REX Kiper Jr.'s 1st Round Mock Draft

In the first piece of tangible football activity since Super Bowl XLV, the NFL Draft kicks off tonight with the first round.

Compiling a mock draft is no easy task.  Not only must you sift through heaps of contradictory information from various insiders and assess value and team need, but you must realize that all it takes is one team to value a certain player high enough to pick.  We all saw this last year when in a stunning move the Jacksonville Jaguars selected DT Tyson Alualu, raising eyebrows because so many teams valued him as a second rounder.  The Jags didn't and thus drafted him with the 10th overall pick.  He went on to justify the high selection by having a pretty good rookie year.

Oh yeah, predicting potential trades is an even more impossible task.

Which brings me to this point:  The NFL Draft is a crapshoot.  Mock drafts may seem like a futile attempt at prognostication, but damn it they are fun.  With that being said, it's onto this first round mock.  Note: This does not include trades.



1) Carolina Panthers - QB Cam Newton

2) Denver Broncos - DT Marcell Dareus

3) Buffalo Bills - DE/OLB Von Miller

4) Cincinnati Bengals - WR AJ Green


5) Arizona Cardinals - CB Patrick Peterson


6) Cleveland Browns - WR Julio Jones


7) San Francisco 49ers - QB Blaine Gabbert


8) Tennessee Titans - DT Nick Fairley


9) Dallas Cowboys - DE Cameron Jordan


10) Washington Redskins - QB Jake Locker


11) Houston Texans - DE/OLB Robert Quinn


12) Minnesota Vikings - DE Da'Quan Bowers


13) Detroit Lions - OT Tyron Smith


14) St. Louis Rams - DE Aldon Smith


15) Miami Dolphins - RB Mark Ingram


16) Jacksonville Jaguars - DE Ryan Kerrigan

17) New England Patriots - DE JJ Watt


18) San Diego Chargers - DE Cameron Heyward


19) New York Giants - G/C Mike Pouncey


20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers - CB Prince Amukamara


21) Kansas City Chiefs - OT Anthony Castonzo


22) Indianapolis Colts - OT Gabe Carimi


23) Philadelphia Eagles - DT Corey Liuget


24) New Orleans Saints - DE/DT Muhammad Wilkerson


25) Seattle Seahawks - QB Andy Dalton


26) Baltimore Ravens - CB Jimmy Smith


27) Atlanta Falcons - DE Adrian Clayborn


28) New England Patriots - OT Derek Sherrod


29) Chicago Bears - OT Nate Solder


30) New York Jets - DE/OLB Akeem Ayers


31) Pittsburgh Steelers - NT Phil Taylor


32) Green Bay Packers - G Danny Watkins