making one reader particularly unhappy.
"I seriously am not trying to be so much of a downer, but my God this is the worst mock draft I've seen for years," Anthony J. Ceithamer wrote.
Considering there are as many mock drafts as there are NFL websites, and considering there are more than just a few NFL websites, this was decidedly disheartening news – certainly to the senior writer and perhaps even to the readers diligently and dutifully mocking each day.
Ceithamer, it seems, was distressed that West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith was not yet off the board, and while Ceithamer didn't mock Smith at No. 10, a few other mockers did.
"There has to be one pick that everybody scratches their head at: The Titans take Geno Smith," John Streater wrote. "(Jake) Locker didn't show enough last year to earn the job hands-down, and with Geno they'll improve greatly at QB whoever wins the job."
That idea had appeal to some reader mockers, but not enough. So, in this mock Smith continued a fall that he may nor may not take come April 25.
As has been the case on many days during this mock draft, the picks were varied and sometimes went on a tangent on Day 10. This is a year in which the talent is perceived as very, very close throughout the first round, which makes for a lot of debate and a lot of varied selections.
That was true on Day 10, too, as some readers loved the senior writer's selection of Alabama guard Chance Warmack to the Tennessee Titans while others boldly offered their own ideas.
Some loved the idea of Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei.
"Tennessee's pick is a 'Star,''' Brandon Jensen wrote.
Others liked the idea of a player who – like Lotulelei – was once considered a potential No. 1 overall choice, but who now is widely being projected outside the Top 10.
"Titans take (Florida State defensive end) Bjoern Werner," DraftExpertLance wrote. "He's the most polished 4-3 end in the first round. Makes sense."
JamesfromJacksonville agreed.
"The Titans will pick Bjoern Werner," he wrote. "Werner falls just short of premium talent, but he plays a premium position. The Titans are a scrappy organization that does not mind reaching for a pass rusher."
That wouldn't be a surprising scenario – it's just not this mock's scenario.
We ignored Rick's projection because he said, "With the 10th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft the Tennessee Titans select Jeff Fisher's mullet."
We admit that drew a snicker, but once the readers got serious it was apparent that the 10th selection was all about offensive guard, which meant choosing between Warmack and Jonathan Cooper of North Carolina.
"Cooper, Cooper, Cooper!!!!" Michael Ensing III wrote.
And while that was compelling stuff, it wasn't enough to override what in the end was a pretty clear consensus that this will finally be the landing spot for Warmack.
"I like the idea of the Titans going for Werner like some people are suggesting, but I refuse to believe that Warmack makes it out of the top 10, so going on BAP alone, he's the pick here," Matt B. wrote.
There was more support, but suffice to say that most readers on Day 10 just believed that the player many believe the best player regardless of position in the draft won't go outside the Top 10. They believe, too, that he makes a lot of sense for the Titans, which means after 10 selections the 2013 jaguars.com reader mock looks like:
1.Kansas City | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M
2.Jacksonville | Dion Jordan, DE/ LB, Oregon
3.Oakland | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida
4.Philadelphia | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan
5.Detroit | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama
6.Cleveland | Ziggy Ansah, DE, Brigham Young
7.Arizona | Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma
8.Buffalo | Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee
9.New York Jets | Barkevious Mingo, DE/LB, LSU
10.Tennessee | Chance Warmack, OG, Alabama
That brings us to end of the "one-selection-a-day" phase and into the "let's-get-to-next-week" phase. We'll be offering up five selections today, so the discussion will be quicker and the criticism – though certainly plentiful – will be shorter. It might be a little harried, but the idea of this mock is to get back to the Jaguars' selection at No. 33 with as little dallying as possible.
So, here are the five next projected selections: No. 11, San Diego Chargers (Jarvis Jones, linebacker, Georgia); No. 12, Miami Dolphins (Jonathan Cooper, guard, North Carolina); No. 13, Tampa Bay (Xavier Rhodes, cornerback, Florida State); No. 14, Carolina Panthers (Star Lotulelei, defensive tackle, Utah); No. 15, New Orleans Saints (Sheldon Richardson, defensive tackle, Missouri).
Not much comment other than that. Anthony won't like it. We're pretty sure of that already. We'll have to live knowing that.
Have at it.
