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The First Round Of The 2013 SB Nation Writers' Mock Draft Is 'Fin'

For the Colts at pick No. 24, Stampede Blue chose UCLA defensive end Datone Jones over other options like wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (who eventually got mocked to the Texans).

By Brad Wells
Kirby Lee-US PRESSWIRE

For my 8th year in a row, I was part of the SB Nation NFL Writers' Mock Draft. The first round of the 2013 mock draft completed this week. Congrats to Dan Kadar for seamlessly organizing and conducting the mock. The second round will begin today, but my involvement is complete. The Colts do not have a second round pick in 2013.

And, no, there are no trades in this mock. Sorry, but we value Dan's sanity.

The 2013 Writers' Mock Draft is:


For the Colts at pick No. 24, I chose UCLA defensive end Datone Jones over other options like wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (who eventually got mocked to the Texans). My reason for taking Jones:

"I’ve done mock drafts like these for SB Nation for eight years, and this year was the hardest. At pick No. 24, there were literally four players left on the board that I REALLY wanted to take. They included NT Jesse Williams, OLB Damontre Moore and WR DeAndre Hopkins. However, based on most big boards I’ve seen, Datone Jones is the better player left available, and, at this pick, that’s the player the Colts will want. It also happens that Jones fills a big need: interior pass rusher.

"Yes, the team signed versatile DE-NT Ricky Jean-Francois to a contract that left many scratching their heads, but that doesn’t mean the weaknesses along the defensive line were adequately addressed. As Stampede Blue’s Matt Grecco noted in his scouting report on Jones, 'this guy was made to play the DE in a 3-4 scheme, with both his size and abilities, and by sheer coincidence the Colts are pretty thin at the position, with many people thinking this is where they'll go in Round 1.'

"It kills me that I can’t take a truly impressive receiver like Hopkins, giving Andrew Luck another weapon to wreck havoc with on opposing defenses. However, last year the Colts dedicated eight of their ten picks to players on offense. The results were that their defense in 2012 was just about bad as the unit that ultimately led to their 2-14 season in 2011. The Colts need blue chip players on defense if they mean to contend, and it just so happens that the best player at No. 24 is, indeed, a defensive player that fits a BIG need."

Of the 453 people who voted, 42% gave my selection a "B" grade. Cool. I'll take it.

2013 SB Nation NFL writers' mock draft results

No. Team Player Pos. College
1 Kansas City Chiefs Luke Joeckel OT Texas A&M
2 Jacksonville Jaguars Geno Smith QB West Virginia
3 Oakland Raiders Sharrif Floyd DT Florida
4 Philadelphia Eagles Eric Fisher OT Central Michigan
5 Detroit Lions Ezekiel Ansah DE BYU
6 Cleveland Browns Dion Jordan OLB Oregon
7 Arizona Cardinals Barkevious Mingo OLB LSU
8 Buffalo Bills Jarvis Jones OLB Georgia
9 New York Jets Chance Warmack OG Alabama
10 Tennessee Titans Dee Milliner CB Alabama
11 San Diego Chargers Star Lotulelei DT Utah
12 Miami Dolphins Desmond Trufant CB Washington
13 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Xavier Rhodes CB Florida State
14 Carolina Panthers Lane Johnson OT Oklahoma
15 New Orleans Saints Alec Ogletree LB Georgia
16 St. Louis Rams Tavon Austin WR West Virginia
17 Pittsburgh Steelers Cordarrelle Patterson WR Tennessee
18 Dallas Cowboys Jonathan Cooper OG North Carolina
19 New York Giants Sheldon Richardson DT Missouri
20 Chicago Bears Arthur Brown LB Kansas State
21 Cincinnati Bengals Kenny Vaccaro S Texas
22 St. Louis Rams Jonathan Cyprien S Florida International
23 Minnesota Vikings Bjoern Werner DE Florida State
24 Indianapolis Colts Datone Jones DE UCLA
25 Minnesota Vikings Johnathan Hankins DT Ohio State
26 Green Bay Packers Tyler Eifert TE Notre Dame
27 Houston Texans DeAndre Hopkins WR Clemson
28 Denver Broncos D.J. Fluker OT Alabama
29 New England Patriots Keenan Allen WR California
30 Atlanta Falcons Cornellius Carradine DE Florida State
31 San Francisco 49ers Jesse Williams DT Alabama
32 Baltimore Ravens Kevin Minter LB LSU

Some things worth noting:

  • Matt Barkley was not taken in the first round
  • Only one QB, Geno Smith, went in round one
  • Nobody took a runningback. In the 2008 actual draft, five backs went in round one.
  • Manti T'eo. No one touched him.
  • Back in 2006, I took part in my first writers' mock draft. I took LSU's Joseph Addai at pick No. 30.

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